12/09/2026
Portlaoise 2-9 Mountmellick 2-4
Midlands Park Hotel U13 'C' Hurling Championship Final
A brilliant morning for our U13 C hurlers as they were crowned county champions following a deserved five-point victory over Mountmellick at the LOETB Centre of Excellence.
It was a particularly impressive achievement for what is a very young Portlaoise team, with the lads producing a composed and determined performance on the big day to bring another county title back to The Town.
Aodhan Kelly got Portlaoise off the mark with a superb point from play in a tight opening spell. Mountmellick responded before Kelly struck again, but it was Mountmellick who grabbed the opening goal through Ronan Conlon.
Portlaoise responded in exactly the right manner. Cathal Walshe found the net to put The Town back in control before Kelly added a second Portlaoise goal during an outstanding individual first-half display.
Kelly followed that with the final two points of the half as Portlaoise took a commanding 2-4 to 1-1 lead into the break.
There was no let-up after the restart. Jake Gorry got his name on the scoresheet and Kelly added another two points as Portlaoise stretched their advantage and appeared to be taking a firm grip on the final.
Mountmellick weren't finished, however, and a goal from Zack Dalton gave them renewed hope. Points from Ryan Fitzgibbon and Ronan Conlon reduced the Portlaoise advantage to four, 2-7 to 2-3, with eight minutes remaining.
With the final back in the balance, the young Town side showed great composure.
Callum Williamson landed an important point before Mountmellick replied, but Portlaoise continued to work hard throughout the field and refused to allow their opponents to complete the comeback.
Williamson then struck the final score of the game to seal a 2-9 to 2-4 victory and spark the celebrations for the players, coaches and Portlaoise supporters.
It was an excellent team performance from a young group, with Aodhan Kelly producing a particularly memorable display, finishing with 1-6, including 1-5 from play, while also playing a major role around midfield and in driving Portlaoise forward.
Portlaoise Scorers
Aodhan Kelly 1-6 (0-1 free), Callum Williamson 0-2, Cathal Walshe 1-0, Jake Gorry 0-1.
Portlaoise Team:
Dylan Kinsella; Cian Griffin, Aleksander Lyshak, Ruairi Bannon; Aaron Scully, Ronan Condon, Caleb De Plasa; Aodhan Kelly, Klayton Mulligan; Sean Og Brown, Callum Williamson, Jake Gorry; Lorcan O’Brien, Cathal Walshe, John Fitzpatrick.
Subs: Daniel Bockariov for Ruairi Bannon, Cian Reddington for Sean Og Brown.
A Word From The Coaches
A fantastic achievement for the entire group and their coaches, and another great day for underage hurling in the club.
Great stuff from the lads today, and thankfully they got their just reward in winning the trophy.
That was not an easy game against a very physical team, kudos to our lads who really stepped up and stayed going right until the end.
Since nursery this group has improved year on year and today marks a great occasion in winning their first official competition. As coaches we are very proud of them and we hope that this group will have even better days ahead.
Days like today make the voluntary aspect of coaching that bit easier for us and seeing the lads' achievements means a lot.
Thanks to all the parents for the support over the year.
Well done to all. Portlaoise Abú 🇳🇬🇳🇬
Diarmuid, Dermot & Norma
