Cashel King Cormacs cause the upset of the championship in their victory over Nenagh Éire Óg

FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling Championship - Group 2 - Round 2

Cashel King Cormacs 0-21 

Nenagh Eire Og 2-13

By Liam Hogan 

Cashel King Cormacs produced the shock of the week when their second-half display was enough to see them get over Nenagh Éire Óg in the second round of the FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling Championship played at sunny Borris-Ileigh last Sunday afternoon. 

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The win puts newly promoted Cashel safely through to the quarter-finals following their first-round win over Mullinahone, but their second win didn’t look likely until the 54th minute, when a more proficient Cashel side were five points ahead, 0-20 to 1-12.

It was then the real battle took place as Nenagh staged a fightback and scored 1-1 in the process as Cashel needed Aaron Browne’s best to make a great save from Jake Morris before Ger Browne’s third point in added time put daylight between the teams.

Nenagh’s dominance mirrored that of their effort in the first half, when playing with the breeze, they hit fourteen wides with efforts from long range failing to find the target. 

Scores were level three times in the opening five minutes, with Ross Bonnar, Conor O’Dwyer, and Devon Ryan (free) finding the target for Cashel, while Michael Heffernan scored his first point from a free with Barry Heffernan and Michael Heffernan each scoring a point from play. 

A Devon Ryan free gave Cashel the lead in the ninth minute, closely followed by another free by Eoghan Connolly. After Nenagh posted their seventh wide, it was the turn of Michael Heffernan and Devon Ryan to trade points from frees, while in between Dermot McTiernan denied Ross Bonnar from close in before play was called back for a free.

Scores from placed balls were the common currency as neither side were able to get a rhythm going with Barry Heffernan in powerful form for Nenagh with Conor Hennessey, Paddy Murphy, Sam O’Farrell, Conor Ryan and Mason Cawley prominent while Eoghan Connolly, Ronan Connolly and Nathan Ryan were holding firm for Cashel with Eoghan Connolly carrying the game to Nenagh as he careered through the middle of the park to pick off a well taken point in the 18th minute.

Mason Cawley’s workrate earned a free, which Michael Heffernan converted, but Cashel restored their two-point advantage after Paddy Fahy scored from play after a spectacular high catch.

As the game was beginning to flow, Ben West’s point in the 23rd minute reduced the margin to one, and one minute later, a run by Jake Morris created an overlap which forced Conn Bonnar to foul Philip Hickey, resulting in a penalty award which Jake Morris put away. 

However, Cashel held their nerve and points by Oisin O’Donoghue and Devon Ryan from a free had the teams level 1-7 to 0-10 four minutes from the break. 

Nenagh replied, but their wides increased to twelve before Michael Heffernan (a free) and a brilliant Oisin O’Donoghue score had the teams level for the fifth time. The half-time whistle was fast approaching, but still enough time for Devon Ryan to post his sixth point from a placed ball, leaving the Westmen one in front at half-time 0-12 to 1-8.

Both teams traded points in the early minutes of the new half, starting with a Ger Browne point from play with Michael Heffernan pointing a free, only to see Nenagh come level after Paddy Murphy equalised in the 34th minute. 

One minute later Jake Morris edged Nenagh in front but Nenagh would not score again until the 45th minute a period that saw Cashel’s more direct hurling helped them come level through Ger Browne with Ronan Connolly moving the Red and Greens in front by the 40th minute closely followed by another Eoghan Connolly free from his own sixty five to leave Cashel two in front.

Michael Heffernan’s free broke the Cashel momentum but it was only temporary as Cashel went on to score four unanswered points, starting with a Devon Ryan free ably assisted by scores from play by Ger Browne and Eoghan Connolly, before Ross Bonnar supplied an excellent score to make it Cashel 0-20 Nenagh 1-12 and six minutes remaining.

But Nenagh were not for giving up. Forcing Cashel to retreat, Jake Morris had one chance to break free of Eoghan Connolly’s close marking before the Nenagh man brought the best from goalkeeper Aaron Browne. 

In response, Eoghan Connolly’s ninety metre free drifted wide for Cashel’s ninth wide of the day. Nenagh’s total had reached twenty, but in another attack substitute Adam Carey won possession and scored a goal from close in after good work by Conor Hennessey. 

However, Cashel’s ability to get quick ball to their attack was paying better dividends, and Ger Browne prospered with his third white flag. Three points in arrears, Nenagh came forward in search of a goal, but James Mackey had to be happy with a point, and Cashel held out.

Scorers: Cashel KC: Devon Ryan (0-7, 0-6f, 0-1 65), Ger Browne, Ross Bonnar, Oisin O’Donoghue 0-3 each, Eoghan Connolly (0-3, 0-2f), Conor O’Dwyer, Paddy Fahey 0-1 each.

Nenagh Éire Óg: Michael Heffernan (0-8, 0-7f), Jake Morris (1-1, 1-0 pen), Adam Carey 1-0, James Mackey, Ben West, Barry Heffernan, Paddy Murphy all 0-1 each.

Cashel King Cormacs: Aaron Browne; Conn Bonnar, Nathan Ryan, Kieran O’Dwyer; James Cummins, Ronan Connolly, Conor O’Dwyer; Eoghan Connolly, Cathal Quinn; Devon Ryan, Ger Browne, Paddy Fahy; Ross Bonnar, Oisin O’Donoghue, David McGrath.  

Nenagh Eire Og: Dermot McTiernan; Conor Hennessey, Mark Carey, Jake Donnellan Houlihan; Paddy Murphy, Barry Heffernan, Mason Cawley; Conor Ryan (capt), Josh Keller; Sam O’Farrell, Michael Heffernan, Jake Morris; Adam Healy, Philip Hickey, Ben West. 

Subs used: Adam Carey for Healy (41); Adam Gratton for Keller (47 -49 blood); Tommy Heffernan for West (51); James Mackey for Donnellan Holohan (65).

Referee: Conor Doyle (Silvermines)

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