Drom & Inch land Knock-out punch to clinch Junior B title in close encounter

Thurles Credit Union Mid Tipperary Junior B Hurling Championship Final

Drom & Inch 0-17

Knock 1-12

Drom & Inch claimed the Mid Junior B Hurling title after they finally overcame a Knock team who threw everything but the kitchen sink at their opponents in an exciting and entertaining game in Templetuohy on a dry, crisp morning last Sunday.

While the game was low scoring by modern hurling standards - even at Junior B level - there was plenty of excitement and quality hurling on show with a huge crowd descending on Templetuohy, particularly from the Knock club who had big support at the game and made it known throughout.

Unfortunately, the first team just came up short despite a really strong effort and will rue a couple of missed goal opportunities in the second half, where a decisive first touch or missed final ball scuppered their efforts, but in fairness to Drom & Inch, they were the more accomplished team and had a bigger spread of scores in their forward line with Paul Kennedy’s sharpshooting paving their way to victory.

In what was a largely close contest throughout the 60 minutes, the sides were rarely more than one score away from each other and the first half played out in that fashion as the sides traded six points between them in the first quarter with Joe Carroll bagging two points for Knock - one of which came straight from the throw-in - while Paul Kennedy had two to his name in that time too as the sides settled into the game.

A Roddy Teehan free in the 16th minute put Knock into the lead soon after that exchange but Drom looked lively in the forwards so far and had a big goal opportunity denied to them by Knock goalie Brian Franks from a close-range Paul Kennedy effort; the Knock netminder showing good reflexes as Drom pointed the rebound to level the game once again.

Both defences were prominent in the final quarter of the half as the scores were slow to come at either end of the pitch and the sides couldn’t be separated by half time with Paul Kennedy hitting three points in that time, including two nice scores from play, while Knock were kept going by Roddy Teehan frees, another Joe Carroll major from distance and a first of the day for full forward Cian Rigney whose late point had the sides tied at 0-7 apiece at the break.

Knock made a couple of substitutions at halftime in an effort to take control of the game but the opposite effect came as Drom & Inch upped their performance levels and had taken a 0-10 to 0-7 lead by the 40th minute, with a substitute of their own in Daniel McAlister making an instant impact in setting up two of those scores, one each for Paul Kennedy and Jimmy Mullen to convert.

The momentum was swinging away from Knock but they dug in to make it a one-point game soon after with Roddy Teehan continuing to impress, hitting two points (one free) in the next three minutes for his side, but Drom took control of the next ten minutes with scores from Joe Lupton (two), a Kevin Butler free and a beauty from a Paul Kennedy sideline putting them in the box seat with five minutes to go as they had the advantage at 0-15 to 0-10.

Knock were running out of steam now and needed something to get them back into contention with time running out, and they got just what they needed in the 56th minute when a long free from Roddy Teehan dropped short of the mark and into a mess of bodies around the Drom square, and somehow Cian Rigney got a flick on the ball to direct it into the bottom corner and bring the contest back into the melting pot.

Drom took the edge off that concession a minute later with a Paul Kennedy free but the energy in the Knock players was visible now and a Roddy Teehan free in the 59th minute which was quickly followed by John Ryan’s first of the day with the clock ticking into the red had the game on a knife-edge, with just a single point between the teams.

The men in blue and gold came knocking for the equalising score but Drom & Inch displayed real steel to hold out and find the insurance score from a Paul Kennedy 65 two minutes into added time to hold out and claim Junior B honours.

Drom & Inch: David Kinane; Jack Johnson, Andy Mullen, Jamie Ryan; Martin McGrath, Enda Walsh, Diarmuid Brennan; Jimmy Mullen (0-1), Liam Harty; Joe Lupton (0-2), Joey Maher, Paul Kennedy (0-10, 0-5f, 0-1 65, 0-1 s-cut); Pat Lupton (0-1), Michéal Butler, Kevin Butler (0-3, 0-2f).

Subs used: Daniel McAlister for Pat Lupton (35, inj); Cathal Flynn for Harty (49); Rory O’Dwyer for McGrath (60).

Knock: Brian Franks; Gearoid Hooban, Sean Maher, Liam Carroll; Paul Kirwan, Ian Treacy, Jack Ryan; Noel Fogarty, John Ryan (0-1); Roddy Teehan (0-7, 0-5f, 0-1 65), Joe Carroll (0-3), Rory Nolan; Fergus Ryan, Cian Rigney (1-1), Matthew Delaney.

Subs used: Colm Ryan for Delaney (HT); Brian Davis for Hooban (HT); Mark Ryan for F Ryan (48); Reddy Coffey for Nolan (60).

Referee: Martin Ryan (Moyne Templetuohy)