Cloughbawn came through their intermediate hurling semi-final by the narrowest possible margin, beating St. James' 2-11 to 1-13. One point separated the sides after the hour, with the two Cloughbawn goals making the decisive difference. The hitting was hard throughout, and neither defence gave an inch around the middle of the field. Bob Whitty was the man who kept things steady, holding his nerve whenever the contest threatened to tip the other way. St. James' pushed hard for the score that would bring them level, but the equaliser never arrived. Cloughbawn's reward is a place in the final, and they have booked it the hard way. For St. James', a single-point defeat at this stage will sting for a long time.