2023 AIB Munster Club IHC Final – Castlelyons (Cork) 3-16 Corofin (Clare) 0-19

Castlelyons (Cork) defeated Corofin (Clare) by 3-16 to 0-19 in the AIB Munster Club Intermediate Hurling Championship Final on Saturday December 2nd at the TUS Gaelic Grounds Limerick.

Castlelyons overcome Corofin and the fog to land Munster Intermediate Hurling title

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— Irish Examiner Sport (@ExaminerSport) December 2, 2023

Castlelyons overcome Corofin and the fog to land Munster Intermediate Hurling title

Castlelyons (Cork) 3-16 Corofin (Clare) 0-19

Report by Eoghan Cormican for the Irish Examiner newspaper

Fog threatened to derail Castlelyons’ march to Munster glory. In the end, there was nothing could derail Noel Furlong’s men.

Four minutes into the second half of this Munster intermediate club hurling decider, and with Castlelyons 3-11 to 0-9 in front, worsening fog saw referee Conor Doyle call a temporary halt to proceedings.

The Tipperary official instructed 12 minutes be given to see if the fog would lift. At the end of those 12 minutes, and with no visible improvement in conditions – excuse the pun! – another 10 minutes was added to the delay in the hope that the cloud of thick fog at the City End might lift.

It did, eventually, and so after a 22-minute pause, the second half restarted.

Corofin’s Michael Kelly and Diarmaid Cahill clipped the first two scores upon the restart. It cut the deficit to nine. Six was as close as the Clare champions got thereafter.

They needed at least one green flag to properly threaten a comeback. The closest they came was a Gearóid Kelly shot late on kept out by Castlelyons ‘keeper Jack Barry.

Castlelyons had the fatal wounds inflicted long before the fog fell and lifted.

Based in Dubai, and having been a long-distance commuter during Castlelyons’ successful county championship campaign, Anthony Spillane had his latest flight home paid for by the 16th minute of this Munster final.

With just over a quarter of proceedings passed, the returning Spillane had helped himself to a hattrick.

The opening two green flags, which arrived inside the opening two minutes, captured the difference between the respective sides.

Those opening exchanges were littered with goal openings at either end. But where Corofin mined a solitary white flag from the three goals chances they engineered, Spillane shook the net with the two Castlelyons opportunities.

The clock read only 51 seconds when the inside forward, receiving the perfect pass from David Morrison, chalked the first of his hattrick.

His second saw him get on the end of a long delivery straight down the throat of the opposition defence, while his third was a fine individual effort.

His third left the scoreline reading 3-8 to 0-5. An Alan Fenton free four minutes later – one of six first half white flags he contributed – swelled the lead of the Cork champions to 13 points.

The interval difference was a not so insignificant dozen points, 3-11 to 0-8.

The defensive resistance offered by Corofin was close to non-existent at times. Castlelyons scores came without notable pressure exerted.

At the far end, Gearóid Kelly supplied six of their first half eight, four of which were placed-ball efforts. He finished with 0-12.

After requiring so many attempts to get over the line in Cork’s premier intermediate grade, Castlelyons have taken Munster at the first attempt.

Their journey now continues on to the All-Ireland semi-final stage. Connacht champions, Tooreen, are next in a fortnight.

Scorers for Castlelyons: A Spillane (3-2); A Fenton (0-8, 0-5 frees); K O’Leary (0-4); J Kearney, B Murphy (0-1 each).

Scorers for Corofin: G Kelly (0-12, 0-9 frees); M Kelly, S O’Brien (0-2 each); J Organ, D Cahill, K O’Connor (0-1 each).

Castlelyons: J Barry; J O’Leary, C Barry, N O’Leary; D Spillane, C Spillane, L Sexton; A Fenton, J Kearney; B Murphy, O Hallihan, K O’Leary; D Morrison, L Doocey, A Spillane.
Subs: S Moroney for J O’Leary (37); C McCarthy for Murphy (48); P Roche for K O’Leary (60); B O’Donovan for Morrison (62); R Feeney for Doocey (63).

Corofin: L Corbett; M O’Loughlin, K O’Connor, D O’Loughlin; C McGroary, C Leen, D Ryan; G Cahill, F Clancy; K Keane, D Cahill, G Kelly; M Kelly, J Organ, S O’Brien.
Subs: E Davoren for Ryan (42); F Killeen for O’Brien (57).

Referee: C Doyle (Tipperary).

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