Tipp hang onto beat Limerick to stay in hunt for semi-finals

GAA: oneills.com Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship Round 4

Tipperary 1-15

Limerick 0-16

Report: Michael Dundon at FBD Semple Stadium

MATCH DIGEST

Player of the Match: Jack Leamy (Tipperary)

SCORERS – Tipperary: Jack Leamy 0-7 (5 frees); Sean Kenneally 1-2; Eddie Ryan 0-3; Peter McGarry, Darragh Stakelum, Damien Corbett 0-1 each.

Limerick: Patrick O’Donovan 0-9 (7 frees); Oisin O’Farrell 0-2; Shane O’Brien, Ronan Lyons, Cian Scully, Adam Fitzgerald, Con Hayes 0-1 each.

Finishes don’t come more intense than this. With victory imperative to stay in the championship, Tipperary stemmed a Limerick second half tide that threatened to engulf them, to emerge two-point victors in a thrilling Munster Under 20 Hurling Championship encounter on Friday night.

A loss away to Cork after a battling draw with Clare in the first round left Tipperary in a precarious situation going into the game, but the Premier boys showed admirable resolve and fortitude to achieve the win they needed, though the manner in which they almost let a ten-point interval lead slip was disconcerting.

How Tipp came to be hanging on at the finish will give manager Brendan Cummins food for thought this week but the positive thing to emerge from the encounter is that Tipperary’s championship fate is in their own hands, a win over Waterford next Friday in Thurles, will ensure them of a spot in the knockout stages and possibly a home semi-final.

Limerick shot eleven first half wides and that was their undoing. They found themselves ten points adrift at the break (1-9 to 0-2), which meant they had a mountain to climb in the second half. To their credit they made a mighty effort to scale it and came within a point of Tipp in injury time, but time ran out on them and they now face a daunting tussle with pace-setters Cork when they will need to win to stay in the race.

It all looked so good for Tipp at half-time. They were leading 1-9 to 0-2 and with John Leamy, Eddie Ryan and Sean Kenneally looking sharp and menacing in attack, they were taking full advantage of Limerick’s inaccuracy to carve out what proved to be a winning lead. After twenty minutes, Tipp led 0-5 to 0-1, Limerick’s wide tally standing at nine. Jack Leamy (5) and Eddie Ryan (2) were the main contributors and when Kenneally raced through for a goal off Joe Caesar’s delivery in the 27th minute, things were indeed looking bright for Tipp who finished ten points ahead at half-time.

How things changed after the break. Where Limerick had been wayward in the first half, they now had their radar working and with Patrick O’Donovan driving them on from placed balls, they gradually reeled Tipp in to the point where they were just a goal behind (1-12 to 0-12) with nine minutes to play. Tipp were in big trouble and the possibility of a hugely embarrassing collapse loomed.

Cometh the hour, cometh the men – after Limerick had a point from Ronan Lyons, Sean Kenneally steadied the Premier ship with a 56th minute white flag. Limerick kept going forward and were rewarded with an Oisin O’Farrell point to which sub Damien Corbett replied.

Time was now a big factor as Limerick added further scores from O’Donovan and O’Farrell to cut the lead to the minimum with the game in injury time.

The stadium was not a place for faint hearts and Jack Leamy showed nerves of steel when he pointed a Tipp free in the 63rd minute. Limerick piled forward in search of a winning goal, but the Tipp defence stood firm and referee Nick Barry’s long overdue final whistle prompted a huge Tipp cheer.

Wins over Limerick in hurling at any level have been scarce enough in recent times, making this success all the sweeter but there is work to be done if Tipp are to take their title challenge a stage further. The spirit shown in getting over the line in this encounter will need to be supplemented by a greater efficiency in ball-handling and decision-making, too many turnovers in the second half facilitating the Limerick comeback. On top of that the free count against Tipp was almost two to one, another aspect of the performance to be addressed.

Encouraging though were the performances of such as Jack Leamy, Eddie Ryan, Sean Kenneally, James Morris, Joe Caesar, Robert Doyle, Conor McKelvey, and Cathal Quinn.

Limerick will regret the chances spurned which could have made for a different game but in Patrick O'Donovan, Shane O’Brien, Cian Scully, and Ronan Lyons they had excellent players who will likely figure in their senior squad in the near future.

TEAMS - Tipperary: Jason O’Dwyer (Clonoulty/Rossmore); Danny Slattery (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Robert Doyle (Clonoulty/Rossmore), Luke Shanahan (Upperchurch/Drombane); Cathal Quinn (Cashel King Cormacs), Joe Caesar (Holycross/Ballycahill), Conor McKelvey (Silvermines); James Morris (St Mary’s), Darragh Stakelum (Thurles Sarsfields); Sean Kenneally (Moneygall), Eddie Ryan (Borris-Ileigh), Jack Leamy (Golden-Kilfeacle); Peter McGarry (St Mary’s), Tony Cahill (Drom & Inch), Darragh McCarthy (Toomevara).

Subs: Damian Corbett (Gortnahoe/Glengoole) for McCarthy (44), Ben Currivan (Golden Kilfeacle) for McGarry (44); Stephen Ferncombe (Clonoulty/Rossmore) for Ryan (55), Michael Corcoran (Silvermines) for McKelvey (57), Conor O’Brien (Mullinahone) for Slattery (60+1 inj).

Limerick: Josh O’Reilly; David Fitzgerald, Ronan Lyons, Evan O’Leary; Barry Duff, Cian Scully, Ethan Hurley; Joseph Fitzgerald, John Kirby; Fintan Fitzgerald, Patrick O’Donovan, Adam Fitzgerald; Shane O’Brien, Adam English, Sean O’Neill.

Subs: Con Hayes (0-1) for English (24 inj), Michael Gavin for Kirby (HT); Oisin O’Farrell for F Fitzgerald (HT), Liam Dennehy for O’Neill (50).

Referee: Nick Barry (Waterford).