Reigning champions Cashel Community School are out of the Harty Cup after one-point loss

TUS Dr. Harty Cup Preliminary Quarter Final

Cashel Community School 0-19

Charleville CBS 1-17

By John O’Shea

Holders, Cashel Community School are out of the 2023/24 TUS Dr. Harty Cup having been pipped at the end of an absorbing Preliminary Quarter Final by Charleville CBS at Bansha on Wednesday afternoon. 

Played on a good surface before a vocal crowd, this was a game that was always going to go to the wire; the sides were on level on three occasions in a hard-fought opening half before Cashel edged ahead by 0-10 to 0-9 at the interval. 

They were also level on three further occasions during the second period, the last with two minutes of normal time remaining. 

Cashel also had an opportunity to bring the game to extra time from a last gasp injury-free, but the attempt from a very acute angle drifted away outside the post. 

Cashel can feel proud of their performance, they gave their all and contributed to an exciting hard-fought contest with Adam Daly in top form, contributing 0.5 from open play. We should not forget the point taking from joint captain, Oisin O’Donoghue, especially the three converted side lines balls, all from around 45 meters from different sides of the field. 

The Charleville goal after 42 minutes had a huge bearing on the outcome.

Charleville CBS, back in the Harty competition after an absence of six years, goes into the quarter-final draw, knowing that they have a good balanced team, with some good individual hurlers. Goalkeeper Kieran Murphy was very sure throughout and his save, at the expense of a 65, early in the second half, coupled with his point from a placed ball on his own 45 at a vital time in the game were his standout moments. In the forward division, Eoin O’Mahony and in particular Joe Hickey were always causing problems. 

Both sides were wary of each other early on before Oisin O’Donoghue cut over a sideline ball from out near the stand at the village end with three minutes on the clock. Two minutes later Shane Buckley doubled the advantage from a placed ball. 

Eoin O’Mahony opened the Cork side’s account after six minutes when he finished a good move involving Chris Dunne. Two minutes later the sides were level for the first time when O’Mahony turned provider and fed the in-running Eoin Horgan.

O’Donoghue doubled his sideline tally in the thirteenth minute before Adam Daly opened his own account. Chris Dunne then hit the first of his five frees to cut the deficit to the minimum. Shane Cooney doubled Cashel’s advantage before the move of the opening half. 

This involved four Charleville players, with Pat Daly gaining possession on the stand side, laying off to Eoin Horgan who found Gareth Gleeson and the corner forward open the defence before finding the unmarked Joe Hickey, whose shot skimmed the crossbar. This was a let off for Cashel, but it showed the potential of the Charleville attack. 

Hickey doubled his tally on 18 minutes to tie the game for the second time at 0.5 each. As the game moved from end to end Adam Daly finished a Cashel move which included Padraig Dalton and Charlie Ryan. 

Eoin O’Mahony and Charlie Ryan traded scores as the game entered the final ten minutes before the break. Adam Daly pushed Cashel’s advantage out to two. Chris Dunne converted his second-placed ball before the hard-working Padraig Dalton fed Charlie Ryan and the Boherlahan Dualla man made no mistake. 

In the closing four minutes before the break Gareth Gleeson got in for two points either side of an Oisin O’Donoghue converted free to leave the holders one up at the break, Cashel CS 0-10, Charleville CBS 0-9.

The second half started with three points inside the opening four minutes. Adam Daly split the posts after just twenty seconds before Chris Dunne converted two placed balls to tie proceedings for a fourth time. 

Kieran Murphy saved well at the expense of a 65, which Shane Buckley converted. Oisin O’Donoghue hit his second free, but from the resulting puck out Chris Dunne won possession and put over at the other end. A good Cashel move ended with Briaín O'Donoghue latching on to a cross ball before splitting the posts. Eoin Horgan reduced the deficit to the minimum before the game changed in Charleville’s favour.

Gareth Gleeson, who was posing problems to the Cashel’s defence found Eoin O’Mahony and the centre forward went on a run before firing a low shot to the corner, giving Tommy Breen no chance. Charleville were ahead for the first time in the game with 18 minutes remaining. A long-range free from goalkeeper Kieran Murphy put three between the sides, before Cashel mounted a comeback. Oisin O’Donoghue put over two in the space of a minute, the first from a placed ball and a sideline cut from the roadside near the dugouts. Chris Dunne and Padraig Dalton traded points before Adam Daly tied the game for the fifth time when he received a good ball from fellow clubman Shane Buckley. 

The game was now in the melting pot with five minutes of normal time remaining. Joe Hickey eased the Cork side back in front, but again Oisin O’Donoghue came to the rescue with an equalising point from a placed ball. 

Joe Hickey eased Charleville back in front as the game headed towards the sixtieth minute when it looked like it was heading for extra time. Cashel had one more chance to bring the tie to extra time but a last gasp free from a very acute angle drifted wide of the posts and the holders were out.

Cashel Community School: Tommy Breen (Boherlahan Dualla); Jack Dalton (Golden Kilfeacle), Brian Manton (Cashel King Cormacs), Noah O’Flynn (Fethard); Gavin Dalton (Golden Kilfeacle), Dylan Fogarty (Boherlahan Dualla), Charlie Ryan (Boherlahan Dualla, 0-2); Shane Buckley (Knockavilla Kickhams, 0-2, 0-1f, 0-1 65), Patrick Colville (Rosegreen); Shane Cooney (Clerihan, 0-1), Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs, 0-7, 0-4f, 0-3 sl-cut), Padraig Dalton (Golden Kilfeacle, 0-1); Briaín O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs, 0-1), Adam Daly (Knockavilla Kickhams, 0-5), Seamus Kennedy (Clonoulty Rossmore). 

Subs used: Ciaran Byrne (Golden Kilfeacle) for Seamus Kennedy (38); Sam Hall (Golden Kilfeacle) for Patrick Colville (55);  Charlie Walsh (Fethard) for Shane Cooney (55).

Charleville CBS: Kieran Murphy (Newtownshandrum, 0-1f); Niall Tobin (Bruree), Tom McCarthy (Newtownshandrum), Fionn O’Sullivan (Ballyhea); Sean Bresnan (Charleville), Bill Collins (Captain, Newtownshandrum), Sean Byrne (Ballyhea); Robert Troy (Newtownshandrum), Turlough O’Neill (Newtownshandrum); Eoin Horgan (Granagh Ballingarry, 0-2), Eoin O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum, 1-2), Chris Dunne (Dromina, 0-6, 0-5f); Gareth Gleeson (Charleville, 0-2), Joe Hickey (Ballyhea, 0-4), Pat Daly (Ballyhea). 

Subs used: Liam O’Mahony (Newtownshandrum) for Pat Daly (HT); Billy Kiely (Charleville) for Turlough O’Neill (60).

Referee: Johnny Murphy (Limerick)