GAA: Newtown earn their break
Due to the less-than-impressive itinerary arranged by Croke Park, the Cork and Munster champions were forced to journey to London on Saturday last in the middle of the night; a 4.45am coach journey to be in Cork airport for 6.00am, with the game being played later that day, at 1.30pm.
Ultimately Newtown won by nine points but for long periods it was a close-run thing; at the end of the first half the visitors were just one point ahead, 1-5 to 1-4.
"It was tough, conditions were rough. It was a bad, wild, cold day and we were up against quite a big strong side," the relieved Newtown manager explained yesterday.
"Fr. Murphy's hurled a little like we used to hurl back in the '70's hard and strong. It was just a very tough game to get a hold of. We played into the wind in the first half gale force and were only up a point at half-time, but when push came to shove the boys upped the tempo, moved on, did the job.
"The travel did have an effect though and it showed in their first-half performance as they were a bit sluggish.
"That was understandable, given that, other than the four or five based in Cork, the rest of the team were up at around four o'clock in the morning. After that it was all go, get to the airport, fly across, get to the hotel, check in, get back out to the ground in time to have a bit of a warm-up.
"It all worked out okay in the end, these fellas know what they have to do no matter the circumstances, and they did enough to win."
The Newtown cause was helped considerably by a goal against the run of play in the opening minutes, scored by talented teenager James Bowles, a score missed by Patsy.
"I didn't actually see the goal myself, I was down at the other end trying to organise things. But it was an important score, no doubt about it."
Reward (if it can be so termed!) for Newtownshandrum for winning is an All-Ireland semi-final against Kilkenny and Leinster champions, O'Loughlin Gaels, recent conquerors of four-time All-Ireland kingpins Birr.
Like Newtown, the Gaels are now in uncharted territory, never having won their provincial crown before but, backboned by the giant Comerford brothers Andy and Martin, with a third brother, Jimmy, also prominent, the Kilkenny champions are fancied to go all the way this year.
With two other Kilkenny senior All-Ireland medallists in the team, the Dowling brothers, Sean and Brian, and free-taker Nigel Skehan shooting with over 90% accuracy from long and short range, they have a lot of armoury.
Exhausted, not just from their weekend's endeavours but from a long season, the hurlers of Newtown can expect a small break between here and the end of the year.
"We're actually discussing that today, our programme from now 'til February 15, which appears to be the date set for the meeting with O'Loughlin Gaels.
"The lads looked like they needed a break on Saturday, looked a bit tired and jaded, to be honest, but that's a culmination of a number of things. The travel arrangements didn't help, but we'd only won our first Munster title six days earlier, and there was a bit of celebration after that.
"They've been going non-stop for a while so they do need a bit of a break. They'll get that, but knowing how professional Ger Cunningham [coach and trainer] is, he'll tailor their schedule accordingly."
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