The 2019 County Senior Hurling Championship
Tipperary GAA Yearbook 2020, pp 68-71
Article can be viewed here
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7d Tipp GAA Yearbook 10's
<span class="postTitle">Recent G.A.A. Publications 2019</span> Tipperary GAA Yearbook 2020, pp 64-65
The 2018 County Senior Hurling Championship
Tipperary GAA Yearbook 2019, 58-61
Presentation of Historic MS to Lar na Pairce
Tipperary GAA Yearbook 2019, Page 67
New York GAA Senior Hurling Final
Tipperary Yearbook 2019 pg 45
The 2018 New York GAA senior hurling final was played in Gaelic Park on August 12. The teams taking part were Tipperary New York Hurling Club and Hoboken Guards. Tipperary led by 1-10 to 1-9 at half-time. The sides were level at 1-20 each at full time. Extra time was played at the end of which Hoboken Guards were in front by 2-29 to 2-24.
Hoboken Guards: Cillian McNamara (Tulla, Clare), Shane Kearney (Dungarvan, Waterford), Diarmuid Hehir (Erin’s Own, Clare), Páraic Morrissey (Knockavilla, Tipperary), Eamonn Glynn (Inagh-Kilnamona, Clare), Cathal Barrett (Holycross, Tipperary), Paul Loughnane (capt.), (Cappataggle, Galway), David Varley (Oran, Roscommon), Cathal O’Connor (Sixmilebridge, Clare), Paul Gordan (Tynagh-Abbey Duniry, Galway), Brian Glynn (Ardrahan, Galway), Ross King (Rathdowney, Laois), Sean Costelloe (Ballindereen Galway), Jack Guiney (Rathnure, Wexford), Kieran Bergin (Dunamaggin, Kilkenny) Subs: Darren O’Connor, Darren Coffey, Ger Flood, Stephen Power, Steven Moroney, William Slattery, Dave Lewis, Aaron McCormack, James Egan, Stephen Burke, Pat Fogarty.
Tipperary New York: Padraig Gill (Burgess, Tipperary), Jack Bohill (St. John’s, Belfast, Antrim), John Gardiner (Na Piarsaigh, Cork), Bryan Power (Ballyduff, Waterford), Henry Keyes (Colt, Laois), Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields, Tipperary), Martin O’Neill (Mount Sion, Waterford), Michael Sheehy (capt.), (Portroe, Tipperary), Johnny Power (Kilmacthomas, Waterford), Ger McPartland (Doon, Limerick), Patrick Maher (Lorrha, Tipperary), Tom Phelan (Conaghy Shamrocks, Kilkenny), Tommy Kavanagh (Borris-Ileigh, Tipperary), Paddy Moriarty (Templenore, Kerry), David Pond (Monaleen, Limerick). Subs: Dylan Grace, Shane Slattery, Ciaran Keane, Paddy Layde, Kevin Hannigan, Cian Williams, Eddie Hogan, Conor Higgins, David Loughnane, Gearóid Kennedy.
Few Teams
The two teams were the only two in the championship with the first round being also the final. It’s a big falling off from times past. Johnny Murphy from Cashel, who won All-Ireland minor medals with Tipperary in the first half of the fifties, and who emigrated to New York in 1959, remembers when ten or more teams took part in the championship. Public support for games is also at a low ebb. Less than five hundred people were in attendance on August 12.
Management Information, Tipperary New York: Manager – Mark Langton (Nenagh), Selectors – Joe Grace (Silvermines), Mickey Maher (Roscrea), Coach, Toby Kavanagh (Borris-Ileigh), Captain – Michael Sheedy (Portroe)
Management information, Hoboken Guards: Manager/Coach – Ger Morris (Loughmore-Castleiney), Selectors – Pat Egan (J. K. Brackens, Tipperary), Charlie Thompson (Tramore, Waterford), Captain – Paul Loughnane (Cappataggle, Galway), Vice-Captain – Eamonn Glynn (Inagh-Kilnamona, Co. Clare).
The New York senior hurling championships Roll of Honour is as follows:
Tipperary NY – 27, Offaly NY – 19, Galway NY – 17, Cork NY – 11, Clare NY – 10, Limerick NY – 4, Westmeath NY – 4, Kilkenny NY – 3, New Jersey – 2, Connecticut – 1, Ulster NY – 1, Hoboken Guards - 1.
North Tipp beat South Galway Twice in 1886
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2018 pp 106-107
One of Michael Cusack's efforts to promote the game of hurling soon after the foundation of the G.A.A. was an exhibition match in the Phoenix Park, Dublin on February 16, 1886.
Initially, it appears he intended to have the game played between a team of Dublin hurlers and a team from North Tipperary. He wrote a letter to his good friend, Frank Moloney of Nenagh, in October 1885 proposing such a game. Later he changed his mind following his trip home to Carron, Co. Clare for the Christmas holidays. While there he met another friend, Dan Burke of Gort, and proposed to him that he pick a team from South Galway to oppose the men from North Tipperary.
The teams travelled to Dublin the day before. The North Tipperary contingent took the mid-day mail train from Nenagh, on single fares for the return journey, courtesy of the Great Southern and Western Railway. On arrival at Kingsbridge Station, they made their way to Broadstone Station to greet the South Galway team which was travelling from Gort. Cusack was also present, and the teams were conveyed to the Clarence Hotel.
The North Tipperary team had a number of practice matches in the lead-up to the game before the twenty-one were picked. These included James Hanly, Pat O'Meara, John Walsh (Nenagh), Dan Gleeson (capt.), Martin Gleeson, Pat McGrath, Martin Gleeson, Charles McSorley, Silvermines, Matt Costelloe, Pat Gleeson, Matt Hayes, Knigh, Patrick O'Meara, Pat O'Meara, Lorrha, John Ryan, Pat Guinnane, Pat Buckley, Youghalarra, Mike Grace, Pat Reidy, Pat O'Brien, Carrigtoher, John Kennedy, James Clarke, Ardcroney, James Brooder, Kilbarron.
Dan Burke, together with the Gort captain, Ned Treston, were chiefly responsible for picking the South Galway team. They decided to ask the Ardrahan team to join with Gort in picking the team because they had beaten Gort in a game in 1885. When Ardrahan demanded that they have a greater representation than Gort, Dan Burke would not agree and decided to omit Ardrahan hurlers from the team.
The team that was picked was as follows: Ned Treston (capt.), Thomas Keehan, Michael McCarthy (Gort), Pat Nestor, Martin Markham, Ned Healy, Roger Grealish, Michael Quinn, Michael Rock, Michael Connors, Michael Linnane, Thomas Kerins (Kilmacduagh), John Golden (Kiltartan), John Morgan, James Sexton, Freddy Kelly, John Treston, Pat Farrell, Michael Fitzgerald (Peterswell), Mike Lynskey (Kilbecanty), Martin Halloran (Tubber). The clubs held a meeting and had a practice match in Labane in preparation for the game in Dublin.
The Rules are Agreed
The teams had a meal in the Clarence Hotel. Following it, Cusack held a meeting with both sides in which the rules of the game were discussed and agreed. These were the days when most hurling rules were local and the new common set hadn't yet been widely accepted.
The next item to be discussed was the sliotar to be used. The Tipperary side introduced their sliotar, which was larger than that used in Galway, and it wasn't well-received by the Galway players. The latter were then invited to show theirs and it was only then they realised they had left it at home in Gort!
This was where the Galway captain stepped into the breach. Ned Treston was a saddler by trade and he decided to make the Galway ball. Before he retired for the night he made the cork core of the sliotar and waited until morning to find a harness maker to cover it with leather. As soon as businesses were open he did the rounds of the streets in the neighbourhood of the Clarence. There were quite a number of harness makers but five of them refused his request to cover the cork core with leather. The sixth man he came across said to him: "Maybe you could do it yourself?" which Ned did. It was the forerunner of the modern sliotar, based on the design of the cupped hand.
The teams marched from the Clarence Hotel, four deep, with their hurleys on their shoulders to the Fifteen Acres in the Phoenix Park. According to Galway G.A.A. historian, Padraic Ó Laoi, "The substitutes carried the goalposts." The field was marked with the players' coats. There was no charge to see the game, which had been billed by Cusack as "The Championship of Ireland".
It was nearly three o'clock before the teams lined up with Cusack as referee. Before the game started Dan Burke objected that the Tipperary team wasn't properly dressed, as they wore neither shoes nor short pants. In the invitation to the teams Cusack had requested that the teams wear a distinctive dress. Cusack agreed with Burke that the Tipperary players were breaking the rules, yet he allowed them to play. The Galway men got a great reception when they stepped on to the field dressed with green caps, white jerseys, knickerbockers and shoes.
Only One Score
The Tipperary ball was used in the first half and the sides were level at halftime. The smaller Galway sliotar was used in the second half but it didn't do Galway any favours. Ten minutes from the end Charlie McSorley of the Silvermines scored a goal for Tipperary and the only score of the game gave them victory.
The Galway team suffered two injuries during the course of the game. About twenty minutes from the end their goalkeeper was injured and had to retire, as had another player on the team, with the result that Galway ended up with only nineteen players.
The team suffered another disadvantage. They had special knickerbockers made for the occasion to satisfy a request made by Cusack that they wear a distinctive dress. Dan Burke bought a roll of corduroy on special offer in Huban's drapery in Gort and had Pake Shaughnessy, a tailor in Church Street, make up the knickerbockers. His thread wasn't equal to the strain of the contest and many of the knickerbockers ripped, causing amusement and embarrassment!
The victorious side were presented with a silver cup, which Cusack had sponsored by Coster, Johnston & Co., Stationers, of Ormond Quay, Dublin, probably the first trophy to be sponsored for a G.A.A. game, and twenty-one silver medals.
In their reports on the game the newspapers paid tribute to the ground hurling of the Galway men, regarding them as superior to the Tipperary men on the ground. The Freeman's Journal went so far as to say "the better team did not win."
The North Tipperary team were given a torchlight procession on their return to Nenagh and about four thousand people turned up in front of the Castle Hotel to listen to Frank Moloney's address.
There was also a fine turnout at Gort to greet the defeated Galwegians. The Brass Band attended to welcome their heroes home. However, only four of the team arrived! The rest, unaware that there was a second station in Dublin, took the train from Kingsbridge instead of Broadstone and didn't discover their mistake until they reached Limerick Junction. They arrived home on Thursday!
Dissatisfaction with Result
There was further disappointment for the defeated team. Not very long after their return many of the neighbouring clubs began to grumble that the team that travelled to Dublin was in no way representative of South Galway. A letter from the secretary of the Craughwell and Ballamana Hurling Club appeared on February 21, stating that South Galway was not represented against North Tipperary, but Gort hurling club, which accepted the challenge without consulting the other clubs. He also sent a friendly challenge from the other clubs in South Galway to the victorious North Tipperary hurling club.
A reply from the Gort secretary appeared soon after. It claimed that the clubs were informed as early as the previous December, that a meeting of the clubs was held in Labane and a practice match had taken place, but that some of the clubs mentioned in the letter of February 21 had broken the agreement and had left Gort just seven days to make alternative arrangements.
North Tipperary took up the challenge issued by the Craughwell and Ballamana secretary. According to the Nenagh Guardian "The Tipperary men, with their umpire, F. R. Maloney, left Nenagh on the forenoon of the 4th April, for the 'City of the Violated Treaty', to compete with the members of the Galway Team, who sent a challenge. Number One Limerick Brass Band met the Tipperary men on their arrival, and preceded them to the St. Michael's Temperance Society Rooms. After preparing for the contest both teams marched to a field at Ballinacurra, kindly given for the occasion by Mr. Thomas Hogan."
The Galway side, made up predominantly of players from Craughwell and Ardrahan, with Peter Cawley of Craughwell as captain, arrived at Limerick by special train, accompanied by the Oranmore band. They were met at the station by St. Michael's club and conducted to the Temperance Rooms, where they met the Tipperary team.
Return Game at Limerick
The following account of the game is taken from the Tuam News.
"The field chosen for the match was the old racecourse of Ballinacurra and about 12,000 people* were present at the match, which began at 3.50 pm. Tipperary turned out in green and amber. Galway wore no costume, having only a green cap, some with white shirts and some with grey shirts and no stockings or shoes. The Galway men won the toss and played with the wind.
The game was held up for fifteen minutes out of the forty over a dispute about some of the rules. Tipperary were better prepared than the Galway men as they wore sandals with rivets in the soles, which prevented them from slipping, whereas the Galway men hurled without boot or stocking and their rallying cry was 'Glory'. The ground was very slippery owing to the day being very wet. However, they worked like men determined to win.
There were about 40 minutes in each half. The Tipperary men appeared to lose temper at times, on account of the stern opposition they received from the Galway boys, as they were nothing but boys in appearance, but they were men of spirit and pluck. When full time was called, there was no goal but Tipperary scored more points, seven in all."
The Galway men came close to victory at one stage. Tom Callanan, whip forward on the team, chased a hopping ball into the goalmouth. The Tipperary goalie in running out to save, missed the ball and was carried on by his own impetus, leaving Tom in possession only a yard from the empty goal. Tom, in his eagerness to score, missed his footing and although he recovered and drew on the ball, the goalie had gained time to turn and desperately hooked the upraised hurley. The Tipperary backs then bore down on Tom, the ball was cleared and the game lost. Had the goal been scored it would have equalled any number of points and Galway would have been victors.
There are different versions of the final score. The above account gave it as 7 points to nil in favour of Tipperary. Another account gives it as 10-3. The Nenagh Guardian gives it as 15-1.
We don't have the North Tipperary team that turned out on the day. The South Galway team was as follows: Michael Mooney (captain), (Kilchreest), James Sylver, John Green, Pat Green, Martin Holland, Pat Dolan, Mike Grady, Mike Ford, Thomas Niland, Thomas Prendergast, Pat Diviney (Ardrahan), Matt Kelly, Bartley Callanan, Thomas Callanan, Thomas Healy, John Cannon, James Cannon (Craughwell), Pat Keely (Peterswell), John Diviney (Kilmacduagh), James Nolan (Kiltartan).
Referee: Mr. R. A. Gleeson.
After the match both teams were hospitably entertained by St. Michael's Temperance Society.
The Nenagh Guardian account gave the figure of 30,000 present.
County Senior Hurling Championship 2017
Tipperary G.A.A Yearbook 2018, pp 53-55
Article can be viewed here
Patrick Roger Cleary General Secretary G.A.A. 1889-1890
Tipperary G.A.A Yearbook 2018, pp 39
Article can be viewed here
County Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship 2016
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2017, pages 61-63
Thurles Sarsfields won their thirty-fifth county senior hurling championship when they completed a hat-trick of titles by beating Kildangan by 0-27 to 1-15 at Semple Stadium on October 16. The winners were strong favourites to win the title but some fancied that Kildangan had a chance on the basis of their retention of the North title and an impressive display against Drom Inch in the county quarter-final.
As events transpired this was a no contest final. The losers were hit by an avalanche of scores in the opening minutes as Sarsfields ran riot in a ‘Croppy, lie down’ display and led by nine points to one after as many minutes. Kildangan did their best to salvage some honour during the rest of the hour but they had no answer to a rampant Sarsfields side that confirmed the opinion of many that they are well ahead of any challenge that can be thrown at them within the county.
No Change
Thirty teams contested the senior championship for the Dan Breen Cup, sixteen of them in Roinn 1 and fourteen in Roinn 2. There was only one change in the running of the championship from 2015. Any team that qualified from the group stage had to do so on its own merits and could not qualify through backdoor methods. Under this rule the teams that came first and second in Roinn 1 groups and first in Roinn 2 groups qualified for the play-off stage of the competition. Divisional winners , if they hadn’t already qualified, were given recognition by playing off against the Roinn 2 winners in a round before the preliminary quarter-finals
The groups in Roinn 1 were as follows: 1. Killenaule, J. K. Brackens, Drom Inch, Upperchurch-Drombane; 2. Eire Óg, Thurles Sarsfields, Roscrea, Borrisileigh; 3. Kilkdangan, Nenagh Eire Óg, Mullinahone, Templederry Kenyons; 4. Clonoulty-Rossmore, Kilruane MacDonaghs, Portroe, Lorrha.
The groups in Roinn 2 were as follows: 1. Burgess, Moyne Templetuohy, Holycross-Ballycahill, Toomevara; 2. Carrick Swan, Moneygall, Moycarkey-Borris; 3. Loughmore-Castleiney, Borrisokane, Kickhams; 4. Ballina, Silvermines, Ballingarry, Clonakenny.
Qualifiers
The qualifiers from the group stage were as follows: Roinn1 – In Group 1 Killenaule won and Drom Inch got the runners-up spot; in Group 2 Thurles Sarsfields came out on top with Borrisileigh in the runners-up position; in Group 3 Kildangan got top spot with Mullinahone in second place; in Group 4 Clonoulty-Rossmore won and Kilruane MacDonaghs got the runners-up spot.
In Roinn 2 only the winners qualified and they were Burgess, Carrick Swans, Loughmore- Castleiney and Ballina respectively.
In the meantime the following teams had won the divisional championships, Loughmore-Castleiney (Mid), Kildangan (North), Mullinahone (South) and Clonoulty-Rossmore (West).
As all four teams had already qualified for the play-offs there was no need for another round between them and the winners of Roinn 2.
Preliminary Quarter-Finals
The preliminary quarter-finals pitted the runners-up in Roinn 1 against the winners of Roinn 2. These games took place on the weekend of September 25. Kilruane MacDonaghs showed no mercy when destroying Carrick Swan by 5-26 to 0-6 at Holycross. It was a closer affair between Mullinahone and Ballina at Templetuohy with the South champions coming through by 0-19 to 0-16. Borrisileigh got the better of Burgess by 1-17 to 1-13 at Dolla. Drom Inch had to minimum to spare over Loughmore-Castleiney at Holycross on a score line of 1-16 to 0-18 in a match that ended in controversy because of the paltry amount of added time allowed.
Quarter-Finals
The quarter-finals were played on the weekend of1/2 October at Semple Stadium. Killenaule, who had been defeated by Mullinahone in the South final gave a fine display and held out against a late charge by Kilruane to win by 2-20 to 1-20. Their display was capped by a superb performance from John O’Dwyer, who contributed thirteen points of their total, seven from play. In the second game on Saturday Borrisileigh were no match for Thurles Sarsfields, who cruised to a 2.22 to 0-13 victory.
The major talking point after Sunday’s games was the shock delivered to Drom Inch by a very determined, highly motivated and pacey performance by the North champions. Kildangan were in control of the game from early on and never let it slip from their grasp. In fact they probably deserved better than their four point margin of victory on the score line of 2-18 to 1-17.
In the fourth game Clonoulty-Rossmore had a comfortable 1-18 to 1-10 victory over Mullinahone in a rather pedestrian encounter. The South champions suffered the loss of Eoin Kelly during the first quarter and this didn’t help their cause, but they were overall well off the pace in the game.
Semi-Finals
The semi-finals were played at Semple Stadium on October 9. Thurles Sarsfields proved too good for Clonoulty-Rossmore and won easily on a score line of 1-22 to 0-15. The West champions kept pace with Sarsfields for the first twenty minutes but then the eventual winners took off and scored six of the last seven points in the half to lead by 0-13 to 0-8 at halftime. By the end of the third quarter the contest was decided. A Richie Ruth goal in the twelfth minute and a missed Timmy Hammersley penalty effort put paid to Clonoulty’s chances of a fight back and when Sean Maher was re-carded six minutes from time, it was the end of the road for them.
In the second game Kildangan came through with nine points to spare on a score line of 2-16 to 0-13. Much was expected of this contest but it was a very lacklustre performance. The winners were no way as impressive as they were in the quarter-final and the performance of some of the Killenaule players seemed at times to verge on the disinterested. The winners led by 1-9 to 0-8 at the break and the contest was still open entering the last quarter with only three points, 1-11 to 0-11, between the sides. Joe Gallagher got Kildangan’s decisive second goal in the fiftieth minute and they had the better of the exchanges in the final minutes for their eight-point victory.
The Final
The final contest was a David versus Goliath affair, with Kildangan striving the win their first county senior title and Thurles Sarsfields chasing their thirty-fifth. The bookies didn’t expect the contest to be anything but an uneven one and installed Sarsfields as red-hot favourites to make it three-in-a-row. The sides had met once before at this stage of the championship on the only occasion when Kildangan got to the final in 1938. Sarsfields won easily by 7-7 to 2-2 on that occasion. That was a long time ago and Kildangan took encouragement from a more recent meeting during the group phase of the 2015 championship when they registered a 3-15 to 0-12 win over the favourites.
It is probably fair to say that Kildangan didn’t do themselves justice on the occasion. Whether they were overawed by the occasion or not is difficult to decide but they appeared transfixed during the opening quarter as Sarsfields took off in a blitz of high-powered, top-quality hurling that was well nigh impossible to cope with. By the time they found their feet the game had gone past them and they spent the remainder of the match trying to catch up.
The did fight back and came within seven points of their opponents at one stage, but Sarsfields were always able to motor ahead once again and one felt that if danger threatened from a Kildangan revival, they could always lift their performance to a new level to offset the danger. The winners led by 0-15 to 0-6 at the interval and were comfortably on top by nine points at the final whistle on a score line of o-27 to 1-15.
Thurles Sarsfields: Patrick McCormack, Stephen Maher (0-1), Ronan Maher (0-2), Michael Cahill, Stephen Lillis (0-1), Padraic Maher, Denis Maher, Stephen Cahill, Billy McCarthy, Tommy Doyle, Aidan McCormack (0-6), Pa Bourke (0-9), Conor Lanigan (0-2), Lar Corbett (0-1), Richie Ruth (0-5). Subs: Rory Dwan for Denis Maher, John Maher for Conor Lanigan, David Kennedy for Lar Corbett, Kevin O’Gorman for Richie Ruth. Also Kevin Smith, Cian Treacy, Pa Dunne, Mikey O’Brien, Jack Derby, Michael Russell, Kevin O’Gorman, Barry O’Dwyer, Cathal Moloney, John Lawlor, Kevin Dunne, David Corbett.
Team management: Tommy Maher, Paddy McCormack, Connie Maher.
Kildangan: Barry Hogan, James Quigley, Hughie Flannery, Fergal Hayes, David Sweeney, Alan Flynn, Darren Moran, Johnny Horan (0-1), Martin Minihan, Joe Gallagher (1-1), Darragh Egan (0-6), Ruairi Gleeson (0-2), Willie Connors (0-3), Paul Flynn (0-1), Tadhg Gallagher (0-1). Subs: Jack Loughnane for Martin Minihan, Eoin Kelly for Johnny Horan.
Also Paddy Coen, Andy Loughnane, Gary Byrne, Jim Minihan, Shane Seymour, Eoin Meagher, Ciaran Kelly, Tommy Connors, Eanna Gleeson, Kian Hayes, Dan O’Meara, Gerry Slattery, Eoin Gleeson.
Team management: Dan Hackett, Sean Treacy, Martin McLoughney.
John Quirke Jewellers Man of Match Award: Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields.
Referee: John McCormack (Kickhams), Standby Referee, Fergal Horgan (Kickhams), Linesman, Sean Bradshaw (Kickhams), 4th Official, Padraig Skeffington (Cashel K.C.), Umpires, Adrian Crosse, Pat McCormack, Paul Ryan, John Hadnett (all Kickhams).
Results at a Glance
Preliminary Quarter-Finals
25/09/2016 Holycross Kilruane MacDonaghs 5.26 Carrick Swans 0.06 Fergal Horgan
25/09/2016 Templetuohy Mullinahone 0.19 Ballina 0.16 Sean Everard
25/09/2016 Dolla Borris-ileigh 1.17 Burgess 1.13 Ciaron Timmons
25/09/2016 Holycross Drom & Inch 1.16 Loughmore Castleiney 0.18 Johnny Ryan
Quarter Finals
01/10/2016 Semple Stadium Killenaule 2.20 Kilruane MacDonaghs 1.20 Kevin Jordan
01/10/2016 Semple Stadium Thurles Sarsfields 2.22 Borris-ileigh 0.13 John O’Brien
02/10/2016 Semple Stadium Clonoulty Rossmore 1.18 Mullinahone 1.10 Philip Kelly
02/10/2016 Semple Stadium Kildangan 2.18 Drom & Inch 1.17 John McCormack
Semi Finals
09/10/2016 Semple Stadium Thurles Sarsfields 1.22 Clonoulty Rossmore 0.15 John Cleary
09/10/2016 Semple Stadium Kildangan 2.16 Killenaule 0.13 Fergal Horgan
Final
16/10/2016 Semple Stadium Thurles Sarsfields 0.27 Kildangan 1.15 John McCormack
G.A.A. Publications 2016
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2017, pages 50-52
A number of club histories were published during the year. One of the most impressive was Kilruane MacDonaghs 1970-2013 – Heirs to a Proud Tradition by Gilbert Williams. Canon Whyte published the club history in 1985 and brought the story up to 1970 so this work takes the story almost to the present.
It’s a big book of almost 550 pages and is produced in hardback, retailing at €30. It was printed by the Nenagh Guardian.
It covers that great period in the club’s history, which saw it win four senior hurling titles between 1977 and 1985 as well as an All-Ireland club title. The latter success becomes an even bigger achievement as the years go by. Kilruane club stands with Roscrea and Borrisileingh as the only Tipperary clubs to achieve the highest honour in club hurling and no other club in the county has emulated their achievement since the eighties.
Also in the period covered by the book is the senior football title won by the club in 1975, a rarity in North Tipperary and, perhaps, not among the priorities of the club, but a nice addition to the club’s escutcheon.
The book is a detailed account of club activity in hurling and football during the years covered. There is a logical progression in each chapter, starting with the club AGM and giving an account of the fate of all teams from senior down to under-12 in hurling and football. It is easy to follow and the information can be clearly sourced.
There is a good Roll of Honour section at the end of the book, which includes not only championships won but also individual honours won at county level in every grade, and an impressive list it is also.
I understand there are 400 pictures in the book and the author has recognised the importance of the visual in including so many. It will give people the chance to see how they looked at the club dance thirty or forty years ago!
Gilbert Williams has done his club a great service. His article on Christiaan de Wet, the Boer general after whom the club was named in 1901, is an interesting addition to the publication. The book is a valuable record of achievements over the period and will be an importance reference work not only for members of the Kilruane-MacDonaghs club but for outsiders as well.
Betwixt the Arras and Lough Derg: A History of Gaelic Games in Portroe 1884-2015 by Seamus J. King was launched in the Parish Hall by Fr. Seamus Gardiner on October 30. A large book, extending to 600 pages, it was printed by Guardian Print and Design and retails for €20.
The parish is a small place with one church and one school but the Portroe G.A.A. Club makes up for lack of size with a huge dedication and commitment to success. As the author says of the club players ‘When they wear the green and gold they are lifted to a higher plane and driven to greater heights of endeavour.’ And the supporters are no less passionate.
The book traces the successes and failures of the club over 130 years and gives prominence to two major years in that history, 1990, when they achieved senior status after many years, and 2012, when they won their first North senior hurling championship.
As well as an account of club activities in hurling and football, the book gives generous coverage to juvenile games, Scór and camogie, as well as to an interesting athletic involvement in the 1950s.
There is also a comprehensive statistical section in the book as well as a number of articles on the industrial past of the parish. In fact quite a bit of the social history of the parish is covered, making the book much more than a sporting record. There’s a good selection of pictures and thirteen profiles of prominent individuals and families who contributed significantly to the story of the G.A.A. in the parish of Portroe.
Another Update
St. Mary’s, Clonmel have updated their club history. The original volume was published in 1990 and the updated version, which was launched in the G.A.A. Centre, Clonmel on November 12, includes the untouched earlier volume of 244 pages plus an additional 200 pages covering the years 1990 to 2015.
The title of the book is St. Mary’s Hurling & Camogie Club 1929-2015. It is printed by Naas Printing Ltd and it retails for €25. The author is Sean O’Donnell, who was also author of the original book and who is also the author of two historical works on the town of Clonmel.
The original work opens dramatically with the arrival of Charles Stewart Parnell to Clonmel on 21 January, 1891 ‘only two months since the O’Shea case came to court, six weeks since those M.P.s in Committee Room 15 had ousted him from party leadership and less than a month since the crushing defeat of his candidate in the North Kilkenny by-election.’
The rest of the story isn’t quite so dramatic with more triumphs than failures rising to intermediate success in the early seventies. The seniors had a period in the limelight in the early eighties but they were desperately avoiding relegation at the Millennium. The following extract gives the flavour of the time as well as the author’s succinct style:
‘We lost to Cashel at New Inn at the end of October and the following Sunday we travelled to the Ragg more in hope than confidence. Our players dug deep, however, and to the surprise of many, we played with great resolve and beat Kilruane, who only a few years earlier had been All-Ireland club champions, by 3-10 to 1-13. For the second year in succession we had avoided relegation by a whisker.’
Probably the best part of the story is in the final chapters, the titles of which give one the flavour. There were Signs of New Growth between 2008-2010, Better Times 2011-2013 and New Heights 2014-2015. Unfortunately the cut-off point is the end of 2015 with the result that the retention of the county title by the minor hurling A team couldn’tt be included. Also deprived of mention is Seamus Kennedy’s winning an All-Ireland senior medal in September, when he joined Donncha Fahey, who won in 2001, in the winner’s enclosure.
One of the great strengths of this book is the inclusion of club panels of club teams in senior, junior, under-21 and minor, as well as juveniles, in addition to mentors between 1990 and 2015, Also included is a list of St. Mary’s players, who were on Tipperary hurling teams for championship matches from 1930 onwards. As well as the year and grade, the position played in is included and the outcome (win, lose, draw). This section includes those who served on the club committee during the period of the book, as well as club players who featured in teams outside the county.
Sean O’Donnell has done a great service to the club in bringing the St. Mary’s story up to the present. He has brought to the work his renowned historical skills and all players, mentors and supporters of the club will be grateful to him for the result.
At the end of 2015 the Kildangan G.A.A. Club published A Centenary History, too late for inclusion in last year’s article. It appeared in its centenary year and told the story of the club’s ‘humble origins its growth to maturity, its triumphs and its failures.’ It also gave recognition to now defunct junior teams in the parish, Ballycommon, Carney and Lahorna, ‘teams that operated on the lowest rung of the hurling ladder but nevertheless brought immense pleasure and satisfaction to many people.’
The most successful period in the club’s history occurred since the Millennium when they won three North intermediate titles, plus a county in 2004, and three North senior titles. However, the county senior remains elusive.
Among the club’s county senior medal holders are two of the best forwards to ever play with Tipperary, Martin Kennedy, who was an outstanding goal-getter and who, according to one rival ‘never scored the same goal twice.’ and Jimmy Kennedy, one of the greatest point-getters that ever lined out for the county.
In chapter 3 we read about the birth of Kiladangan Club, the form of the name preferred by the authors, Danny Grace and Seamus Hogan, to the more common, Kildangan. The event took place in Kiladangan Boys School on November 18, 1915 and a list of the people associated with the foundation is given. We are told that ‘King (Ned) McGrath was the last surviving founder member of the club’ and he died in November 1984 at the age of 87 years.
In their account of the earlier years the authors give a list of Kiladangan players, who played in senior championship matches over a period of five years, rather than giving an account of individual matches. This system does have its advantage as it enables to reader to see at a glance how many games a player played over a period of time.
Overall the authors have given and extensive account of the story of Gaelic Games in the parish over the period covered, with the information given in the later years the most comprehensive, An important addition are the lineouts given in Bord na nÓg finals, with the townslands of the players included. An important record for the future.
The book was printed by Guardian Print and Design.. It contains 400 pages in flexicover and retails for €20.
Just barely arriving in time for mention is Dermot Kavanagh’s, The Story of Interprovincial Hurling. This is a great addition to one’s G.A.A. Library, being the history of the now dead, and waiting to be buried,Railway Cup competition, but also the long disappeared Railway Shield and Tailteann Games provincial competitions.
The strength of this publication is its record section, containing as it does the dates, scores, and teams that participated in the competitions. The pictures are fascinating particularly that of Munster, Railway Cup champions 1976 with the tall Noel O’Dwyer, dwarfed in the back row by the likes of Pat Hartigan, Joe McKenna and Ray Cummins. The book was launched in Langton’s Hotel, Kilkenny on December 8 and retails at €20
Annual Publications
A few clubs publish annual accounts of their activities. These can vary in size from simple newsletters to more ambitious productions.
Roscrea Club have produced A Year in the Red for a good number of years and this year feature the Spooner brothers who gave distinguished service to the club.
Liam Hogan produces and ambitious account of activities in the Shannon Rovers Club, called the Shannon Rovers Review and thgis year’s production has 56 pages.
Moycarkey-Borris Club produce an annual newsletter.
Clean Ireland Recycling County Senior Hurling Championship 2015
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2016
Recent G.A.A. Publications, 2015
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook, 2016 pp 40-42
Full article can be viewed here
Tipperary Rule the Roost between 1958 & 1968
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook, 2015 pages 84-85
(The Tipperary 1964 & 1965 teams were honoured in Semple Stadium on October 26, 2014)
Tipperary dominated the hurling scene during the years from 1958 to 1968, contesting eight All-Irelands. They won in 1958, 1961, 1962, 1964 and 1965 and their three losses came in 1960, 1967 and 1968 to Wexford, Kilkenny and Wexford respectively.
The first of Tipperary’s victories was over Galway in 1958, after beating Kilkenny in the semi-final. Tipperary were hot favourites and only 47,000 attended the final, the lowest number since 1944. Although playing against the breeze in the first half, Tipperary led by ten points at half-time, two early goals shattering Galway’s chances. However, Galway changed goalkeepers and put up a better performance in the second half before going down by 4-9 to 2-5. Following this defeat Galway made their debut in the Munster championship and this arrangement stood until 1969.
Tipperary were expected to beat Dublin easily in the 1961 final because of the latter’s record in the championship since 1948. They beat Wexford sensationally in the Leinster final but not many gave them a chance against Tipperary in the All-Ireland, the first hurling final to be televised. Although Tipperary led at half-time Dublin went ahead in the second-half and looked likely victors. Two events halted their progress. The first was the sending off of the inspirational Lar Foley and the second a brilliant save by Donal O’Brien in the Tipperary goal. In the end Tipperary were very lucky to win by a point.
A year later Tipperary’s opponents in the final were Wexford, who unexpectedly defeated Kilkenny in the Leinster final. This game was a thrilling encounter. It was nip and tuck right through with the lead changing on numerous occasions. Tipperary’s superior freshness in the closing stages ensured their two-point victory on a scoreline of 3-10 to 2-11.
Having lost sensationally to Waterford in the 1963 championship, Tipperary were back with a bang in the 1964 campaign and their progress to the final was uninterrupted and spectacular. Kilkenny were their opponents in the final and were slight favourites following impressive displays in the Leinster championship. In fact they went down to Tipperary by 5-13 to 2-8 and suffered their greatest defeat since the 1937 loss at Killarney.
Tipperary’s progress to the 1965 final was equally impressive. They inflicted a crushing defeat on Cork in the Munster final and were favourites against Wexford in the All-Ireland final The foundation of Tipperary’s success were laid by two goals by Sean McLoughlin in the first quarter and an impregnable inner line of defence. In the end they won by 2-16 to 0-10.
In the five finals Tipperary amassed a total of 14 goals and 64 points and conceded 7 goals 46 points. Three players. Donie Nealon, Jimmy Doyle and Liam Devaney, played in all eight All-Irelands. This great period of dominance came to an end for Tipperary with the 1968 defeat. There was to be one more flash of brilliance in 1971 but after that the ‘famine’ arrived and the county had to wait for eighteen years for the next All-Ireland success.
The Achievements of the 1964 & 1965 Players, who were honoured in 2014.
Path to Glory in League, Championship and Oireachtas
National League 1963-1964
Sept. 29, Nenagh: Tipperary 9-14 Galway 1-4
Oct. 13, Ennis: Tipperary 5-7 Clare 2-8
Nov. 10, Thurles: Tipperary 3-14 Cork 1-3
Mar. 22, Kilkenny: Tipperary 2-12 Kilkenny 3-9 (draw)
Apr. 19, Nenagh (SF) Tipperary 3-16 Limerick 2-5
May 10, Croke Park (HF) Tipperary 5-12 Wexford 1-4
May 31, New York (F) Tipperary 4-16 New York 6-6
Munster Championship
July 5, Limerick (SF): Tipperary 6-13 Clare 2-5
July 25, Limerick (F): Tipperary 3-13 Cork 1-5
All-Ireland
Sept. 6, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 5-13 Kilkenny 2-8
Oireachtas
Oct. 4, Croke Park (SF): Tipperry 2-11 Dublin 2-4
Oct. 18, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 5-7 Kilkenny 4-8
National League 1964-1965
Nov. 22, Nenagh: Tipperary 8-10 Clare 2-4
Nopv. 29, Cork: Tipperary 4-8 Cork 2-12
Feb. 7, Ballinasloe: Tipperry 4-12 Galway 0-9
Apr. 4, Thurles: Tipperary 5-7 Kilkenny 7-10 (defeat)
May 9, Croke Park (SF): Tipperary 2-18 Waterford 1-9
May 23, Croke Park (HF): Tipperary 3-14 Kilkenny 2-8
Sept. 19, New York (1): Tipperary 4-10 New York 2-11
Sept. 26, New York (2): Tipperary 2-9 New York 3-9 (defeat)
Tipperary win on agregate by 6-19 to 5-20.
Munster championship
June 27, Limerick (SF): Tipperary 5-8 Clare 3-3
July 25, Limerick (F): Tipperry 4-11 Cork 0-5
All-Ireland
Sept. 5, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 2-16 Wexford 0-10
Oireachtas (Tipperary had free passage to final.)
Oct. 17, Croke Park (F): Tipperary 2-12 Kilkenny 2-7
Analysing these scores is a fascinating exercise. Tipperary played 24 competitive games in the two years, winning 21, losing 2 and drawing 1. They won the National League the All-Ireland Championship and the Oireachtas (when it was a major tournament) in both years.
They scored remarkably the same each year, 51 goals and 154 points in 1964 and 52 goals 148 points in 1965. Combined this worked out at an average of approximately 4-13 per game for the 24 played. They conceded 27-69 in 1964 and 24.94 in 1965 which combined averaged out at 2-7 per game, or approximately half of what they scored themselves.
One indication of Tipperary's strength at the time was the number of players picked on the Munster Railway Cup team in 1965, 10 in all: John O'Donoghue, John Doyle, Kieran Carey, Sean McLoughlin, Mick Roche, Babs Keating, Liam Devaney, Theo English, Tony Wall and Jimmy Doyle.
The full list of players involved was as follows: Michael Murphy (Capt. 1964), Jimmy Doyle (Capt. 1965), Mick Burns, Kieran Carey, Liam Devaney, John Dillon, John Doyle, Paddy Doyle, Theo English , Len Gaynor, Michael 'Babs' Keating, Larry Kiely, Michael Lonergan, Seamus Mackey,Michael Maher, John 'Mackey' McKenna, Sean McLoughlin, Donie Nealon, John O'Donoghue, Noel O'Gorman, Peter O'Sullivan, Mick Roche, Pat Ryan, Tom Ryan, Tony Wall.
Clean Ireland Recycling County Senior Hurling Championship 2014
Tipperary G.A.A. Yearbook 2015, pages 42-44
Thurles Sarsfields won their 33rd county senior hurling title at Semple Stadium on Novemeber 2 when they defeated the defending champions, Loughmore-Castleiney, by 2-22 to 3-11. The twenty four scores for the winners to fourteen for the losers accurately reflected the superiority of the Blues on the day. Loughmore-Castleiney, who had the better form coming into the final, and who were some pundits' favourites, just didn't show up on the day, Their star players, Noel McGrath and John McGrath, were well and truly shackled by their opponents.
Change in Format
Earlier in the year it was decided to halt the growth in the number of senior teams in the county by introducing relegation. When it existed previously the number of senior teams had been reduced to twenty-four but then a new management team was introduced, which favoured senior teams and the hated relegation was done away with. The result was the number of senior teams had climbed to thirty-two and there was the prospect of forty-two teams in ten years time if the system continued. All these senior teams had emasculated the intermediate championship, which was heading for decimation. It was also producing very bad hurling matches.
Something had to be done and the plan proposed for the 2014 championship was to provide the answer.
There was another problem with the senior hurling championship, too many meaningless games. There was a need to introduce some kind of filter in order that the cream would come to the top and that the best teams would reach the last sixteen and play for the Dan Breen Cup. The plan proposed dividing the thirty-two teams into two Roinns based on the 2013 championship placings. There was further filtering within each Roinn. Roinn 1, or the top sixteen teams, were further divided into four groups following seeding. In Roinn 2 the sixteen teams were divided into two seeds of eight teams.
Roinn 1, 16 teams
The seedings in Roinn 1 were as follows: 1st seeds – Loughmore-Castleiney, Nenagh Eire Óg, Borrisileigh, Kildangan;
2nd seeds – Killenaule, Drom and Inch, Clonoulty-Rossmore, Eire Óg Anacarty;
3rd seeds – Toomevara, Silvermines, Carrick Swans, Roscrea;
4th seeds – Burgess, Moycarkey-Borris, Templederry Kenyons, Upperchurch-Drombane.
The draw produced the following groups: 1. Nenagh Eire Óg, Clonoulty-Rossmore, Roscrea, Templederry-Kenyons. 2. Kildangan, Killenaule, Carrick Swan, Upperchurch-Drombane. 3. Loughmore-Castleiney, Eire Óg, Nenagh, Toomevara, Moycarkey-Borris. 4. Borrisileigh, Drom Inch, Silvermines, Burgess.
Roinn 2, 16 teams
1st seeds – Ballingarry, Kickhams, Mullinahone, J. K. Brackens, Cappawhite, Portroe, Holycross-Ballcahill, Kilruane MacDonaghs.
2nd seeds – Boherlahan Dualla, Borrisokane, Carrick Davins, Lorrha Dorrha, Moneygall, Thurles Sarsfields, Cashel King Cormacs, Ballina.
The draw produced the following groups: 1. J. K. Brackens, Kickhams, Lorrha, Carrick Davins. 2. Kilruane MacDonaghs, Holycross-Ballycahill, Boherlahan-Dualla, Cashel King Cormacs. 3. Ballingarry, Mullinahone, Ballina, Borrisokane. 4. Portroe, Cappawhite, Thurles Sarsfields, Moneygall.
Relegation and Promotion
The system favoured performance and penalised failure. The bottom team in each group in Roinn 1 was relegated to Roinn 2 in 2015.
The top team in each group in Roinn 2 was promoted to Roinn 1 in 2015. The last placed team in each group in Roinn 2 played off in an open draw, knockout game with the two losers relegated to intermediate level for 2015. The winning team in the intermediate championship was promoted to Roinn 2 for 2015.
Following the playing of the group games the four top teams in each group in Roinn 1 and the four top teams in each group in Roinn 2 qualified for the preliminary quarter-finals. The remaining eight teams were to be the four divisional champions and the four runners-up in each group in Roinn 1. An open draw would decide on the pairings. In the event of a divisional championship winner finishing 1st or 2nd in Roinn 1 or 1st in Roinn 2, that team would be replaced in the preliminary quarter-final by the next highest, non-qualifying team in the same group.
The Result
There was a general opinion that the championship was too unwieldly and offered too many back doors to teams. There were too many matches in the normal course of events but in a year when Tipperary took the long route to the All-Ireland and then had to replay it, the number of Sundays available were too few for the number of games involved. On top of that there was the problem of the dual clubs, six in all, three from the Mid, two from the South and one for the West. This fact aggravated an already crowded program.
The proponents of the system anticipated that there would be crowding and incorporated a clause in the championship regulations which stated that 'Extra time [would be played] in Preliminary Quarter-Finals, Quarter-Finals, Semi-Finals and Finals if required to meet with provincial deadlines.' As it happened the senior hurling championship made the deadline by the skin of its teeth only as a result of delaying the completion of the senior and intermediate football and intermediate hurling championships, which prevented these competitions from making the provincial deadlines.
It will come as a surprise to many to learn that the total number of senior hurling games played in the 2014 championship (sic) was one hundred and two! This was made up of 39 divisional games, broken down as follows: North 23, Mid 11, South 7 and West 8, and 63 county games, broken down as follows: Roinn 1 (group stage) 24, Roinn 2 (group stage) 24, preliminary quarter-finals 8, quarter-finals 4, semi-finals 2, final 1.
The four teams demoted from Roinn 1 to Roinn 2 for 2015 were Roscrea, Tomevara, Silvermines and Carrick Swan. The four teams promoted from Roinn 2 to Roinn 1 for 2015 were Lorrha, Kilruane MacDonaghs, Ballina, Thurles Sarsfields.
The two teams relegated to the intermediate championship in 2015 were Carrick Davins and Cashel; King Cormacs. The team promoted from the intermediate championship was Moyne-Templetuohy, who defeated Thurles Sarsfields in the final.
Quarter-Finals
After eighty-seven games the stage was set for the knockout part of thecounty championship.The four quarter-finals werer played at Semple Stadium on the weekend of October 18/19. Two of the games went to extra time.
On Saturday Mullinahone gained a place in the semi-final at the expense of Kildangan as a result of two goals in the last six minutes of extra time. Mullinahone led by 0-10 to 0-6 at half-time. A goal by Michael Dunne after 49 minutes had them eight points clear and looking unbeatable. However, two Kildangan goals in two minutes from Tadhg Gallagher and Willie Connors turned the game on its head and, with the game going into injury time, Kildangan were ahead by a point. In the third minute of added time Eoin Kelly levelled the score, 1-15 to 2-12, with a 60 metre free.
At half-time in extra time, Kildangan were ahead by a point, 2-15 to 1-17 and three minutes after resuming were five points clear following a Willie Connors point and a Paul Flynn goal. It appeared the end of the road for Mullinahone but Eoin Kelly stepped into the breach with two goals in the final six minutes to give Mullinahone victory by 3-17 to 3-16.
There was also a point between the sides at the end of the second game between Loughmore-Castleiney v Clonoulty-Rossmore. The defending champions had the advantage on a scoreline of 0-17 to 2-10. This was a game Clonoulty should have won,. They led by 2-5 to 0-10 at the interval, thanks to goals from Timmy Hammersley and John O'Neill but eleven second-half wides proved their undoing against a Loughmore-Castleiney side that registered 5 unanswered points in ten minutes at the start of the last quarter to go three points clear with four minutes to go. In these final minutes Clonoulty scored three points to leave a point between the sides at the final whistle.
There was less excitement at the Sunday games. The Nenagh Eire Óg v Thurles Sarsfields game was a close encounter that went to extra time but was overall a disappointing contest. The sides were level at 0-14 each at the end of normal time. Nenagh had a point advantage midway through extra time, 0-18 to 0-17, but Sarsfields levelled and then in the last minute Aidan Cormack converted a 95 metre free to give Thurles Sarsfields the narrowest of victories on a scoreline of 0-20 to 0-19.
Burgess were fancied to beat Templederry Kenyons in the fourth of the quarter-finals but a powerful display by Adrian Ryan, who bagged eight points for the Mid side, gave them a place in the semi-finals by 0-24 to 0-17.
Semi-Finals
The semi-finals were played at Semple Stadium on October 26 with victory going to Thurles Sarsfield over Templederry Kenyons and to Loughmore-Castleiney over Mullinahone. They were two dreadful games with many spectators wondering about the prospects for Tipperary hurling. Referee, Fergal Horgan, who was in charge of the second game, must have felt the same way, only giving an additional 4 seconds of added time!
Thurles Sarsfields beat Templederry by 0-18 to 1-11 and while the Blues were no great shakes, they were better than four points over their opposition and should have won by much more. They led by 0-9 to 0-5 at the interval, inspite of playing with a stiff breeze. While Templederry opened with a point immediately after the interval, Thurles hit four unanswered points and appeared to be cruising. However, Templederry ressurrected their act and were only three points behind going into the last quarter. Thurles went ahead again with four points to put seven between the sides and a late goal by Gearóid Ryan wasn't enough to make a difference.
The second game between Loughmore-Castleiney and Mullinahone was a very one-sided affair in which the south representatives were out of their depth. Eoin Kelly was suffering from an injured hand and didn't make the impact expected. Even with the breeze in the first half, Mullinahone struggled to get into the game and trailed by 1-12 to 0-7 at the interval. The second half changed nothing and at the end of it Loughmore were way ahead by 3-22 to 0-14. In spite of the poverty of the opposition Loughmore impressed their supporters with their pace and fluency and gave them the confidence to meet the Sarsfields.
Final
The final was a big disappointment never reaching the level of performance expected.. From the outset Thurles Sarsfields were very much on their game and freely scored points to lead by 0-8 to 0-1 at the end of the first quarter. Loughmore-Castleiney came more into the game during the second period and a goal by Liam McGrath in the twentieth minute gave them hope. However during the remainder of the half Sarsfields shaded it to lead by 0-13 to 1-6 at the interval.
The four-point margin didn't adequately reflect Sarsfields' first-half dominance but they increased the margin in the first five minutes after the interval with 1-1, the goal coming from Michael O'Brien.This put them comfortably ahead by 1-14 to 1-6. Loughmore were given renewed hope with a goal in the fortieth minute from John McGrath.
The goal, however, brought a quick Sarsfields response and during a brillinat seven-minute spell they extended their advantage to 1-21 to 2-8. This was increased further with a Pa Bourke goal in the fifty-fourth minute to put Sarsfields 2-22 to 2-10 in front. In the final minutes Loughmore tacked on 1-1, the goal coming from Evan Sweeney, but it was too little, too late, and barely dented the dominance of Thurles Sarsfields.
The winners were outstanding on the day and thoroughly deserved their comprehensive win. They dominated centrefield, where Stephen Cahill gave a man-of-the-match preformance. They had strength all over the field. Denis Maher, Lar Corbett, Aidan McCormack and Pa Bourke made good use of a steady supply of ball to the forwards. Patrick McCormack in goals and Ronan Maher, Michael Cahill and Michael Gleeson kept the Loughmore- forwards in check. Above all the work rate of all the players was top class and they were in control all the way.
Thurles Sarsfields: Patrick McCormack, Stephen Maher, Michael Cahill, Ronan Maher, Padraic Maher, Michael Gleeson, Stephen Cahill (0-2), Billy McCarthy, Denis Maher (0-5), Aidan McCormack (0-5), Conor Lanigan (0-1), Michael O'Brien (1-0), Pa Bourke (capt.), (1-3), Lar Corbett (0-2), Subs: Richie Ruth (0-4) for Michael O'Brien, Ger O'Grady for Aidan McCormack, John Maher for Billy McCarthy, Pa Dunne for David Maher, Kevin.O'Gorman for Michael Gleeson. Also: Kevin Smith, David Corbett, Tommy Doyle, David Kennedy, Paul Maher, Barry O'Dwyer, Rory O'Shea, Michael Russell, Eoin Russell, Cian Treacy.
Team Management: Tommy Maher, Paddy McCormack, Martin O'Brien, Connie Maher, Jack Griffin.
Loughmore-Castleiney: Shane Nolan, Lorcan Egan, Derek Bourke, Joseph Hennessy, Aidan McGrath (0-1), David Kennedy, Tom King, Ciaran McGrath, Tomás McGrath (0-1), John McGrath (1-1), Liam Treacy (0-1) Noel McGrath (0-5), Liam McGrath (1-1), Evan Sweeney (1-0), Cian Hennessy (0-1). Subs: Joseph Nyland for Tomás McGrath, John Ryan for Liam McGrath, Tommy Maher for L Treacy. Also: Craig Cleary, Willie Eviston, Tom Long, Johnny Campion, Bill O'Connell, Diarmuid Brennan, Henry Maher, Paddy Moynihan, Denis Brereton, Brian McGrath, Shane Hennessy, Eddie Connolly.
Selectors: D)eclan laffan, Seamus Bohan, Pat McGrath. Trainer: Alan O'Connor. Physio: Cathy Doran, Equipment: Kieran Kiely, Kevin Stapleton.
Referee: Johnny Ryan (Boherlahan-Dualla).
Man of the Match: Stephen Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields.
Attendance: 5,600