FOR THE SECOND time in three years, Thurles Sarsfields will meet De La Salle in the final of the AIB Munster senior hurling club championship.
The Tipperary and Waterford champions were successful in their respective semi-final ties yesterday and will now face off on November 25th.
De La Salle were victorious by 0-9 to 0-8 when the sides clashed in the 2010 final and they will be bidding for their third provincial title in five years in that game. In contrast Thurles Sarsfields will be aiming for their first ever Munster crown. Here’s how yesterday’s semi-final clashes unfolded.
Thurles Sarsfields (Tipperary) 2-20 Sarsfields (Cork) 2-15
A late scoring blast of 1-2 in injury-time propelled Thurles Sarsfields to a five point success over Cork outfit Sarsfields at Semple Stadium in Thurles. Substitute Richie Ruth was the hero when he hammered a low drive to the net in the 61st minute after a brilliant run forward by Tipperary senior defender Michael Cahill created the opportunity.
Aidan McCormack and Johnny Enright added further points to extend Thurles Sarsfields winning margin. Those scores also sealed excellent individual displays from that pair with McCormack striking 0-5 from play from corner-forward while Enright grabbed 0-4, three from frees, in a fine display at midfield.
Defeat was agonising for Cork champions Sarsfields, who recently won their third county title in five years, and were bidding to reach their first ever Munster club final. They were hit by the concession of that Ruth goal after doing brilliantly to draw level after being six points down, 1-17 t0 1-11, entering the final quarter.
An excellent goal by Wexford player Eoin Quigley, his second of the game, ignited their revival and after a series of points it was a close-range free by Cian McCarthy in the 60th minute which tied the game and brought his individual return to 0-8 for the day.
However Thurles Sarsfields pounced for those crucial late scores and on the balance, they deserved their victory. They got off to a bright start when Lar Corbett struck a wonderful goal when he caught the ball cleanly around the 65-yard line before galloping through the Sarsfields defence and finishing brilliantly to the net.
That score put Thurles Sarsfields into a 1-2 to 0-3 lead yet by the 13th minute the teams were level at 1-4 apiece after Sarsfields found the net. The green flag was raised by Quigley when he started a team move and was on the end of it to bundle the ball past goalkeeper Patrick McCormack.
But Thurles Sarsfields started to take over and they hit seven points in a row, largely from McCormack and Pa Bourke, to lead 1-11 to 1-6 approaching half-time. Late points for Sarsfields by Cian McCarthy and Quigley kept them in the hunt at the break to ensure they only trailed by three.
Thurles Sarsfields dominated once more in the third quarter and had increased their lead to six points when Enright raised a white flag. They were forced to withstand a late revival from Sarsfields before Ruth grabbed that crucial late goal.
De La Salle (Waterford) 1-10 Newmarket-on-Fergus (Clare) 0-10
A dramatic late goal by John Keane handed De La Salle a three-point victory over Newmarket-on-Fergus in O’Garney Park in Sixmilebridge. Keane raised the only green flag of the game to ensure the Waterford champions enjoyed a successful trip to the Clare venue in what was a hard-fought clash.
The teams were level at 0-4 apiece after the opening quarter with Colin Ryan leading the way in the scoring stakes for Newmarket-on-Fergus while John Mullane was amongst the point-scorers for De La Salle. Keane got in on the scoring act for De La Salle before the break and they had created a two-point lead, 0-7 to 0-5, by the interval.
Newmarket-on-Fergus, who were appearing in their first Munster senior hurling club tie since 1981, fought back to start the second-half brightly with Ryan firing over a free and Shane O’Brien notching a brace of points to edge them into a 0-8 to 0-7 lead.
However in a tight and tense game, De La Salle regained the initiative to lead by 0-10 to 0-9 with 12 minutes left. Ryan spurned a couple of chances to draw the teams level before Mike McInerney looked to have proved the hero for Newmarket-on-Fergus when he tied the teams with a late point.
But it was Keane who proved the match-winner as he grabbed that vital late goal that propels De La Salle into their third provincial final in five years and maintains their remarkable record of having never lost a game in the Munster Club SHC.
Newmarket’s Shane O’Brien dejected after the game while De La Salle manager Derek McGrath is interviewed nearby. Pic: INPHO/Lorraine O’Sullivan
