Connolly and O'Donoghue to the fore as Cashel make winning start
King Cormacs beat Drom/Inch in high-scoring encounter
Cashel King Cormacs 0-32 Drom/Inch 0-28
Cashel King Cormacs got off to the best possible start in the race for the Dan Breen Cup with a thrilling win over Drom/Inch in the FBD Insurance County Senior Hurling Championship Group 3 Round 1 clash at Littleton on Sunday.
In a high scoring encounter – 60 points scored over the 63 minutes played – the West Tipp side put in a strong finish to edge out Drom/Inch, who will feel that they deserved something from the game.
On a good day for red and green colours, Cashel were the better side in the first half, and after playing with the breeze, led by six at the break, 0-18 to 0-12. Drom/Inch came more into it in the second half with big displays from Cormac Fitzpatrick, John Campion and Johnny Ryan, and twice in the final quarter reduced the margin to a single point.
But with huge games from 2025 All-Ireland heroes Eoghan Connolly and Oisín O’Donoghue, and a sparkling performance from Devon Ryan, Cashel pulled away again to join Kiladangan on two points in their group after the first round of games.
The hard and dry surface suited Cashel’s brand of crisp hurling and their 21 points from play reflected their intensity. O’Donoghue, Ryan, Conor O’Dwyer, Ross Bonnar and Ger Browne all knocked over three points, with a brace from Shane Neville, and Connolly and Ryan were also accurate from placed balls.
Drom/Inch’s Cormac Fitzpatrick was the game’s highest scorer from play with 0-6, with John Campion and Tony Cahill hitting 0-4 each and Johnny Ryan with 0-3. Seamus Callanan pointed nine frees but missed a couple of long distance efforts in the first half.
King Cormacs led by two after the first quarter, 0-7 to 0-5. Oisín O’Donoghue from play and a sideline cut, and two from play from Devon Ryan, to a Drom reply from a Callanan free gave them a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after six minutes.
They extended the lead to four, 0-7 to 0-3, by the 13th minute with two Eoghan Connolly frees and a long range score from Conor O’Dwyer. Cormac Fitzpatrick was proving to be Drom’s main threat in attack, scoring his first after a great run and then finishing a flowing move involving Johnny Ryan and David Collins.
John Campion and Fitzpatrick again brought it back to a two-points game, and then a superb crossfield pass from Maidhc Fitzpatrick set up Tony Cahill to reduce the margin to a single point, 0-7 to 0-6.
The Cashel response was impressive and within six minutes they had gone five clear, 0-12 to 0-7; Ger Browne, James Cummins, Devon Ryan with two frees and Conor O’Dwyer on target to a Drom reply from Tony Cahill.
As Cashel continued to dominate, with their lead extending to seven points on two occasions, it was back to six at the break, 0-18 to 0-12, with Callanan frees helping to keep Drom in touch.
The score-every-minute trend continued into the second half when the breeze aided Drom/Inch’s fightback and by the 35th minute the Cashel lead was reduced to two points, 0-19 to 0-17 – John Campion with two, Tony Cahill, Lorcan Campion and Cormac Fitzpatrick scoring for the Mid Tipp side to a solitary Cashel response from Ger Browne.
That was still the margin by the end of the third quarter, 0-24 to 0-22, as two evenly-matched sides traded scores. But when John Campion pointed to leave just a single score between them, the game was in the melting pot.
Devon Ryan and Seamus Callanan then pointed frees, but when Ryan pointed again with ten minutes to go, Drom/Inch never got that close again, and the Cashel management team will be delighted with how they contained the Drom revival and then pushed on for a deserved victory.
Substitutes Denis O’Callaghan and Daniel Moloney combined for Moloney to extend the lead and Callanan replied from a free to make it a two-point game, 0-27 to 0-25, with six minutes to go.
Then Cashel hit a purple patch with four points without reply to seal the victory. Oisín O’Donoghue hit an immediate reply to Callanan’s point, Ross Bonnar latched onto a loose ball to shoot over, and then Eoghan Connolly pointed a free before converting a sideline to make it 0-31 to 0-25.
And still Drom/Inch never threw in the towel, with three points on the bounce from two Callanan frees and Cormac Fitzpatrick from play deep into injury time. But it too late and Conor O’Dwyer wrapped up the scoring for Cashel. Drom maintained the pressure and a late Callanan goal-bound shot was deflected for a 65 that failed to reap dividends.
Scorers: Cashel King Cormacs: Devon Ryan 0-8 (5f), Eoghan Connolly 0-6 (4f, 1 sideline), Oisín O’Donoghue 0-4 (1 sideline), Conor O’Dwyer, Ross Bonnar, Ger Browne 0-3 each, Shane Neville 0-2, James Cummins, Cathal Quinn, Daniel Moloney 0-1 each.
Drom/Inch: Seamus Callanan 0-9 frees, Cormac Fitzpatrick 0-6, John Campion, Tony Cahill 0-4 each, Johnny Ryan 0-3, David Collins, Lorcan Campion 0-1 each.
Cashel King Cormacs: Aaron Browne, Conn Bonnar, Nathan Ryan, Kieran O’Dywer, James Cummins, Oisín O’Donoghue, Conor O’Dwyer, Eoghan Connolly, Ronan Connolly, Ross Bonnar, Shane Neville, Cathal Quinn, David McGrath, Devon Ryan, Ger Browne. Subs: Denis O’Callaghan for McGrath (49), Daniel Moloney for Quinn (49).
Drom/Inch: Eoin Collins, Eoghan Kennedy, Kevin Hassett, Robbie Long, Mark Conroy, Podge Campion, Fintan Purcell, David Collins, Lorcan Campion, Maidhc Fitzpatrick, Seamus Callanan, John Campion, Cormac Fitzpatrick, Tony Cahill, Johnny Ryan. Subs: Stevie Nolan for Maidhc Fitzpatrick (48), Cormac Cahill for Ryan (53), David Butler for Cahill (60).
Referee: Alan Tierney (Shannon Rovers).