McCarthy inspires Toomevara to North Under 19 Hurling glory

GAA: Ger Gavin North Tipperary Under 19 ‘A’ Hurling Final

Toomevara 0-22

Ballina 0-19

Report: Liam Hogan in Borrisoleigh

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara)

SCORERS – Toomevara: Darragh McCarthy 0-7 (8 frees); Jack Doran 0-2; Austin Duff, Tim Flaherty, Adam Hall 0-1 each.

Ballina: Jack Collins 0-10 (8 frees); Charlie King 0-3; Jack Grace 0-2; Zac Egan, Charlie Grace, Brian Bourke, Sean Lyons 0-1 each.

Darragh McCarthy’s performance matched the glorious conditions as he almost single-handily helped Toomevara win the North Under 19 ‘A’ Hurling title for the first time when they defeated Ballina at a blistering warm Borrisoleigh on Sunday afternoon.

The Toomevara centre forward produced one of the great displays as he scored a fabulous seventeen points, with an incredible nine points coming from play. High or low ball, it made no difference to the eighteen-year-old who is also doing well for his club at senior level and is having the year of his life off the back of an All-Ireland minor title with Tipperary in 2022.

There were other heroes too with Cormac Hogan, Ted Evans, Dan Farrell, Jake Hackett, and Austin Duff to the fore while the tireless Adam Hall covered every blade of grass. He started at full forward before spending much of the second half operating in defence at a period when Ballina threatened to take over.

This was a game which had the good and sometimes the underwhelming but for most part it had everybody on the edge of their seats from start to finish, especially the last ten minutes when Toomevara were hanging on by a thread against Ballina who were reduced to fourteen men at that stage after their midfielder Charlie Grace was red carded in the 54th minute. Ironically, the Ballina men really produced their best hurling when a man short.

Darragh McCarthy scored three points (1 free) as Toome got off to a flying start as they struck five unanswered points in eight minutes before Ballina got off the mark through Charlie King in the tenth minute. Kings’ point was the start of a good period for Ballina who then outscored Toome 0-5 to 0-2 between the tenth and seventeenth minutes with the impressive Jack Collins scoring three, including two from play, while Charlie Grace was also on target.

The game had settled down and it was 0-9 to 0-7 with Toome in front after 23 minutes before they went four clear thanks to two long range frees from McCarthy. Another Collins free reduced the margin with Tim Flaherty and Jack Collins swapping scores before Darragh McCarthy had the last point of the half (his tenth and sixth from play) as the interval scoreline read 0-13 to 0-9 in favour of Toomevara.

Ballina had the use of the breeze in the second half, but Toome’s lead increased to five after another McCarthy free in the second minute. The scores continued to come fast and furious as Charlie King’s monster point was quickly matched by a quick response from Austin Duff before Jack Collins converted a free in the 35th minute.

The next six minutes were scoreless until Jack Grace scored for Ballina. McCarthy scored again but Ballina were back in contention when Sean Lyons and their lead man Jack Collins (free) brought the deficit to two points on 44 minutes.

Jack Doran picked up his second point for Toomevara, but Ballina kept close as Charlie King scored his third, before Darragh McCarthy restored a three point lead for the Greyhounds, which was the first of three unanswered points by the man of the match as Toome went five in front for the second time. With seven minutes remaining, it looked good for Toomevara.

Ballina must have been worried, and they increased when midfielder Charlie Grace was red carded. He could have no complaints when Conor Doyle signalled red. With the paper-work complete, the play resumed and Toomevara went six to the good after another Darragh McCarthy point sailed between the posts after he won a high ball in a crowded twenty-metre line.

With that substantial lead and fielding a man extra, Toomevara must have relaxed a bit because Ballina suddenly went turbo and over the next three minutes, they produced their best play with four unanswered points through Collins from a free, quickly followed by a super Zac Egan effort before Brian Bourke added another from out on the left wing before another Collins free completed the quartet.

Suddenly, Toomevara were hanging on by two point but Darragh McCarthy’s free in the 59th gave them some breathing space but at the same time there was much concern as their defence were working overtime as Ballina pressed but there were no more scores with the sound of the final whistle very much appreciated by a very excited Toomevara side who go forward to a county semi-final against West champions Cashel King Cormacs next Sunday.

TEAMS - Toomevara: Cormac Hogan (7); Cathal Frend (7), Ted Evans (7), Josh Powell (7); Jack Harford (7), Dan Farrell (7), Oisin Troy (7); Jake Hackett (7), Joe Coffey (7); Jack Doran (7), Darragh McCarthy (9), Austin Duff (8); Tim Flaherty (7), Adam Hall (8), Fionn McGuigan (6).

Subs: Dylan Carroll (7) for McGuigan (44); Billy O’Brien (HR) for Evans (58); David Conway (HR) for Duff (60+4); Jack Ryan (NR) for Farrell (60+4).

Ballina: Simon Grace (7); Cian Molloy (7), Zac Egan (8), Tristan Giroudiere (7); Cillian Ryan (7), JP Mbokha Tansia (7), Billy Collins (7); Charlie Grace (6), Conor Shanahan (6), Brian Bourke (6), Paddy Bradley, (6) Jack Grace (7); Charlie King (7), Jack Collins (8), Cian O’Donoghue (6).

Subs: Shane O’Connell (6) for O’Donoghue (HT); Sean Lyons (7) for Shanahan (36); Jack Quinn (NR) for Bradley (58).

Referee: Conor Doyle (Silvermines).