AIB Munster GAA Hurling Intermediate Club Championship Quarter Final – Youghal (Cork) 4-13 Ardmore (Waterford) 1-12

Youghal (Cork) defeated Ardmore (Waterford) by 4-13 to 1-12 in the AIB Munster GAA Hurling Intermediate Club Championship on Sunday October 27^th at Pairc Ui Rinn.

Youghal make most of Ardmore red card

By Therese O’Callaghan for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Youghal (Cork) 4-13 Ardmore (Waterford) 1-12

The bragging rights and a place in the Munster Club IHC semi-final were at stake in this clash at windswept Páirc Uí Rinn yesterday. Ardmore and Youghal are less than 10 miles apart and the players even enjoyed a celebratory drink together after their respective county final victories, but yesterday it was back to business and a win to savour then for Youghal against 14-man Ardmore. “Yeah, definitely,” said Youghal captain Bill Copper. “We would have gone to school with a lot of their lads. We know each other fairly well. We opened up in the last quarter, as you would expect when they were a man down. We were looking at teams like Ballymartle and Blarney coming out of the Premier intermediate hurling division in Cork and going all the way. Hopefully we can go on now and win Munster.”

The game’s defining moment came eight minutes in when Ardmore captain and centre-back Declan Prendergast received a straight red for an altercation with Alan Frahill O’Connor. A number of players got involved in the skirmish at a juncture when Ardmore trailed 1-0 to 1-2 (O’Connor having bagged the 1-2). Ardmore selector Tom Flynn accepted the offence deserved a red but argued there were two players involved: “There were two fellas” he said. “We are disappointed over that. We can’t complain about the sending off, it was fair enough. But there was a head-butt thrown first. It was a bit early in the game for it to happen and it had a huge bearing.” Overall, though, he said they would look forward to senior status next year. “Our lads are either under 22 or over 30. There is a small gap there. Today was our first game as a senior club and we are disappointed to lose. But, we don’t think we are too much off of the likes of Passage (senior county champions), we wouldn’t fear them. Hopefully we can use this as experience”.

Christy Cooney made a late call not to start regular midfielder Nigel Roche after he picked up a shoulder injury in the Cork league final the previous Sunday. Nonetheless, they settled immediately with Frahill O’Connor’s 1-2 before John Gartland pulled a goal back for Ardmore. The sending off of Prendergast then appeared to spark the Waterford champions into action, especially his brother Seamus who made a huge impact throughout. He finished the match with nine points, having a big physical presence over his markers.

Barry Ring acted as the extra defender for Youghal but it was Ardmore – playing with the strong wind – that took control hitting five points to Youghal’s one with Prendergast in particular giving them a vital edge. Youghal weren’t firing on all cylinders and their shooting was off too. They brought Andrew Curtin into the fray. They were making little leeway, and dogged defending from Richie Hennessy denied O’Connor a second goal before the changeover. This left Ardmore to the front, 1-8 to 1-5 at the break. Youghal were turning with wind advantage and it was a question of would Ardmore’s 14 hold out against Youghal’s 15? Two points within a couple of minutes from John Gartland and Prendergast suggested they might. But, Youghal got the break they badly needed when a Leigh Desmond free was tipped to the net by Ciaran O’Mahony and when Brendan Ring followed with a white flag, the deficit was reduced to one point. Prendergast added two frees for Ardmore and by the 42nd minute they led 1-12 to 2-7, but they were flat out.

They failed to score again as the numerical disadvantage told. Youghal came into their own for the remaining quarter. Curtin’s goal followed points from Cooper and Desmond. They added four more white flags in the 50th, 52nd, 54th and 56th minute before wing-back Ollie Dempsey — equally at home in the attack — combined with James O’Mahony to fire past Clinton Hennessy.

Scorers for Youghal: A Frahill O’Connor (1-3), A Curtin (1-1), L Desmond (0-4, three frees), C O’Mahony and O Dempsey (1-0 each), B Ring (0-3), B Cooper (0-2).

Scorers for Ardmore: S Prendergast (0-9, five frees), J Gartland (1-1), M Cronin and S Keating (0-1 each).

YOUGHAL: R Cunningham; B Sullivan, J Grace, K Walsh; O Dempsey, C Spillane, Barry Ring; D Ring, J O’Mahony; C O’Mahony, A Frahill O’Connor, B Cooper (Capt); B Moloney, Brendan Ring, L Desmond.

Subs: A Curtin for D Ring (bs 17-22), A Curtin for B Moloney (23), B Coleman for C O’Mahony (46), D Scanlon for O Dempsey (60).

ARDMORE: C Hennessy; N Hennessy, C O’Shea, D Power; K Murphy, D Prendergast (Capt), R Hennessy; M Cronin, W Hennessy; S Keating, D Gartland, C Hennessy; T Conway, S Prendergast, J Gartland.

Referee: F Horgan (Tipperary)

When – Sunday October 27^th at 2:00pm

Where – Pairc Ui Rinn

Extra time – (2 periods x 10 minutes only) to be played if sides finish level at the end of 60 minutes

Replay date – Saturday November 2^nd at a Waterford venue

Next Round – the winners play the Clare representatives in the Munster Club Semi-Final on Sunday November 3^rd at 2:00pm in a Clare or Waterford venue.

Admission Prices
Adults – €10
Student/OAP – €5
All Under 16s free

Contact Munster GAA PRO Ed Donnelly at pro.munster@gaa.ie for more information

For the Record

Munster GAA HURLING Club Intermediate Championship 2013

Quarter-Finals (Extra time)

Sunday October 27^th (Replay date – Saturday November 2nd)

@ Pairc Ui Rinn                                  Youghal (Cork) v Ardmore (Waterford) 2:00pm

@ Bruff     Dromin-Athlacca (Limerick) v Ballina (Tipperary) 2:00pm

Semi-Finals (Extra time)
Sunday November 3^rd (Replay date – Saturday November 9th)

@ Clare or Waterford venue Clare representatives v Youghal (Cork) or Ardmore (Waterford) 2:00pm

@ Kerry or Tipperary venue Kerry champions v Dromin-Athlacca (Limerick) or Ballina (Tipperary) 2:00pm

Final (Extra time)

Sunday November 17th (Replay date – Saturday November 23rd)

2:00pm throw-in

Odds and Ends

Since the competition began in 2003, Cork clubs have won 4 of the 9 Munster titles on offer, the last one in 2010 when Ballymartle were successful. Clare and Tipperary are the only other counties with a winning record in this competition.

Cork clubs have only lost their opening match in this competition on 3 occasions, in 2004, 2007 and 2011.

Waterford clubs have lost their last six games in this competition. Their last victory dates back to 2005 when Ballyduff Upper defeated Granagh Ballingarry (Limerick) in the Munster Semi-Final by 1-20 to 2-9. No Waterford club has ever won an away match in the Munster Club Intermediate Hurling Championship.

In the 3 seasons, 2006 to 2008 in this competition, the only 2 Counties who recorded victories were Cork and Clare. Limerick, Waterford, Kerry and Tipperary proceeded to lose 8 matches between them in this period.

Munster GAA Club HURLING Intermediate Championship Roll Of Honour

Cork (4) – 2003, 2005, 2008, 2010

Clare (2) – 2006, 2007

Tipperary (2) – 2004, 2012

Limerick (2) – 2009, 2011

Munster GAA Club HURLING Intermediate Championship

List of Winning Teams

Visit the Munster GAA web site History section to view the complete list of each winning team since the competition began 1888 – https://munster.gaa.ie/history/ihclub_teams/

All Ireland GAA Club HURLING Intermediate Championship

In the Club Intermediate Hurling All Ireland Roll of Honour, Cork have secured 2 titles courtesy of Blarney