AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Semi-Final – Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 2-20 Sarsfields (Cork) 2-15

Last-gasp Ruth tips the scales in real thriller

Thurles Sarsfields 2-20 Sarsfields 2-15

Report by Jackie Cahill for the Irish Independent newspaper

SUPERSUB Richie Ruth netted in the first minute of stoppage-time at Semple Stadium to send Tipperary champions Thurles Sarsfields through to the provincial final for the second time in three seasons. Ruth’s strike settled a gripping semi-final with Cork kingpins Sarsfields to keep Thurles on track for their first Munster crown. They will meet Waterford’s De La Salle on November 25 in a repeat of the 2010 decider. Thurles could yet look back on Ruth’s priceless goal as the key moment in their 2012 season, and possibly beyond. The visitors trailed by six points with 12 minutes remaining, but Eoin Quigley’s 49th-minute goal revived the visiting challenge and, when Cian McCarthy fired over two late frees, the sides were level at 2-15 to 1-18 heading into stoppage-time. The crowd of 2,934 were looking at extra-time, but Ruth would have a crucial say, collecting a handpass from Michael Cahill before flashing home a brilliant goal at the Town End.

County final Man of the Match Aidan McCormack clipped over his fifth point from play before 35-year-old Johnny Enright, who was superb at midfield, put the icing on the Thurles cake with time almost up. Once again, Thurles came through a huge battle, having claimed a hard-fought victory against Kilmallock on Limerick soil at the quarter-final stage. And when they needed them most, the marquee names on the Thurles side came up with big moments.

Lar Corbett cracked home a magnificent first-half goal and after a difficult couple of months, perhaps the 2010 All-Ireland final hat-trick hero may be rediscovering some top form. Corbett hit 1-1 in the first half and worked tirelessly but the key forwards for Thurles were Pa Bourke, who hit five of his seven points from play, and McCormack, who also hit five points from play. For Cork’s Sarsfields, McCarthy finished as leading scorer with eight points, seven of those from placed balls. Wexford star Quigley scored a goal in each half while towering full-forward Michael Cussen got little change from a rock-solid Thurles full-back line.

Sarsfields boss Pat Ryan felt that Cussen received little or no protection from referee Michael Wadding. Ryan said: “I think sometimes when you have a lot of inter-county players on your team, you get a lot of frees. I don’t think we got that. “Michael Cussen was winning ball and there were fellas hanging off him and he couldn’t get any free. But if you touched Padraic Maher, he was down and they got a free. He’s a super player but I think that’s the way some things go.”

At half-time, Thurles led by 1-11 to 1-8 following a high-scoring and hugely entertaining first half. The Cork side led by 0-3 to 0-2 in the early stages before Corbett lit up a gloomy Semple Stadium with a quite brilliant goal in the seventh minute. The 2010 Hurler of the Year, scorer of 1-2 against Kilmallock, fetched an Enright clearance at midfield and ran a straight line some 60 yards through the heart of the opposition’s defence before unleashing an unstoppable shot past Alan Kennedy. Thurles were almost in for a second goal four minutes later but Kennedy tipped Bourke’s shot over the crossbar.

And the Rebel representatives hit back with a goal in the 12th minute, finished at the second attempt by Quigley. It appeared the visitors had weathered the storm when McCarthy and Gavin O’Loughlin popped over points for the Cork champions to open up a 1-6 to 1-4 lead with 17 minutes on the watch. But they wouldn’t score again for 14 minutes and in that time Thurles reeled off seven unanswered points to establish a five-point advantage, 1-11 to 1-6. Bourke and McCormack were finding space to good effect, latching onto excellent deliveries from the middle third to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

The Cork side ended their barren period on the scoreboard with a McCarthy ’65’ in the first minute of stoppage-time at the end of the half, after Thurles goalkeeper Patrick McCormack had somehow managed to divert Ronan Murphy’s shot wide. Before the break, Quigley added a point to his earlier goal and despite falling away for a huge chunk of the first half, Ryan’s charges were still in touch at the break. Thurles pulled away again after the break, but their opponents battled back to draw level, only for Ruth to have the final say.

Scorers — Thurles Sarsfields: P Bourke 0-7 (2f), A McCormack 0-5, L Corbett 1-1, J Enright 0-4 (3f), R Ruth 1-0, M Gleeson, M O’Brien, G O’Grady 0-1 each. Sarsfields: C McCarthy 0-8 (6f, 1 ’65), E Quigley 2-1, G O’Loughlin, R Murphy 0-2 each, D Roche, T Óg Murphy 0-1 each.

THURLES SARSFIELDS — P McCormack; S Maher, K O’Gorman, David Maher; D Kennedy, P Maher, M Cahill; M Gleeson, J Enright; P Bourke, J Corbett, L Corbett; M O’Brien, Denis Maher, A McCormack. Subs: R Ruth for J Corbett (41), J Maher for Gleeson (inj, 41), G O’Grady for J Maher (51), S Cahill for O’Brien (60+3).

SARSFIELDS — A Kennedy; D Kenneally, J Barry, C O’Sullivan; D Kearney, R Ryan, C Leahy; T Óg Murphy, E Quigley; G O’Loughlin, R Murphy, D Roche; R O’Driscoll, M Cussen, C McCarthy. Subs: E O’Sullivan for D Kearney (h-t), K Murphy for O’Driscoll (38), G O’Kelly-Lynch for Leahy (53), W Kearney for R Murphy (58).

Ref — M Wadding (Waterford)

Late Thurles surge seals the deal in cliffhanger

By Diarmuid O’Flynn for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Thurles Sarsfields (Tipp) 2-20 Sarsfields (Cork) 2-15

It was a game to warm the blood in a chilly Semple Stadium. This Munster club SHC semi-final came with a late Thurles surge to win the battle of the Sars. Right from the start it was a contest of the highest calibre, two teams taking advantage of a break in the recent rainy weather to serve up a quality contest, a game garnished with several sumptuous scores. The Cork champions were fastest from the traps, two points on the board in the first three minutes courtesy of freetaker Cian McCarthy and wing-forward Daniel Roche.

Tipperary inter-county colleagues Pa Bourke and Lar Corbett were soon into the fray for Thurles, however, first Pa with two points, then Lar with a trademark virtuoso goal. Grabbing a high Pádraic Maher clearance around midfield, Lar took off at pace, directly down the throat of the Cork side’s defence. Everyone backed off, waiting for the lay-off. It never came, Lar instead opting to go it alone, finishing with a fierce drive to the net. That goal was the difference between the teams in the 11th minute but it could have been more, Alan Kennedy making a brilliant point-blank save to deny Bourke, who had stolen in behind the defence, the shot deflected over for a point – 1-4 to 0-4. Not for long. At the other end of the field Wexford county player Eoin Quigley started and finished a move that resulted in the first goal for his adopted side and this score gave his side a boost, Cian McCarthy and Gavin O’Loughlin adding points to put the visitors two ahead in the 17th minute, 1-6 to 1-4.

Entertaining fare for a disappointing attendance of just 2,934, but it was to get even better. Thurles Sars went on a run, the most sustained period of dominance by either side in the game, hitting seven points without reply in an 11-minute spell to lead by five as the game headed into time-added-on. A couple of points before the break, however from McCarthy and Quigley had the game back in the melting-pot, 1-11 to 1-8, and given there was no breeze to speak of it was still all to play for. The third quarter was won by Thurles, and well won, veteran midfielder Johnny Enright making his presence felt from long-range frees (two) and general play as the Tipperary champions stretched their lead to six. It wasn’t over, however – far from it.

Back came the Cork Sars and again it was a Quigley goal, a duplicate of Lar Corbett’s first-half effort in style and execution, followed by points from the lively Ronan Murphy and Cian McCarthy. Suddenly what had been a six-point lead was down to one. The Cork champions did tie it up, 2-15 to 1-18 as the game entered the three signalled minutes of added time but that’s when Thurles really exploded. First it was wing-back Michael Cahill with a great burst up the middle before parting to sub Richie Ruth for the decisive goal, then two clinching points from Aidan McCormack and big-hitting Johnny Enright. Tough on the Cork Sars but overall, a fair result. “There are no medals or cups given out today,” Thurles manager Seamus Quinn pointed out. “For us to get back to that stage, regardless of who we were meeting, was a battle. We’re here now and it’s 50-50.”

Scorers for Thurles Sars: P Bourke 0-7 (2fs), A McCormack 0-5, L Corbett 1-1, J Enright 0-4 (3fs), R Ruth 1-0, G O’Grady, M Gleeson, M O’Brien, 0-1 each.

Scorers for Sars: C McCarthy 0-8 (6fs, 1 65), E Quigley 2-1, G O’Loughlin, R Murphy 0-2 each, D Roche, T Óg Murphy 0-1 each.

Subs for Thurles Sarsfield: R Ruth for J Corbett (41), J Maher for Gleeson (inj. 41), G O’Grady for J Maher (51), S Cahill for A McCormack (60+1).

Subs for Sars: E O’Sullivan for D Kearney (inj. 30), K Murphy for O’Driscoll (39), G O’Kelly-Lynch for Leahy (inj. 53), W Kearney for R Murphy (57).

Referee: M Wadding (Waterford)

Quinn: We always find a way

By Diarmuid O’Flynn for the Irish Examiner newspaper

They won in a shootout yesterday, they chiselled out a win a defensive battle against Kilmallock — any which way, Thurles Sars will find a way to win, says manager Seamus Quinn. “Kilmallock is a tight pitch, the stadium (Semple) is a bit different — the crowd is further back and you have more room to express yourself on the field. I thought both teams did that.” So they did, none more so than veteran midfielder Johnny Enright who, following the early injury to his partner Michael Gleeson, took up the slack for Thurles and put in a superb performance.

Quinn agreed: “Johnny has a new lease of life since he’s gone out to the middle of the field but he has all of the experience in the world. He pulled off some great scores from frees.” For Sars (Cork) manager Pat Ryan, this was a chance lost, though the Cork champions bowed out with honour. However he had some issues with the officiating. “I’m very proud of our fellas. We were six points down in the second half and we didn’t get many breaks. “I think sometimes when you have a lot of inter-county players on your team, you get a lot of frees. I don’t think we got that. “Michael Cussen inside was winning ball, fellas hanging off him and he couldn’t get any free, but if you touched Pádraic Maher, he was down and they got a free.

“Pádraic’s a super player but I think if you’re not an inter-county player you don’t get those frees. “You could see that in the second half — we didn’t get any frees. “Maybe Michael needs to work on it — maybe he’s too honest, needs to go down and get more frees. “But the better team won on the day and we wish them the best of luck against De La Salle in the final.”

Thurles Sarsfields through to Munster Club SHC final

Report from Breakingnews.ie

Thurles Sarsfields ran out 2-20 to 2-15 winners over Cork champions Sarsfields in this afternoon’s AIB Munster Club SHC semi-final clash at Semple Stadium. Lar Corbett and Richie Ruth scored the Tipperary side’s goals with Pa Bourke (0-7, 0-2f), Aidan McCormack (0-5) and Johnny Enright (0-4, 0-3f) claiming the bulk of their points. Cian McCarthy levelled for Sars in injury-time, but a final spurt from the Tipp men – including Ruth’s goal and points from McCormack and Enright – sealed the home win.

Leading 1-11 to 1-8 at the break, Thurles were sent on their way by Corbett’s seventh-minute goal. The former Hurler of the Year netted after a terrific catch near midfield and a storming run through the Sars rearguard. But Sars were back level within six minutes, drawing encouragement from goalkeeper Alan Kennedy’s save of stinging Pa Bourke drive. Just moments later, Sars midfielder Eoin Quigley started and finished a clever move with his goal squaring things up at 1-4 apiece. Thurles corner forward McCormack then took centre stage during a six-point surge from the hosts and that key period kept them ahead for the interval. Thurles remained on course with early second half points from Bourke and Enright, stretching the margin to five in front of a 2,934-strong crowd.

However, the Tipp club wobbled when Quigley burst through for his second goal in the 48th minute and the equally impressive Ronan Murphy tagged on a point for 1-17 to 2-12. Free-taker McCarthy fired over three more points in the closing stages, boosting his own tally to 0-8 (0-6, 0-1 ’65’) and getting Sars back on terms. Thurles hit some bad wides during this spell, but substitute Ger ‘Redser’ O’Grady landed a confidence-boosting point and they killed off Sars’ challenge in injury-time as Michael Cahill’s strong run set up Ruth’s goal. Thurles will face Waterford champions De La Salle in the provincial decider on Sunday, November 25.

Thurles Sarsfields: Pa Bourke 0-7 (0-2 frees), Aidan McCormack 0-5, Johnny Enright 0-4 (0-3 frees), Lar Corbett 1-1, Richie Ruth 1-0, Michael Gleeson, Ger O’Grady, Michael O’Brien 0-1 each.

Sarsfields: Cian McCarthy 0-8 (0-6 frees, 0-1 ’65), Eoin Quigley 2-1, Gavin O’Loughlin, Ronan Murphy 0-2 each, Daniel Roche, Tadhg Óg Murphy 0-1 each.

Next Round – the winners play De La Salle (Waterford) in the Munster Club Final on Sunday November 25^th.

Admission Prices –
Adults – €15
Student/OAP – €10
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 Senior Championship 2012

Quarter-Final

Sunday October 28^th

@ Kilmallock                         Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 2-12 Kilmallock (Limerick) 0-15

Semi-Finals
Sunday November 11^th (Replay date – Saturday November 17th)

@ Sixmilebridge           Newmarket-on-Fergus (Clare) v De La Salle (Waterford) 2:00pm

@ Semple Stadium Thurles Sarsfields (Cork) v Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 2:30pm

Final

Sunday November 25^th (Replay date – Saturday December 1st)

2:00pm throw-in

Odds and Ends

No home team has won a match in the Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship over the past 3 seasons, a run of 7 games of success for the travelling team.

Sarsfields (Cork) won the Cork title for the third time in five seasons last month thanks to a 1-15 to 1-13 victory over Bishopstown. Sarsfields (Cork) centre-forward Cian McCarthy was the top scorer in the Cork SH final scoring 8 points, 6 from frees. On their two previous appearances in the Munster Club Championship, Sarsfields (Cork) lost to De La Salle on both occasions with both matches played at Pairc Ui Chaoimh,  2008 (0-18 to 0-16) and 2010 (0-22 to 2-15 – after extra time).

Thurles Sarsfields won their fourth County title in Tipperary since last 2005 last month to qualify for the Munster Club Championship. Thurles Sarsfields record in Munster since 2005 sees them with three wins (over Kilmallock, Limerick twice and Lixnaw, Kerry). They also have three defeats in that period, on each occasion losing to the eventual Munster champion (Newtownshandrum, Cork twice and De La Salle, Waterford).

Tipperary hold the record for the number of clubs that have won the Munster title, with eight different clubs all claiming provincial victories on behalf of the county (Carrick Davins, Roscrea, Moycarkey-Borris, Kilruane MacDonaghs, Borris-Ileigh, Cashel King Cormacs, Toomevara and Loughmore-Castleiney).

Newmarket-on-Fergus (Clare) reached the final of the Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship on five occasions, winning the title in 1967 (3-9 to 2-7 v Carrick Davins, Tipperary) and in 1968 (5-8 to 4-3 v Ballygunner, Waterford). Newmarket-on-Fergus lost the Munster Finals of 1973, 1974 and 1978.

Newmarket-on-Fergus (Clare) along with Roscrea (Tipperary), Blackrock (1979) and St. Joseph’s Doora-Barefield (Clare) are the only clubs in Munster to win back to back Provincial club titles.

De La Salle (Waterford) have never lost a match in the Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship. In their four matches to date, they have only scored one goal in 200 minutes of action (against Adare (Limerick) in the 2008 Munster Club Final). De La Salle have won their four matches by a total of six points, winning the Munster titles of 2008 and 2010.

Of the 5 participating counties in this year’s Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship, Waterford have the best record since 2000 with 17 victories and 1 draw out of 26 matches played. Tipperary has the next best record with 13 wins and 2 draws out of 24 games. Cork have a marginally winning record while Clare and Limerick have losing records since 2000 at this grade.

Cork won 10 Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship titles in a row from 1971 through 1980 during a period where the Cork champions contested 12 Munster finals in a row. Interestingly, Cork then went from 1987 to 2003 without winning the title.

The Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship is very competitive with only one score separating the champions and runner-up in each final from 2004 through 2011 (drawn match).

Munster GAA Club HURLING Senior Championship Roll Of Honour

Cork (17) – 1964, 1965, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1977, 1978, 1979, 1980, 1983, 1987, 2003, 2005, 2009

Tipperary (11) – 1966, 1969, 1970, 1982, 1985, 1986, 1991, 1993, 2004, 2006, 2007

Clare (9) – 1967, 1968, 1984, 1995, 1996, 1997, 1998, 1999, 2000

Limerick (6) – 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994, 2011

Waterford (5) – 1981, 2001, 2002, 2008, 2010

Munster GAA Club HURLING Senior 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/shclub_teams/

All Ireland GAA Club HURLING Senior Championship

In the Club Senior Hurling All Ireland Roll of Honour, Cork clubs have won 9 titles followed by Tipperary with 3 and Clare with 2. Galway lead the roll of honour with 11 club titles followed by Kilkenny clubs with 10.

Munster Club Senior HURLING Cup

Club Championship Senior Hurling Cup – O’Neill Cup

Presented by Sarsfields Club, Cork, in 1972 to commemorate Billy O’Neill who founded their club in 1903.