County Tipperary under 21 hurling schedule now up in the air after Killenaule and St. Mary's draw

The conclusion to the County Tipperary under 21 hurling championship has been thrown up in the air after 80 minutes of hurling failed to separate Killenaule and St. Mary’s in their South semi-final at Cloneen on Saturday.

The winners were supposed to advance to a South final against Ballingarry in Dr. Morris Park, Thurles, on Wednesday night next, with the winners of that out again next weekend to face West champions Clonoulty/Rossmore in a county semi-final.

That will not now happen as Killenaule and St. Mary’s will instead head for Thurles this coming Wednesday night (7.15 pm), with the South final provisionally fixed for next weekend instead. Clonoulty/Rossmore will have to wait now for the outcome of the southern decider.

For St. Mary’s who defeated Moyle Rovers only last Wednesday night under lights at Morris Park, this is a punishing schedule indeed, and perhaps too taxing on players, mostly away at college midweek.

In a way Saturday's stalemate will give some element of comfort to the South Board and ensure that their divisional final can now be played in South Tipperary next weekend as against a mid-week fixture under lights outside of the division.

Confusion reigned temporarily at the end of extra-time with the sides still level, after Killenaule staged a great comeback from five points down to draw 2-15 (K) to 1-18 (SM). With light fading fast on a very dull day, referee Sean Lonergan summoned officials from both sides to the middle of the field to thrash out a solution.

With extra-time having already been played it wasn’t fully understood whether the game had to be played out to a conclusion or not. There was agreement to go on, but with a proviso of a possible objection from one club, and therefore the other reckoned there was no point in proceeding further in those circumstances. And with that, sensibly Sean Lonergan called the game over for the day.

There is no doubt though as to who will be the more relieved side to have this second chance. Twice  a greatly depleted Killenaule (who introduced no subs over the 80 minutes) came from the dead, in normal time and again in extra-time.

Four points down in normal time and the game gone two minutes over, the Robins rallied and a superb goal with virtually the last puck of normal time from Mark Stakelum threw them a lifeline at 2-8 to 0-14; their earlier first half goal scored by man of the match Eoin Barry.

But the Clonmel side regained the initiative in the first period of extra-time with a goal of their own, finished by substitute Dean Fitzgerald after Matt Barlow had broken Gavin Ryan’s long delivery. When a Ross Peters free put St. Mary’s five clear just before the break in extra-time it looked a done deal but great credit to Killenaule who kept their opponents scoreless thereafter and tagged on some superb points in the second period from Eoin Barry, Mark Stakelum and Eoin Shaw to force parity.

Indeed Killenaule had a late-late chance to win the game but Eoin Barry’s free from 55 metres sailed right and wide and St. Mary’s were happy to survive a game they probably should have wrapped up earlier. All told, a draw was the fairest result for both sides who gave their absolute everything on the day. Wednesday night's replay will be interesting.