Clonoulty/Rossmore crowned Munster Junior Hurling champions

Clonoulty Rossmore’s maiden voyage in the Junior B All Ireland Hurling Series, hosted by the Kileedy GAA Club, continued with a hard fought injury time victory over Clare champions, Scariff, in the Munster Final, at Raheenagh on Saturday.
The conditions at the West Limerick venue, were certainly not ideal, with blinding rain and arctic storm force winds blowing straight down the field for the duration of the game. These atrocious conditions did certainly take from the spectical as both teams found the going extremely tough.
Clonoulty Rossmore won the toss and elected to play with the aid of the elements in the opening period. However it was the Clare champions who dictated the exchanges for the opening period and had built up a 0-7 to 0-4 lead by the 21stminute, with four of the points coming off placed balls from the stick of Ronan Corry.
The West and County champions got their opening break on 23 minutes, when a long range John Devane free dropped short and Kieran Carroll was on hand to crash the breaking ball to the net, tieing up the game for the third time. A converted Anthony Kearney 65,two minutes into injury, gave Clonoulty a slender half time lead, 1-5 to 0-7. The general consensus at the break was that Scariff were holding all the aces with the aid of the elements for the second half.
Scariff, now with the aid of the elements, came out strong for the second half and hit the equaliser from a Ronan Corry placed ball inside the opening minute after the break. Clonoulty upped their game and introduced Aaron Kennedy to the attack, Anthony Maher replaced the tiring Kevin Horan in the half back line in an effort to curb the Scarriff attack.
The Clare side missed a couple of close in frees as the Clonoulty defence stood firm, particularly the full back line of Declan O’Dwyer, Andrew Quirke and Adam Fryday, who refused to wilt under the continuous pressure. Padraig Coen and Nicky Mockler were introduce to the attack and the sides were level as the game headed towards the 30th minute. A Martin Walsh point, from out near the corner flag, three minutes into injury time, eased Scariff ahead. Clonoulty attacked from the puck out and as the game headed towards the sixth minute of added time, Kieran Carroll won a dirty ball out near the sideline, shook off several tackles before parting to Padraig Coen, who offloaded to Cathal Ryan (Raymond). Ryan put Anthony Kearney through and off loaded to the in running Nicky Mockler, who made no mistake to crash home from close in what was the last play of the game. This late late strike ensured that Clonoulty Rossmore were champions of Munster for the first time in the club’s long history.

Munster Junior B Hurling Champions 2022 Clonoulty-Rossmore who defeated Clare side Scariff on Saturday last in the final played in Raheenagh. Pic: James Treacy

Scariff started this game, against the elements, in whirlwind fashion with Cian Foley putting over inside the first minute. John Devane equalled from a placed ball, before Eanna O’Brien put the Clare men ahead again on five minutes. Ger Mockler intercepted a short puck out from the Scariff goalkeeper to equalise two minutes later, as Scariff began to dictate the pace and terms of the game. Clonoulty were finding the going tough, particularly in attack where Scariff deployed a sweeper, and also hitting some bad wides during this period, the elements being a contributory factor.
The Scariff attack began to run at the opposition and drew a few frees, which Ronan Corry punished in the twelfth and fourteenth minute to go two up. John Devane pulled one back from a placed ball before Curry, again, converted two more placed balls, bringing his total to four after twenty minutes to send his side into a four point lead. At this point, Clonoulty were in trouble, finding the conditions difficult to cope with, but this did in no way deflect from the job at hand. They stuck to their game plan and gradually came to terms with both the conditions and the opposition. When a long range John Devane free dropped short, the experienced Kieran Carroll was first to react and crashed home the opening goal after twenty three minutes, to tie up the game. Two minutes later Clonoulty opened up the defence, but a low shot from Martin Ryan (Ned) was just outside the upright, in what was a let off for the Clare men. Clonoulty continued to attack and were rewarded in injury time with a converted 65 from the stick of Anthony Kearney to lead by the minimum, 1-5 to 0-7 at the half time break.
Scariff were quickly off the mark after the break and Ronan Corry equalised from a placed ball inside the opening minute to tie up the game for the fourth time. With Clonoulty battening down the hatches in defence, Scariff were finding scores hard to come by and also miss hit a couple of close in frees. The Clonoulty sideline made some shrewd substitutions, with the introduction of fresh legs to the attack and Anthony Maher to defence. Ten minutes into the half a John Devane free eased them back in front, a lead that they would hold until four minutes from the end of normal time, as time and time again they thwarted the Scariff attack. However a long range Matt Horan free tied up the game and injury time looked a creditable possibility.
Both sides tried for a winner as the game headed for time added on, and when Martin Walsh put over from an almost impossible angle, on 33 minutes, the general feeling was that the title was heading to East Clare. Down on the field Clonoulty had other ideas and attacked down the stand side from the puck out. Kieran Carroll, who had put in a hard shift, won a dirty ball and shook off a few tackles before offloading to Padraig Coen who ran at the defence. Coen was hit with a high tackle, but managed to off load to Cathal Ryan (Raymond), who continued the move goalwards. Ryan found the in-running Anthony Kearney who in turn found Nicky Mockler and the substitute made no mistake as he found the net for goal number two and a place in the history books.
Clonoulty Rossmore were Munster champions at the death and now play the beaten Leinster finalists, Blackwater from Wexford, at 12 noon in the All Ireland Semi Final on Saturday March 26. at the same venue.

TEAMS AND SCORERS
Clonoulty Rossmore: Martin Sadlier (Captain), Declan O’Dwyer, Andrew Quirke, Adam Fryday, Anthony Kearney (0.1f), Dylan Kennedy, Kevin Horan, Darren Corcoran, Martin Ryan (Ned), Kieran Caroll (1.0), Oisin Fryday, Ger Mockler (0.1), Nicky Kearns, John Devane (0,4f), Cathal Ryan (Raymond). Subs used; Nicky Mockler (1.0), Aaron Kennedy, Anthony Maher, Padraig Coen.
Scariff: William Kavanagh, Seamus McCaul, Tadhg Kavanagh, Sean Collins, Eoghan Keehan, Matt Horan (0.1f), Andy O’Dwyer, Jim Minogue, Rory Kelly, Ronan Corry (0.5f), Martin Walsh (0.2), Eanna O’Brien (0.1), Cian Foley (0.1), Sean Cunningham (Captain), Conor Downes. Subs used: Josh Moloney, Shane Ted Corry.
Referee: David Deady (Limerick).