Newport’s upward momentum halted by Newcastle West

GAA: TUS Munster Post-Primary Schools Senior ‘C’ Hurling Final

SMÍ, Newcastle West 0-10

St Mary’s SS, Newport 1-5

Report: Stephen Barry at Kilmallock

Photos: Odhran Ducie

Player of the Match: Diarmuid Lyons (Scoil Mhuire & Íde, Newcastle West)

SCORERS – Scoil Mhuire & Íde Newcastle West: Conor Hough 0-6 (5 frees); Diarmuid Lyons 0-3; Leon O’Flynn 0-1.

St Mary’s SS, Newport: Charlie Tobin 1-2; Cillian Collins 0-3 (2 frees).

St Mary’s Secondary School, Newport, never got motoring as they fell to a two-point defeat against Scoil Mhuire agus Íde, Newcastle West, in the Munster Post Primary Schools Senior ‘C’ Hurling Final on Saturday.

Last year’s Munster & All-Ireland ‘D’ champions have been on an upward march over the past eighteen months, but they couldn’t add a second Corn Risteard Uí Mhathúna to the school’s collection.

They simply weren’t allowed to work the scoreboard enough, going scoreless between the 20th & 37th minutes and again from the 40th minute until Charlie Tobin’s 59th-minute goal. That lifeline put St Mary’s within a point of an SMI side who had only scored once against the breeze in the second half.

However, the Newcastle West school came up with the clincher through inspirational captain Diarmuid Lyons. The Limerick U20 hurler had starred at midfield for Newcastle West in their charge to the county Premier Intermediate title and he was the outstanding player here despite pulling up injured at the end of the first half.

For St Mary’s, Charlie Tobin was a towering puck-out option at wing-forward and scored 1-2 from his three shots at the posts. Cathal Hannan also excelled at the heart of their defence.

They had enjoyed a brilliant winning streak against schools from four different counties to reach this final while picking their entire 34-student squad from two clubs; Newport and Murroe/Boher. They lined out without injured corner-back Luke Kennedy, while both teams set up with centre-backs Tommie Cusack and Patrick Cagney in free roles.

With St Mary’s playing into the wind, they couldn’t evade the sweeper as Limerick U20 panellist Cagney hoovered up the ball. When they did get a shot off, their efforts kept dropping short of the target.

A series of early hooks and blocks made it clear this game would be a battle on the heavy Kilmallock sod, while a section of the Fitzgerald Park stand’s roof was missing having been ripped off during Storm Éowyn.

Lyons opened the scoring for SMI when picking up a loose clearance in the fifth minute.

St Mary’s equalised after an Eoghan Flynn intercept, which was kept alive by Conor McLoughlin, who fed Cillian Collins to point on the turn.

Tobin and Cathal Sheridan blocked down a couple of SMI clearances and full-back Hannan charged out with the sliotar from his first three duels, but they couldn’t edge ahead.

Conor Hough’s free, his first of five, pushed SMI in front although St Mary’s initially responded in style. Hannan burst out of defence, Jack McCarthy twirled into space to deliver the pass, and Tobin turned inside to spoon the sliotar between the posts off his left.

A clever passing move resulted in a point for Leon O’Flynn and Lyons won the subsequent puck-out, returning it with interest for double scores.

With spare-man Cagney off the field for the next play having received treatment, Cusack found target-man Tobin in space, and he cut in off the right to nip the deficit back to the minimum.

SMI pressed on with four points in the final six minutes before half-time. Having been hooked by McLoughlin, Lyons regained possession to win a free for Conor Hough to convert before the corner-forward added a point from play to his collection. Hough was then fouled for two further frees which he dispatched over the bar.

SMI led 0-8 to 0-3 at the change of ends, although it was unclear how many half-time changes they would have to make with point-scorers Lyons and O’Flynn both injured in the closing moments. While O’Flynn couldn’t return, Lyons limped through the pain to continue.

St Mary’s switched Darren Collopy into midfield and he won a free from the throw-in which fell short. Darragh Meaney was showing up well to cut off the SMI supply, while Fintan Sheridan blocked their next shot at goal.

There was no doubting St Mary’s resolve as Charlie Tobin blocked down the Newcastle West keeper but his pull across goal was collected and cleared by Seán Long.

Two Cillian Collins frees made it a one-score game, with Collopy fouled for the first before SMI were bizarrely penalised by Ciarán O’Regan for attempting to make a substitution during a throw-ball, which isn’t classified as an official break in play.

Conor Hough pointed a free to settle SMI and so it stayed for sixteen scoreless minutes as the clock whittled down. Hough threatened a goal, but his unselfish pass was intercepted by Cathal Hannan. Evan Duffy would also deny Hough in similar circumstances at the death.

Oisín Kennedy made an impact off the bench with a couple of steals, but St Mary’s struck four wides on the spin. Their lifeline arrived late on. Conor McLoughlin was fouled, Tommie Cusack lofted in the sliotar, and Charlie Tobin got the touch to the net. The goal stood after O’Regan consulted with his umpires over a potential square ball.

They needed one more point for extra-time and Diarmuid Collopy got back to execute a superb hook on Lyons to prevent a tap-over point. When the sliotar came again to the man of the match, he wouldn’t be denied.

TEAMS – Scoil Mhuire & Íde, Newcastle West: Darragh Tierney (6); David Moloney (7), Odhran Kelleher (8), Eoghan Sheehan (7); Seán Long (7), Patrick Cagney (8), Liam O’Connor (6); Gavin Thompson (7), Diarmuid Lyons (Capt 8); Diarmuid Mullaney (6), Seán Lyons (6), Leon O’Flynn (7); Conor Hough (8), Gavin Dorgan (6), Fionn Meehan (6).

Subs: Paul Logue for Mullaney (22-24 blood); Conor McMahon (6) for O’Flynn (HT, inj); Cathal Kiely (6) for Meehan (40), Andrew Lyons (6) for Mullaney (49).

St Mary’s Secondary School, Newport: Evan Duffy (Murroe/Boher 7); Conor McLoughlin (Newport 7), Cathal Hannan (Newport 8), Fintan Sheridan (Murroe/Boher 6); Darragh Meaney (Newport 7), Tommie Cusack (Murroe/Boher 7), Adam Power (Newport 6); Jamie Long (Murroe/Boher, J-Capt 7), Eoghan Flynn (Newport 6); Charlie Tobin (Newport 8), Darren Collopy (Murroe/Boher 6), Cathal Sheridan (Murroe/Boher 6); Callum Poole (Newport, J-Capt 6), Cillian Collins (Newport 6), Jack McCarthy (Newport 6).

Subs: Oisín Kennedy (Newport 7) for McCarthy (37); Cormac Sheehan (Newport 6) for Flynn (52).

Referee: Ciarán O’Regan (Cork).