*Photograph: Gerard O’Neill
It was an excruciatingly difficult pill to swallow for Clare as their hopes of a first Munster Under 20 Hurling title in eleven years hinged on two contentious decisions entering the final quarter.
Tipperary 3-19
Clare 1-20
Venue: TUS Gaelic Grounds, Limerick
In front of a packed main stand of 6,476, this derby decider had seesawed one way and then the next, with Clare seemingly making the first break for the line at the turn of the final quarter when a foul on Harry Doherty earned a harsh penalty that Fred Hegarty finished decisively to the net following almost immediately by a point at 1-18 to 1-14.
Fast forward just two minutes and referee Ciaran O’Regan handed an even more baffling penalty, this time for a Conor Martin break that seemed to be flicked from his grasp by a perfectly executed flick by Eoghan Gunning. He didn’t even give the penalty for the flick but somehow also handed Jamie Moylan a black card, a hugely controversial call that would irrevocably alter the narrative of the tie.
That double whammy ensured that Darragh McCarthy not only rifled the resulting penalty to the net but Tipperary also hammered home their momentum with their newfound numerical advantage.
A second goal would follow entering the final ten minutes, stemming from an error from Mark Sheedy in intercepting an Oisin O’Donoghue flick that saw goalscorer Cathal English blatantly hold the hurley of Eoin McMahon before finishing a ground shot to the net.
Indeed, Tipperary would fire 2-3 without reply in that period to ten a four point Clare advantage to a five point deficit, a gap that even when returned to a full complement was just a step too far for a side that were playing their third knock-out tie in just 14 days.
For marginal decisions to decide such a compelling derby contest was the most frustrating aspect as while both sides were amazed to be awarded their penates, the difference was that Clare would be detrimentally punished by that ten minute sin bin.
Surely one has to be certain or at least consult your umpires before making such a critical decision but instead this just seems like sour grapes when Clare’s season was emphatically ended by a flimsy call.
Up to that point, both teams had their periods of dominance, with the Banner starting with six of the first eight points through four different scorers (Fred Hegarty (2), Jack O’Neill (2), Michael Collins, and James Organ) by only the ninth minute at 0-6 to 0-2.
They wouldn’t score for the next nine minutes by which time they would find themselves five points in arrears. For the second successive week, Clare’s goal led a charmed life, with danger every time the ball was delivered into Tipperary’s inside line. The Banner ruthlessly stopped them at source at the start but once the Premier smelled blood, they clinically went for the jugular.
And yet the opening goal in only the 14th minute stemmed from sheer opportunism as having stopped Oisin O’Donoghue from bearing down on goal, Cathal English failed to apply the finish and the ball was brought back for a free that the Banner expected Darragh McCarthy to tap over the bar.
Instead, he cleverly passed shot to Oisin O’Donoghue to fire low pass onrushing goalkeeper Mark Sheedy and four others on the line on their way to a 1-8 to 0-6 advantage entering the second quarter.
The unerring Fred Hegarty responded with three successive frees but Tipperary somehow passed up two glorious goal chances as first Paddy McCormack’s shot crashed off the crossbar and fell perfectly for Oisin O’Donoghue who amazingly cleared the crossbar with the rebound. While only a minute later McCormack fielded an O’Donoghue lineball to turn his marker but kick wide with the goal at his mercy.
A relieved Clare punished with the next two points through Sean Boyce and Hegarty to slash the half-time arrears to just the minimum at 1-11 to 0-13 but having missed a few equalising opportunities, Terence Fahy’s side did make amends on the resumption when Fred Hegarty arrowed over three points in the first two minutes, two from play to snatch back the lead at 0-16 to 1-11.
The ever-threatening Oisin O’Donoghue finally reeled in the Banner by the two-thirds mark but then came those mystifying refereeing calls that turned an inch-tight finale into almost a farce for Tipperary to run out facile winners and retain their provincial crown.
Scorers for Tipperary: Darragh McCarthy 1-9 (1-0 Pen, 8f); Oisin O’Donoghue 1-3; Cathal English 1-2; Conor Martin 0-2; Joe Egan, Paddy McCormack, Jamie Ormond 0-1 each
Scorers for Clare: Fred Hegarty 1-12 (1-0 Pen, 9f); Jack O’Neill, James Organ 0-2 each; Michael Collins, Daniel Costelloe, Sean Boyce, Ronan Kilroy 0-1 each
Tipperary
1: Eoin Horgan (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams)
2: Cathal O’Reilly (Holycross Ballycahill)
3: Aaron O’Halloran (Carrick Swan)
4: Podge O’Dwyer (Killenaule)
5: Adam Ryan (Arravale Rovers)
6: Jim Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill)
23: David Ryan (Arravale Rovers)
8: Joe Egan (Moycarkey Borris)
9: Adam Daly (Knockavilla Donaskeigh Kickhams)
10: Cathal English (Fr. Sheehy’s)
11: Conor Martin (Cappawhite)
12: David Costigan (Moycarkey Borris)
14: Paddy McCormack (Borris-Ileigh)
15: Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs)
13: Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara)
Subs
7: Sam O’Farrell (Nenagh Éire Óg) for D. Ryan (43)
21: Jamie Ormond (JK Bracken’s) for Costigan (47)
19: Cormac Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch) for Daly (53)
18: Mason Cawley (Nenagh Éire Óg) for Martin (60)
Clare
1: Mark Sheedy (Sixmilebridge)
2: Eoghan Gunning (Broadford)
3: John Cahill (Clooney-Quin)
4: Fiachra Ó Braoin (Sixmilebridge)
5: Jamie Moylan (Cratloe)
6: James Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona)
7: Eoin McMahon (St Joseph’s Doora/Barefield)
8: Daniel Costelloe (Ballyea)
9: Ronan Kilroy (Banner)
10: James Organ (Corofin)
11: Jack O’Neill (Clooney-Quin)
12: Fred Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona)
13: Sean Boyce (O’Callaghan’s Mills)
14: Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara)
15: Michael Collins (Clonlara)
Subs
24: Harry Doherty (Clarecastle) for Boyce (39),
22: Robert Loftus (Éire Óg) for Organ (49)
20: Liam Crotty (Scariff) for Collins (51)
19: Tadhg Lohan (Cratloe) for Kilroy (60)
Referee: Ciaran O’Regan (Cork)
