Late surge secures Thurles Sarsfields the Mid-Tipperary Senior Hurling crown
MID TIPP CHAMPS: Ronan Maher of Thurles Sarsfields Photo by Sam Barnes/Sportsfile
Three unanswered points in the last five minutes got Thurles Sarsfields over the line 0-18 to 0-16 against Upperchurch-Drombane in the Mid Tipperary senior hurling final at Littleton.
The Church - beaten finalists last year - were seeking their first title, and for much of the way looked as though they would be celebrating but Sarsfields kept their composure to lift the trophy for the forty seventh time.
Upperchurch got off to a rousing start with four points without reply but Sarsfields found their feet to draw level at 0-4 each after 16 minutes. Again Upperchurch surged clear with Padraig Green hitting four points as the half went into injury time but once more Sarsfields responded with points from Darragh Stakelum and Aidan McCormack to be just two points behind at half-time, 0-8 to 0-10.
Sarsfields raised their game in the second half, three points in five minutes pushing them clear, but Upperchurch were not wilting and with Aaron Ryan, Gavin Ryan and Padraig Greene all finding the target they led 0-16 to 0-15 after 58 minutes.
Sarsfields’ experience was crucial as they produced winning scores from Paddy Creedon and Aidan McCormack to lead in injury time. The Church spurned a point chance from a free to level and from the puck-out Conor Stakelum whipped over another Sarsfields point to ensure their victory.
Ronan Maher, Sarsfields joint captain, was named Man of the Match, his work at the heart of the Thurles defence crucial to their success. Michael Purcell, Eoin Purcell, Billy McCarthy, Stephen Cahill and Conor Stakelum also worked very hard to give them this important boost ahead of their county championship opener against Kiladangan next week-end.
Upperchurch-Drombane will feel they should have got something from the game and have little time to recover before they face Holycross-Ballycahill in the county championship next week. Padraig Greene, who scored seven points, Keith Ryan, Aaron Ryan, Ger Grant, and Gavin Ryan were their top performers.
Nenagh Eire Og retained their North senior hurling title with a 0-21 to 0-17 win over a fancied Kiladangan at Dolla. The clash between the 2021 and 2022 champions was always keen with Nenagh lifting the McGrath Cup for the tenth time, the win also guaranteeing them a place in the preliminary county quarter finals should they fail to qualify from their group.
The losers opened well going three points clear but Nenagh settled and with Mikey Heffernan, Conor Hennessy and Jake Morris finding the target, they went 0-9 to 0-5 clear after 20 mins. Billy Seymour was Kiladangan’s main scorer as they fought back to be just one point behind approaching half-time but a brace of Mikey Heffernan points gave Nenagh a 0-11 to 0-8 advantage at the interval.
Nenagh extended their lead to six points on resuming with points from Morris (2), Heffernan(2) and Josh Kelleher countered by a Billy Seymour brace for Kiladangan. It was a lead Kiladangan never really threatened to erase despite Billy Seymour’s best efforts. They had James Quigley sidelined to add to their woes but still had the deficit down to three points on the hour mark. However, Barry Heffernan had a late strike for Nenagh to protect their lead.
An injury to county man Jake Morris is a concern for Nenagh facing into the county championship next weekend. Mikey Heffernan (8), Jake Morris (4) and Conor Hennessy (3) were top marksmen for Nenagh. Billy Seymour hit nine points for the losers who have a difficult start to the county campaign next week when they face Thurles Sarsfields. Sean Hayes and Paul Flynn each notched two points for them.
In the south senior hurling final holders Carrick Swans’ brave second half comeback just fell short as Killenaule held on for a 1-20 to 2-16 win in a thrilling finish. Killenaule, who started without former county star John “Bubbles” O Dwyer, dominated the first half. They had a Joe O Dwyer goal from a line ball as they built up an interval lead of 1-12 to 1-6, Gavin O Halloran netting for the Swans approaching half-time.
It was a much different story in the second half as Swans took command. Danny O Hanlon was introduced and added greatly to Swans’ attacking efforts. A scrambled goal had them breathing down Killenaule necks as the game reached a thrilling conclusion but Killenaule held their nerve to just get over the line.
Joe O Dwyer and Tom Stakelum were the key men for Killenaule with Gavin O Halloran and Danny O Hanlon leading the way for Carrick Swans.
CONNECT WITH US TODAY
Be the first to know the latest news and updates
