Harty Cup: Late burst sees Ardscoil advance to semis
BATTLE: Jamie Ormond, Our Lady's Secondary School, Templemore, being tackled by John O'Keeffe, Ardscoil Ris in the Quarter Finals of the Harty Cup in UL. Pic: Brendan Gleeson
They trailed until the 49th minute but resurgent Ardscoil Rís outscored Our Lady’s, Templemore, 1-8 to 0-1 in a late burst to advance to the Harty Cup semi-finals.
The reigning All-Ireland champions looked demoralised by a dogged Our Lady’s challenge until Dáire Neville’s 45th-minute goal sparked them into life.
All of a sudden, they were winning clean possession with space to exploit. That they did, scoring eight of the next nine points to turn a four-point deficit into a six-point lead, 1-21 to 1-15, by the hour.
Michael Collins was in inspired form in the second half, his pace and accuracy helping boost his tally to six points from play.
The game was delayed half an hour at UL due to a venue mix-up by the referee. In the end, Éamonn Stapleton, who had been due to ref a match in Cappamore, which was called off, and was attending as a spectator, was recruited to step in to take charge of this quarter-final.
Despite the delay, Our Lady’s were up for this from the off. They dropped one midfielder Tom Corcoran to cover the two-man full-forward line, while Paddy Phelan ended up sitting in at centre-back on the dangerous Fintan Fitzgerald.
Phelan and Eoin Kennedy produced fine hooks to set the tone but it was an effort across the defence to limit Ardscoil, with Fitzgerald and Dáire Neville looking most threatening.
They also did a good job of getting their Tipperary All-Ireland minor winners on the ball, with Phelan and Jamie Ormond running the first half; Ormond, in a titanic tussle against Limerick U20 Cian Scully, scored 0-7 across the hour, won five pointed frees, and added another two assists.
They were level three times in the opening quarter. Ormond struck two fine points from play added to by Michael Cahill and a Phelan free, with Fitzgerald (0-2), corner-back John O’Keeffe, and Collins replying for Ardscoil.
Ciarán O’Shea put distance between the sides with a 16th-minute goal; prodding a breaking ball beyond the defence and pulling it into the net. When Ormond added a free, Our Lady’s led by four.
The lead oscillated between two and four points from there to the half; Fitzgerald (0-3), Shane Gleeson, and Marc O’Brien seeing their efforts cancelled out by Ormond (0-2), Ned Walsh, James Ryan, and Josh McMahon.
Ardscoil almost had it level just before the break, Neville playing in O’Brien but Kennedy got back to take his effort off the line. The half-time score; Our Lady’s 1-10 returned from their 15 shots, Ardscoil with 0-9 out of 20 efforts.
There was no doubt Ardscoil were creating enough chances but Our Lady’s were getting in the hooks, blocks, and tackles to either dispossess them or throw them off balance.
So it continued into the second half. Collins had Ardscoil on the board immediately but two frees, won and converted by Ormond, gave Our Lady’s their biggest lead of the day at five points.
Ardscoil had another goal chance when O’Brien squared for Neville but his first-time batted effort flashed over the bar; cancelled out at the other end by O’Shea.
Collins and Diarmuid Stritch brought Ardscoil back within one score but Cahill replied to make it 1-14 to 0-13.
Ardscoil needed a spark and they found it when Matthew O’Halloran turned over the sliotar in Templemore territory and fed Neville behind the cover; the Cratloe clubman nearly bursting the net with his finish.
A Fitzgerald free levelled it before Collins gave Ardscoil their first lead. The Limerick school were now the ones squeezing Our Lady’s around the middle and making use of the space on the flanks against a tiring defence. They improved their rate of return to 1-13 from 18 shots in the second half Scully was more effective mopping up ball and his fine pick-out set up O’Brien for a point, added to by Michael Gavin.
A Phelan free briefly brought it back to a two-point game but Ardscoil were not for stopping. Collins raced away for another brace, with Fitzgerald adding a fine effort from play and a free.
In a rainy conclusion, Phelan had a close-range free stopped on the line while Eoin Begley won a penalty for the victors, tapped over by Fitzgerald.
F Fitzgerald (0-9, 5 frees, 1 pen); M Collins (0-6); D Neville (1-1); M O’Brien (0-2); J O’Keeffe, M Gavin, D Stritch, S Gleeson (0-1 each).
J Ormond (0-7, 5 frees); P Phelan (0-4 frees); C O’Shea (1-1); M Cahill (0-2); J Ryan, N Walsh, J McMahon (0-1 each).
E Deegan (Cratloe); J O’Keeffe (Na Piarsaigh), S McMahon (Smith O’Briens), S Morrissey (Dromin Athlacca Banogue); J Moylan (Cratloe), C Scully (Dromin Athlacca Banogue), J Finn (Na Piarsaigh); M Gavin (Ballybrown), D Stritch (Clonlara); S Gleeson (Adare), F Fitzgerald (Mungret St Paul’s), M O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge); M Collins (Clonlara), D Neville (Cratloe), M O’Brien (Cratloe).
E Begley (Clonlara) for Gleeson (41), E Carey (Cratloe) for O’Halloran (53), S Hickey (Adare) for Neville (59), P Kearney (Adare) for Stritch (60+2).
M Ryan (Loughmore-Castleiney); C Gleeson (Drom & Inch), J Bergin (JK Brackens), E Kennedy (Drom & Inch); J Ryan (JK Brackens), E Larkin (Roscrea), N Delaney (JK Brackens); T Corcoran (JK Brackens), P Phelan (Upperchurch-Drombane); N Walsh (JK Brackens), J Ormond (JK Brackens), M Cahill (JK Brackens); C O’Shea (JK Brackens), J McMahon (Roscrea), D McAllister (Drom & Inch).
C Cahill (Drom & Inch) for M Cahill (43), C Guilfoyle (Moyne-Templetuohy) for McMahon (43), S Walsh (JK Brackens) for O’Shea (51).
É Stapleton (Limerick).
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