Church surges past fading Brackens

GAA: FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling Championship Quarter Final

Upperchurch-Drombane 2-21

JK Brackens 1-21

Report: Michael Dundon at FBD Semple Stadium

Upperchurch-Drombane completed a county quarter-final double over JK Brackens when staging a late rally to topple the Templemore boys in this senior hurling quarter-final on Sunday.

A week earlier, Upperchurch knocked JK Brackens out of the football championship to qualify for the semi-final for the first time. Last Sunday they repeated the exercise, this time securing a place in hurling’s last four for just the second time in their history, and many are now suggesting they could be the dark horses of this year’s hurling competition.

With ten minutes to play, JK Brackens looked to be on their way to the semi-final, for their first time. They were ahead by five points and comfortable, but a baffling collapse by them saw Upperchurch inch their way to parity with four minutes to play, and without any significant raising of their game. A brace of pointed frees from Paidi Greene in the 59th & 64th minutes sealed the deal for Upperchurch and left Bracken’s supporters dismayed and gutted at the opportunity lost.

Games are for sixty minutes plus, and full credit to Upperchurch-Drombane who stuck to their task when things were looking grim and who had the ability, when their opponents seemed to take their eye off the ball, to take full advantage. They now find themselves in both hurling and football county semi-finals, and entertaining high hopes of progressing on both fronts.

This was a contest eagerly looked forward to and it started with a bang, Paidi Greene slipping through for an Upperchurch goal in a matter of seconds. Bracken’s response was swift also – a brace of Lyndon Fairbrother frees and a point from Jordan Moloney levelling by the fifth minute.

Exciting stuff – the best of the weekend quarter finals, and so it continued. Lyndon Fairbrother and Paidi Green were having their own competition in free-taking with the honours even in the first half, both landing five placed balls. JK Brackens had gone a point clear 0-10 to 1-6 after 26 lively minutes but then Greene, Paul Shanahan, and Gavin Ryan registered points for Upperchurch and they led at half-time 1-9 to 0-11 despite Dean McEnroe’s late effort for Brackens.

A decent attendance was enjoying a fine contest which continued in the same vein on resuming. Points by a rather subdued Andrew Ormond and Lyndon Fairbrother pushed Brackens ahead two minutes after resuming but then Colm Ryan was in the right spot to finish to the net for Upperchurch a minute later.

Brackens did not falter. After Fairbrother pointed, Ormond got free of Ger Grant’s attentions for once, and rifled home a goal, to which Paddy Cadell and Fairbrother quickly added points to put Brackens 1-17 to 2-9 in front after 40 minutes.

Upperchurch were battling hard to bridge the gap but over the next ten minutes the sides shared eight points – Brackens doing just enough to maintain their five points advantage to the 52nd minute.

The Upperchurch late surge was unheralded. Point by point they reeled in their rivals – Luke Shanahan, Paidi Greene (2 frees), Gavin Ryan (free) and Jack Butler all had points to bring Upperchurch level by the 56th minute.

JK Brackens simply were not in the game now and when Paidi Greene pointed an Upperchurch free in the 59th minute for the lead, there was only going to be one winner. Brackens’ challenge had disintegrated, and Greene set the seal on the win with a 64th minute pointed free – his twelfth conversion in a 1-13 haul

The year gets better and better for Upperchurch/Drombane who in addition to the senior hurling and football semi-finals have also qualified for the county junior ‘A’ hurling semi-final. Clearly the club is on a roll and the sky is the limit with some putting them up as the dark horses of the hurling championship.

However, no trophies are awarded for semi-final placings and with the football semi-final against Loughmore this weekend, no time for celebration. Paidi Greene’s free-taking, and his opportunist goal earned him man of the match status, but Keith Ryan, Paul Shanahan, Ger Grant, Gavin Ryan, and Jack Butler all led by example.

JK Brackens’ disappointment was understandable. They felt they let this slip through their grasp, but they have the consolation of winning the Mid senior title for the first time this year. For them now, the challenge now to build on that success to bring their game to a higher-level next year. Lyndon Fairbrother was their top man in this encounter but Paddy and Conor Cadell, David O’Shea, Martin Delaney, and Luke Ormond also had big games for them.

Player of the Match: Paidi Greene (Upperchurch/Drombane)

Upperchurch/Drombane: Ciaran Shortt (6); Mikey Lavery (6), Matt Ryan (6), Ger Grant (7); Keith Ryan (7), Gavin Ryan (0-2, 1f) 6), Ailbe O’Donoghue (6); Diarmuid Grant (0-1, 6), Aaron Ryan (6); Paul Ryan (0-1, 6), Colm Ryan (1-0, 6), Paul Shanahan (0-1, 6); Luke Shanahan (0-1, 6), Jack Butler (0-2, 7), Paidi Greene (1-13, 0-12f) 9).

Subs: Dean Carew (6) for D Grant (41); Sean Ryan (6) for P Ryan (41); Niall Grant (6) for C Ryan (51).

JK Brackens: Jack Kennedy (6); Luke Ormond (7), Tom Murphy (6), Martin Delaney (7); Jordan Moloney (0-2, 7), Paddy Cadell (0-1, 7), Neil Quinlan (6); Dean McEnroe (0-1, 6), Cathal Scully (0-1, 6); Conor Cadell (7), Andrew Ormond (1-1, 6), Shane Doyle (6); Shane Bourke (0-1, 6), Lyndon Fairbrother (0-12, 10f) 8), David O’Shea (0-2, 7).

Subs: Eanna McBride (6) for Quinlan (41 inj); Lorcan Egan (6) for Moloney (51 inj); Lorcan Roche (NR) for McEnroe (60+1).

Referee: Kevin Jordan (Thurles Gaels).