AIB Munster GAA Hurling Senior Club Championship Quarter Final – Ballygunner (Waterford) 2-15 Drom & Inch (Tipperary) 1-13

Gunners rewarded for graft and craft

Ballygunner 2-15 Drom & Inch 1-13

By Diarmuid O’Flynn for the Irish Examiner newspaper

GREATER experience at this level, greater ability in the air, and above all, greater hunger, that’s what saw Waterford champions Ballygunner ease their way past a weary-looking Drom & Inch side in this Munster Club SHC quarter-final in Semple Stadium yesterday. Five points was the margin at the end but had the Gunners had their sights properly aligned — they shot 16 wides- it would have been much more. Just a single point separated the sides at the break, the Gunners leading 1-6 to 0-8, their goal of the fortunate variety.

Drom & Inch corner-back Mike Costello flicked the ball away from full-forward Stephen Power only to see it break to JJ Hutchinson, standing in splendid isolation yards from goal – JJ made no mistake. The respective free-takers were doing most of the scoring. Seamus Callanan, suffering from flu since Friday, wasn’t at all his usual fluid self but still banged over four frees, & while another county star, young Pauric ‘Páidí’ Mahony had five points for Ballygunner, three of those from frees. Consider those nine wides, however, six of those in the last seven minutes, against just three in total from Drom & Inch, and Ballygunner selector Padraig Connolly reckoned they had much to be concerned about at the break.

“We certainly had – I counted seven wides that were definitely scoreable. Only a point up but we felt we were the better team, on top and hurling better than them; we just weren’t pushing home on the scoreboard and that was a worry. “But we said to them — there’s no panic, we’re the better side, keep going, keep doing the same things but be a bit more clinical in with the finishing.” They actually began the second half with another bad wide, from the normally deadly Páidí Mahony, who made up for that miss with a point within minutes. Then, in the 33rd minute, came the clinical finishing Padraig was looking for. A huge clearance from man-of-the-match Wayne Hutchinson (one of those, along with Andy Moloney and Shane O’Sullivan, who helped Ballygunner to dominate the air) found Brian O’Sullivan in behind the Drom & Inch cover; Brian bore down on keeper Damien Young, a neat side-step, then a one-handed finish to the gaping net – 2-7 to 0-8.

Against a suffocating Gunners defence, Drom & Inch now found themselves facing a mountain, but they began the climb. Points from Johnny Ryan (now at wing-forward) and wing-back James Ryan, along with two pointed frees by Callanan, brought the deficit down to four in the 45th minute (2-8 to 0-12, Mahony with another pointed free for Ballygunner), but when the Waterford champions then went on an unanswered four-point run (Brian O’Sullivan with two, Stephen Power and Páidí Mahony one each) to go two goals clear, only ten minutes left to play, it looked all over.

The sides then exchanged points but with only five minutes to play, a Drom & Inch goal was what the game needed to keep the attendance of just 2,183 interested, and a Drom & Inch goal was what we got, Seamus Callanan on the end of a David Butler cross after the same player collected the rebound from the post of his own point effort. 2-13 to 1-13, it was now back in the melting-pot. But not for the first time in the game it was Ballygunner showing the greater ball-winning ability, the greater support play, the greater appetite for the win, finished with two points. “We’re hungry for it because we want to win,” said Connolly, “but this is a quarter-final, only gets us into a semi-final against Na Piarsaigh and I can tell you now, from what I’ve seen of them, I’d be worried — they’re a serious outfit.” So are the Gunners, very serious this year.

Scorers for Ballygunner: Pauric Mahony 0-9 (0-6f); Brian O’Sullivan 1-2; JJ Hutchinson 1-0; S Power 0-2; S O’Sullivan, Barry O’Sullivan, 0-1 each.

Scorers for Drom & Inch: S Callanan 1-6 (0-6f); Johnny Ryan 0-3; James Ryan, James Woodlock, S Butler, D Collins, 0-1 each.

BALLYGUNNER: S O’Keeffe; A Kirwan, B Coughlin, W Kiely; W Hutchinson, Phillip Mahony, S Walsh; H Barnes, D O[Sullivan; Pauric Mahony, S O[Sullivan, B Mullane; JJ Hutchinson, S Power, B O[Sullivan.

Subs: Barry O’Sullivan (D O’Sullivan 56).

DROM & INCH: D Young; Martin Butler, Michael Butler, M Costello; P Stapleton, E Buckley, James Ryan; Johnny Ryan, S Callanan (c), D Collins; P Lupton, D Ryan, D Butler.

Subs: K Butler (Martin Butler inj. 28); S Delaney (D Ryan 30); P Kennedy (Johnny Ryan 54).

Referee: C Lyons (Cork)

Battling Ballygunner help restore Waterford’s pride

From the Irish Times newspaper

MUNSTER SHC QUARTER-FINAL: Ballygunner 2-15 Drom Inch1-13: WATERFORD’S HURLING pride was restored against Tipperary opponents at Semple Stadium yesterday. In a year when Waterford seniors suffered a 21-point humiliation against Tipperary in the Munster final, this will have cheered Déise hearts Nineteen-year-old Pauric Mahony led Ballygunner’s charge and another teenager, Brian O’Sullivan, scored 1-2 in the second half as a stubborn Drom Inch challenge finally wilted.

Illness wreaked havoc in the Tipp squad. Liam Ryan was unable to start, star man Séamus Callanan vomited minutes before the game began and Martin Butler was taken off before half-time. Johnny Ryan hit three points from play but succumbed to a dead leg. JJ Hutchinson’s seventh minute goal helped ’Gunner lead 1-6 to 0-8 at the break. O’Sullivan netted three minutes after the restart. Callanan’s goal after 57 minutes made it 1-13 to 2-13, but Ballygunner closed the game out with points from Barry O’Sullivan and Mahony.

BALLYGUNNER: S O’Keeffe; A Kirwin, W Kiely, B Coughlan; Philip Mahony, W Hutchinson, S Walsh; H Barnes, D O’Sullivan; Pauric Mahony (0-9, 0-6 frees), S O’Sullivan (0-1), A Moloney; B O’Sullivan (1-2), JJ Hutchinson (1-0), S Power (0-2). Sub: B O’Sullivan (0-1) for D O’Sullivan (56 mins).

DROM INCH : D Young; Martin Butler, Micheál Butler, M Costello; P Stapleton, E Buckley, James Ryan (0-1); Johnny Ryan (0-3), J Woodlock (0-1); S Butler (0-1), S Callanan (1-6, 0-6 frees), D Collins (0-1); P Lupton, D Ryan, D Butler. Subs: K Butler for Martin Butler (28 mins), S Delaney for D Ryan (half-time), P Kennedy for Johnny Ryan (54 mins).

Referee: C Lyons (Cork)

Next Round – the winners play Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) in the Munster Club Semi-Final on Sunday November 13^th at a Waterford venue.

For the Record

Munster GAA HURLING Club Senior Championship 2011

Quarter-Final

Sunday October 30^th (Replay date – Saturday November 5th)

@ Semple Stadium Thurles           Drom & Inch (Tipperary) v Ballygunner (Waterford)

Semi-Finals
Sunday November 13^th (Replay date – Saturday November 19th)

@ Cork venue                                  Carrigtwohill (Cork) v Crusheen (Clare)

@ Tipperary or Waterford venue    Na Piarsaigh (Limerick) v Drom & Inch (Tipperary) or Ballygunner (Waterford)

Final

Sunday November 27^th (Replay date – Saturday December 3rd)

2:00pm throw-in

Odds and Ends

Of the 5 participating counties in this year’s Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship, Waterford have the best record over the last 10 years with 16 victories and 1 draw out of 24 matches played. Tipperary have the next best record with 12 wins and 2 draws out of 22 games. Cork have a marginally winning record while Clare and Limerick have losing records since 2000 at this grade.

Clare champions have failed to record a Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship victory in 6 of the last 8 seasons including the last 3 years.

The last draw in the Munster Club Senior Hurling Championship came in 2001 Munster Club Championship with Ballygunner (Waterford) defeated Toomevara (Tipperary) after a replay.

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

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

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

Limerick (5) – 1988, 1989, 1990, 1992, 1994,

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.