TOOMEVARA PUT IT right up to last year’s Tipperary county champions today, only for Noel McGrath’s team to come alive in the final ten minutes.
Toomevara, who have been in search of their 23rd county championship since 2008 now, came very close to a major upset in this group stage clash in Templemore.
As Noel McGrath worked himself to exhaustion to ensure the victory, Toomevara will now drop down to the Senior B ranks for next year.
After a tame start to the game, a Toomevara goal on fifteen minutes put them 1-5 to 0-3 ahead – a lead which they quickly built upon only for a late spree of Loughmore-Castleiney points to reduce the margin to four at the break.
Within five minutes of the second half though it was back to a one point game, and while Loughmore-Castleiney looked set to push on from here they actually found themselves trailing by three points with ten remaining.
A brace of quick points then evened proceedings before a Liam Treacy goal put the champions 1-17 to 1-13 ahead.
And despite a late Paul Ryan goal for Toomevara, it was McGrath’s team who would push on with the final points of the game.
After the game his club chairman told TheScore.ie that a late stoppage to treat the Tipperary star was simply due to “exhaustion – he went to his knees because he had given every last ounce. It’s been no time since the All-Ireland final.”
Later in the day record title holders Thurles Sarsfields hammered Portroe by 21 points, with Portroe only managing a single point in the first half.
In Nenagh Borris-Ileigh overcame Silvermines by ten points in the end, with anything more than a seven point win ensuring their qualification into the last 16.
Meanwhile Castlepollard reached the Westmeath final following a one point win over Castletown Geoghan in Mullingar and they will now face Raharney who also won today against Clonkill.
Here’s today’s club hurling wrap results:
Tipperary SHC
Loughmore Castleiney 1-19 Toomevara 2-13
Thurles Sarsfields 0-27 Portroe 0-6
Silvermines 0-19 Borris-Ileigh 1-26
Westmeath SHC semi-finals
Castletown Geoghan 0-16 Castlepollard 2-11
Clonkill 2-08 Raharney 1-15
