Tipp U21 ease past Down to reach final

Down 0-5 Tipperary 4-20

Munster champions Tipperary are on course for a shot at the county’s first Erin U21 All-Ireland hurling crown in nine years after coming through a poor Down challenge at O’Moore Park in Portlaoise.

Corner forward Tony Scroope led the way for the Premier youngsters, taking a superb flick from Tommy Fitzgerald to race 30 metres and strike past Down goalkeeper Richard Murray for a blistering first minute goal.

The Burgess man tagged on five first half frees as Tipp ran up a 1-8 to no score tally before Ulster champions Down finally pointed in the 21st minute.

Three wides from senior star Brendan McGourty and midfielder Daniel McCusker had blighted Down’s first quarter-hour, but they might have been celebrating a fifth minute goal had Tipp’s Conor O’Mahoney not cleared McGourty’s skidding sideline off his own line.

The introduction of another Down senior, Garrett Johnson, back from holidaying in America, added a much needed fire to their attack but at 0-3 to 1-12 down at the break, it was even beyond the "magical" powers of the burly number 24.

For the second successive year, Down were on a hiding in the semi-final. Last season, eventual winners Kilkenny walloped them by 21 points, and Tipperary, who defeated Cork in last month’s Munster final, ran up another cricket score in the second half.

McGourty pointed his third free immediately after the restart, but on 34 minutes a devastating run by Shane Sweeney, past Aaron Dynes, saw Tipp goal for the second time.

Two minutes later, substitute Richie Ruth bagged a third and with barely 15 minutes gone in the half, they had a fourth as Tommy Fitzgerald burst through to fire high beyond the helpless Murray.

Midfielder McCusker drove over Down’s fifth point in the 46th minute, but Tipp had time for more. A John Doherty foul on Shane Sweeney saw Scroope sensibly fire over on 54 minutes and he, Sweeney and Fitzgerald rounded off their cumulative tally of 3-14 as the 2003 semi-finalists motored through to the September 11 decider.

Down: R Murray; D Coffey, J Doherty, C Braniff; C Coulter, A Dynes, M Ennis; D McCusker, D Flynn; J McCusker, B McGarrity, G Flynn; P Smith, E Clarke, M Gilmore.

Subs used: G Johnson for D Flynn (19 mins), A Bell for M Gilmore (36), S McManus for G Flynn (44), M Watson for Braniff (47)

Tipperary: P McCormack; A Morrissey, C O'Mahoney, H Moloney; D Walton, D Fitzgerald, E Hanley; J Caesar, W Cully; S McGrath, S Sweeney, P Buckley; T Scroope, T Fitzgerald, E Sweeney.

Subs used: R Ruth for E Sweeney (ht), C O’Brien, D O’Brien, D Sheppard for Caesar, Morrissey and Hanley (all 43)

Referee: E Morris (Dublin).