Sars plant successive flags but set sights on loftier summits

IN A year in which he has already enjoyed All-Ireland success with the Tipperary All-Ireland-winning team, this was another goal achieved; that was the reaction of Thurles Sars’ outstanding full-forward Pa Bourke after yesterday’s county senior hurling win over Clonoulty-Rossmore.

“We’re delighted, of course, this was our goal from the start of the year – today was for everyone in the panel, from 1 to 33 – everyone who got to play, including those who came, we all worked hard, we all did it for each other. We got back together last January, took it step by step; we got through the Mid championship fairly unscathed, said we had to knuckle down from then on. We had Loughmore-Castleiney – our good neighbours from over the road – in the quarter-final, got over that, then got a bit of luck to get past Toomevara in the semi-final, barely got over the line.”

Despite a number of goal chances conceded in the final minutes, it was a relatively comfortable win in the end for Thurles; the real scare for them came two weeks ago in that semi-final win, a last-minute disputed 20m free at a time when Sars trailed by two points, a free that simply had to be goaled. Doing the business – one Pa Bourke, a drilled shot into the corner past a packed Toomevara defensive line. Were it not for that goal... “Ah sure look,” he shrugs, “You’re a hero one day, you could be the villain the next – we were just lucky to get over the line.”

Hard to believe for such a storied club, but this was Thurles Sarsfields’ first back-to-back title success since 1965. That year, in fact, and testament to their dominance in Tipperary hurling at a time when Tipperary hurling was dominant nationwide, Sars actually completed their second five-in-a-row in just eleven years, Toomevara the only team between them and a scarcely credible 11-in-a-row, when their bitter rivals from the north county beat them in 1960. History, says Pa, all history. “All we wanted to win was one-in-a-row; we weren’t thinking about two-in-a-row, three-in-a-row or anything like that, we only want to win it every year we can. Lucky enough we have a good bunch of players here at the moment, and we have done back-to-back, so we’re delighted with that. It’s great to win your own county final, that’s what every club player wants to do from the start of the year.”

Next up is the Munster club semi-final against Limerick champions Kilmallock, in Kilmallock, Sars favourites not just to win there but to go on and win Munster. Pa, however, is distinctly underwhelmed by that forecast. “Looking at the bookies, we were already favourites to win Munster even before we won our own county, but we only ever beat Lixnaw (Kerry champions, last year) in that; we’re going to enjoy this for a couple of nights, get back to training on Wednesday night and start thinking about the Munster club then.”

Even as Pa and his teammates celebrated, disappointment for Clonoulty coach Conor Gleeson, but hope also. “It wasn’t an easy day for hurling, people may not realise it but underfoot conditions weren’t the best. When you come to a final you’d like to perform as well as you can, as well as you’re going in training, but we just didn’t do that today – you don’t score only 1-7 and win a county final against a team as good as Thurles Sarsfields. They’re an excellent side, and when you add Redser (O’Grady, suspended after the semi-final for two months) they’ll be even stronger; they’re well able to win possession, their forwards especially, and well able to score. They’re a fine side, they’ll take a lot of stopping. We’re a young side, we got to the quarter-final last year, semi-final the year before, the final this year, so those lads are knocking on the door. I know they’ll stick with it; it hurts to lose on a day like today but they’ll be back – you know what they say, you have to lose one to win one.”