Lorrha survive as Templederry go down with honour

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Relegation Final

Lorrha 1-18

Templederry Kenyons 1-15

Report: James Hayden at MacDonagh Park, Nenagh

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Colm Fogarty (Lorrha)

SCORERS – Lorrha: Colm Fogarty 0-9 (6 frees); Conor Kennedy 1-2; Niall McIntyre, Cian Hogan 0-2 each; Eoin McIntyre, Christopher Fogarty, Donnacha O’Meara 0-1 each.

Templederry Kenyons: Colm Murray 0-7 (3 frees, 1 ’65); Sean Collins 1-1; Eanna Murray 0-3; Gearoid Ryan 0-2; Padraic O’Leary, Liam McCutcheon 0-1 each.

Lorrha staved off a second-half rally from Templederry Kenyons to maintain their senior status with a hard earned three-point victory in this County Relegation final, played in truly miserable conditions on Sunday.

Having amassed an eight-point interval advantage, Lorrha struggled to cope with the driving rain and gusting wind in the second half and allowed a severely depleted Templederry side to eradicate their interval deficit in the space of twenty minutes or so, thus ensuring a nervy finale for the men from Lower Ormond.

Going into this encounter, Lorrha reported little in the way of injuries, but Templederry were dealt a massive blow with the loss of the mercurial Seán Ryan to a broken wrist, an injury sustained in their relegation semi-final loss to Roscrea.

Coupled with the fact that they were also without the services of Brian Stapleton and Adrian Ryan, the Kenyons faced an uphill battle even before the ball was thrown in.

Playing with the backing of a strengthening gale-force wind, Lorrha raced into an early three point lead with efforts from Colm Fogarty (2, 1 free) with Niall McIntyre, Eoin McIntyre, and Cian Hogan also on target.

Templederry responded with points from Colm Murray and Eanna Murray cutting the deficit to three points with eight minutes elapsed, 0-6 to 0-3.

Templederry were doing their utmost to curtail Lorrha’s sprightly attack as Liam McCutcheon arrowed over a sublime fourteenth minute effort to keep Templederry within touching distance.

Unfortunately for the Kenyons, McCutcheon’s point was their only score in a twenty minute period between the eighth & 28th minutes and they failed to register any score at all between the 14th & 24th minute mark, as Lorrha capitalized on their dominance in all areas of the field, particularly in the closing fifteen minutes of the half.

Colm Fogarty arrowed over two lovely frees and a third on the bounce before Conor Kennedy fired over his first of two points from play. A superb passage of play involving Ciaran Hough and Alan O’Meara set Cian Hogan up for a fantastic 24th minute point before Patrick Maher turned provider for a well-struck Niall McIntyre point on 26 minutes, 0-12 to 0-4.

The Kenyons kept battling away in the face of adversity and two frees from Colm Murray narrowed the gap to six points on the stroke of half-time. Lorrha rallied once again though in time added on with Colm Fogarty and Conor Kennedy arrowing over two late points to see Lorrha deservedly lead by eight at the break, 0-14 to 0-6.

Few would have given Templederry any chance of pegging back the deficit, but such is their resilience that they took on Lorrha at every opportunity in a third quarter which saw the men in green hit six points without reply.

Although Lorrha’s Christopher Fogarty was first to register for Lorrha after the re-start, Templederry responded with two long-range points in succession from Gearóid Ryan, three from the stick of Colm Murray and a fine effort from Sean Collins to leave just two between the sides with 45 minutes elapsed.

Player of the match Colm Fogarty stepped up to respond for the Lorrha men before Gearóid Ryan sent in a delightful ball which broke kindly into the path of the inrushing Sean Collins and he rattled the Lorrha net with gusto to amazingly bring the Kenyons back on terms in the 47th minute, 1-13 to 0-16.

Lorrha required inspiration at this stage and eighteen-year-old Conor Kennedy almost provided it when he broke through on goal but was hauled down for a close-range free which Colm Fogarty duly converted.

Eanna Murray responded with a scintillating effort, his third from play, before Colm Fogarty expertly gathered possession and bore down on the Templederry goal before delivering a sublime ball to Conor Kennedy in space and he finished with aplomb to hand Lorrha a huge boost and settle their jangling nerves with just eight minutes remaining.

Templederry were not finished yet though and up stepped the battle-hardened Padraic O’Leary to narrow the gap to two with a fantastic effort. Templederry kept coming in waves, but Lorrha stood firm with two wides apiece in the dying minutes serving only to frustrate the respective management teams.

Lorrha rallied again and the 56th minute introduction of Donnacha O’Meara paid off with his point deep in time added on ensuring a hard-earned yet fully deserved three-point victory as they earn a second successive year at senior level while for Templederry Kenyons, they drop to the second tier for the first time since 2008.

TEAMS - Lorrha: Kevin Hough (7); Conor Hogan (7), Michael Dolan (8), Tom Duggan (7); Ciaran Haugh (7), Darragh Guinan (7), Brendan Fogarty (7); Alan O’Meara (7), Niall McIntyre (8); Colm Fogarty (8), Cian Hogan (7), Eoin McIntyre (7); Christopher Fogarty (7), Patrick Maher (7), Conor Kennedy (8).

Subs: Denis O’Meara (7) for Duggan (38 inj); Donnacha O’Meara (7) for Christopher Fogarty (56).

Templederry Kenyons: Tim McCutcheon (7); Padraig Hogan (7), Christy Coughlan (7), Dale Donnelly (7); Tom Stapleton (7) Darragh Carey (7), Mikie Ryan (7); Gearoid Ryan (0-2, 7), Odhran Murphy (7); Eanna Murray (0-3, 7), Padraic O’Leary (0-1, 7), Sean Collins (1-1, 7); Colm Murray (0-7, 3f, 1 65’) 7), Liam McCutcheon (0-1, 7), Pio Kennedy (7).

Subs: Cillian Kennedy (6) for Kennedy (53); Pio Kennedy for L McCutcheon (60).

Referee: Ger Fitzpatrick (Roscrea).