Toomevara advance to first ever U19 county final with defeat of Cashel King Cormacs

FBD Insurance U19A Hurling Championship Semi-Final

Toomevara 0-22

Cashel King Cormacs 2-12

By Ronan Loughnane

Toomevara advanced to the County U19A hurling final at Templemore on Sunday afternoon last with a workmanlike performance over a game Cashel side. Semi-finals can often be cagey affairs, and this was a good example with the temperature never rising above lukewarm. The scorching sun of the previous week disappeared behind thick clouds while the tri-colour stood motionless above the scoreboard.

The shrill of referee Seamus Delaney’s first whistle was still in the air when Ronan Connolly struck the opening point after seven seconds. There were whispers that Darragh McCarthy was a doubtful starter due to illness, but thankfully for the greyhounds he made it to the start line which proved crucial in the end.

He got Toome up and running from a free in the second minute, but it was the West champions who made all the early running. Cormac Hogan was quick off his line to save from David McGrath in the third minute, but it was his handling error that gifted McGrath a goal a minute later. Anthony Walsh and Connolly followed up with two lovely points from play to leave Cashel 1-3 to 0-1 ahead after just seven minutes.

The game hit a lull and eight minutes passed without a score as the wides mounted for both sides while Hogan was on hand again in the 12th minute to deny Cashel a second major. Toome needed to gain a foothold in the middle third and Adam Hall answered the call with a barnstorming second quarter.

Tim Flaherty finally landed Toome’s second from play in the 15th minute before Hall, who was now winning an amount of ball, landed a beauty from distance. Jake Hackett was coming more into the game also and McCarthy landed two from play in the 17th and 19th minutes.

They hit a real purple patch before half-time with seven points courtesy of McCarthy (0-5, 0-4f), Hall, and Flaherty. Cashel’s discipline had deserted them but points from Walsh (2) and a cracking goal from Connolly in the 26th minute kept them in touch as they trailed by a single point at the short whistle, 0-12 to 2-5.

The flurry of points before half-time signalled hopes of better to come, but the third quarter proved the weakest with the teams sharing just five points and only one coming from play, an excellent catch and strike from Toome’s Jack Doran, to leave his side 0-15 to 2-7 ahead entering the last quarter.

Another Walsh free closed the gap before Toome stretched their legs to grab four of the next six points through McCarthy(3f) and Flaherty, with Oisin O’Donoghue and Connolly both replying from distance for Cashel. Toome were now 0-19 to 2-10 ahead with 56 minutes gone but Cashel dug deep.

Walsh landed one from a free on 59 minutes and another from play in the 63rd to leave everyone biting their nails. But it was that man McCarthy who had the final say with three superb long-distance strikes (two frees), to ensure the greyhounds were first past the post and book their place in the final.

Toomevara just about deserved their victory on the overall balance of play. They got off to a very slow start scoring just two points in the opening quarter. They showed a marked improvement thereafter but still have plenty to work on ahead of the final.

Darragh McCarthy was the scoring star for them, but he had plenty of help from Jake Hackett, Jack Doran, Adam Hall, Tim Flaherty, and Josh Powell.

Cashel will be disappointed that they didn’t capitalise more on Toome’s slow start and will rue the concession of twelve points from placed balls. They had fine performances from Ronan Connolly, Oisin O’Donoghue, Anthony Walsh while Cian McGrath and Fabian Ryan worked hard.

Toomevara: Cormac Hogan; Cathal Frend, Ted Evans, Josh Powell; Jack Harford, Dan Farrell, Oisin Troy; Jake Hackett, Adam Hall (0-2); Jack Doran (0-1), Tim Flaherty (0-3), Austin Duff; Joe Coffey, Darragh McCarthy (0-16, 0-12f), Fionn McGuigan.

Subs used: Jack Ryan for McGuigan; Billy O’Brien for Evans; Dylan Carroll for Doran.

Cashel King Cormacs: Eoghan Dunne; Conal Moloney, Oisin Dwan, Colm Ryan; Brian Manton, Ronan Connolly (1-3, 0-1f), Andrew Irwin; Oisin O’Donoghue (0-1), Kieran O’Dwyer; Cian McGrath, Fabian Ryan, Conor O’Dwyer; Anthony Walsh (0-8, 0-5f), David McGrath (1-0), Brian O’Donoghue.

Subs used: Aiden Skeffington for Conor O’Dwyer; Joey Davis for B Manton.

Referee: Seamus Delaney (JK Brackens)