Ulster dig deep to seal provincial title

THERE was drama at Ruislip yesterday, where an Ulster late show saw them overcome defending champions Munster in this M Donnelly Interprovincial final.

In what was a highly entertaining and competitive encounter, Ulster looked in complete control as the teams headed for the interval, leading by four points and looking much the stronger side.

But they were rocked moments after the restart when Waterford’s Gary Hurney rattled in an opportunistic goal, and by the three-quarter stage Munster had surged ahead.

The cup looked destined to be heading down south for a second successive year, but Ulster dug deep and fired five points without reply in the final eight minutes to clinch a thrilling victory.

“We’re really pleased with the win,” said Ulster manager Joe Kernan. “The lads put in a big effort, especially in the last 10 minutes. They kept their heads and showed great character to come back. We lost our way for about 10 minutes after half time, but the lads fought hard, we started to use the ball a lot better and took some inspirational scores. That lifted us. We may not have done it for the whole game but we did when it mattered most.”

The interprovincial championship has only survived in recent years due to the generosity of Martin Donnelly, who admitted last week that the success of the football final in Ruislip would influence his decision to sponsor the competition. But after witnessing a thrilling and highly competitive encounter, attended by a crowd of around 1,500 fans, Donnelly has confirmed that he will continue to back the series.

“It’s early November, a cold day, but I was delighted with the crowd, the whole day was tremendous,” he said. “It showed that there is a future, whether it be this side of the water or abroad for the final.

“With the intensity the players showed, you can’t say there’s a lack of interest in the competition. And that’s what it’s all about, it’s really about players wanting to compete for their province.”

The conditions were freezing at the Emerald Grounds but Ulster looked red hot in the opening exchanges, their full-forward line of Paddy Bradley, Stephen O’Neill and Michael Murphy causing Munster all sorts of problems.

Cork duo Daniel Goulding and Donncha O’Connor kept Munster in touch. They should have led midway through the half when Liam O Lionnain spun past his marker and raced in goal, only to hit the side netting.

It was a major let off for Ulster and as the wind picked up, they pushed on, Kevin Hughes hitting a superb late brace to give his side a 0-8 to 0-4 advantage at the break.

That lead would be short-lived however, as within minutes of the restart Munster were level.

Hurney looked to be going nowhere when he picked the ball to the right of goal, but he somehow managed to escape his marker’s clutches and drilled a fine low shot across Joe Devine.

Ulster should have had a goal of their own moments later when a superb flowing move saw Paul Finlay play Joe McMahon through on goal, but his shot flew harmlessly wide.

Points from superb substitute James Ryan and Goulding put Munster in front for the first time on 48 minutes, and with their opponents squandering possession all too easily, the cup looked set to return to the southern province.

But Ulster mounted a stunning late salvo, with Down’s Danny Hughes and namesake Gordon making an immediate impact upon their introduction by hitting the winning scores.

“Over the hour I felt Ulster were worthy of their win. They have some fantastic players and a great backroom team,” said disappointed Munster boss Ger O’Sullivan.

“We were just a little bit tight with our panel. We lost two players during the week, and then before the game we lost Seamus Scanlon and Colm O’Neill. I think that caught up with us in the end. I thought our players were fantastic; they gave 100% commitment. I’m very proud of them.”

Scorers for Ulster: P Bradley 0-3 (1f); M Murphy (1f), K Hughes, G O’Kane, D Hughes 0-2 each; S O’Neill, P Finlay, E McGinley, C Gormley 0-1 each.

Scorers for Munster: D Goulding 0-4 (1f); G Hurney 1-0; D O’Connor 0-2f; N Murphy, J Ryan 0-1 each.

ULSTER: J Devine (Tyrone); K Lacey (Donegal), Justin McMahon (Tyrone), G O’Kane (Derry); A Kernan (Armagh), C McKeever (Armagh), R Flanagan (Cavan); K Hughes (Tyrone), E McGinley (Tyrone); P Finlay (Monaghan), B Coulter (Down), Joe McMahon (Tyrone); P Bradley (Derry), S O’Neill (Tyrone), M Murphy (Donegal).

Subs: C Gormley (Tyrone) for McKeever (28); R McCloskey (Fermanagh) for Lacey (ht); D Hughes (Down) for Joe McMahon (41); D Gordon (Down) for Murphy (43); T Freeman (Monaghan) for Hughes (52).

MUNSTER: P Fitzgerald (Tipperary); T O’Gorman (Waterford), J McCarthy (Limerick), P Reidy (Kerry); M O’Gorman (Waterford), M Shields (Cork); P Ranahan (Limerick); N Murphy (Cork), P O’Neill (Cork); P Kelly (Cork), D O’Connor (Cork), P Kerrigan (Cork); G Hurney (Waterford), D Goulding (Cork), L O’Lionnain (Waterford).

Subs: R Costigan (Tipperary) for M O’Gorman (ht); J Ryan (Limerick) for Kerrigan (ht); S Scanlon (Kerry) for O’Neill (56); A Walsh (Cork) for O’Lionnain (59).

Referee: D Fahy (Longford).