Ferncombe fires Clonoulty to safety as Mullinahone face final battle

FBD Insurance Senior Hurling Relegation Semi-Final

Clonoulty Rossmore 2-19

Mullinahone 1-18

Clonoulty Rossmore cemented their senior status in the Dan Breen Cup for 2027 when they overcame the challenge of Mullinahone in the FBD Insurance Senior Hurling Relegation semi-final at Boherlahan on Sunday afternoon.

Both of these sides were in relegation, having finished in bottom spot of their respective groups. Clonoulty Rossmore finished in fourth position in Group 2, a group which also included Dan Breen semi-finalists Moycarkey Borris.

Mullinahone finished bottom of Group 4, a group headed by semi-finalists JK Brackens and second-placed Nenagh Éire Óg. Such is the competitiveness of this FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship.

A good-sized crowd were treated to a game of honest endeavour, with the contest ebbing and flowing throughout and being level on three occasions during the opening quarter.

A Mullinahone goal at the start of the second quarter put the South side ahead by three. Clonoulty rallied to draw level eight minutes before the break and a strong finish, which included a goal from Jimmy Maher, had them two up at the short whistle.

The game was won and lost in the five minutes after the restart as Clonoulty Rossmore, through Stephen Ferncombe, hit 1-3 during this period, putting six between the sides.

While Mullinahone fought back to cut the deficit to three as the game entered added time, this was as near as they got and, with Cathal Bourke firing over the insurance point, the West champions held out to secure a hard-earned victory.

Mullinahone defended the dressing-room end and played with the aid of a slight breeze for the opening thirty minutes. Winning possession from the throw-in, Sam Rowan raced through the Clonoulty Rossmore defence before an attempted pass to Eoin O’Dwyer took an unkindly bounce and drifted wide of the posts.

Micheál Dunne got the scoreboard moving in the third minute from a placed ball, but the West men hit back, first with a long-range effort from Jamie Davern to tie the game and then three on the bounce from Stephen Ferncombe. Sam Rowan settled the South men with a neat point under pressure before Jack Shelly cut the deficit to the minimum.

Dunne equalised and then put his side ahead after Jason O’Dwyer had saved from Eoin O’Dwyer, who was on an advantage. Ferncombe tied the game for the third time at the end of the first quarter from a placed ball.

Mullinahone drew first blood when Micheál Dunne set up Jack Shelly for the game’s opening goal, blasting past Jason O’Dwyer. Stephen Ferncombe replied with two minors, one from a free, either side of a Jack Shelly point, before Sam Rowan stretched the lead to three. This was Mullinahone’s best period in the game, with Jack Shelly and Sam Rowan causing problems for the Clonoulty defence.

The West men realigned and a John O’Keeffe point from his own half-back line was followed up with a brace from Cathal Bourke, who was beginning to exert his authority on the game.

Eoin O’Dwyer beat his marker to ease Mullinahone back in front and an effort from midfield by Sam Rowan put two between the sides. Mistakes were forced and capitalised on as the game swung from end to end.

A goal from Jimmy Maher following good work by Thomas Butler in the left corner was followed up with minors from Mikey Ryan (Winnie) and Cathal Bourke after a good move in the build-up by John O’Keeffe and Jimmy Maher. These two late points were the difference at the short whistle as Clonoulty Rossmore led 1-12 to 1-10.

After the restart, Micheál Dunne landed a 65 inside a minute to cut the deficit, but it was Clonoulty who got the start that they required to put light between the sides. Cathal Bourke won a ball out near the sideline at the scoreboard corner and his cross-field ball found the in-running Stephen Ferncombe, who beat Brendan Kearney at the far post after his shot took a nasty deflection. Ferncombe followed up with two super points from open play as the West men went into a six-point lead after thirty-five minutes.

Mullinahone were quickly back in the game through a Daire O’Brien point from midfield before Micheál Dunne converted a placed ball.

Ferncombe added a minor from a free after Jack Ryan was fouled in front of goal, but again Mullinahone replied in triplicate. A Sam Rowan point from open play was followed up with a brace from placed balls by Micheál Dunne at the start of the final quarter.

Once again, the West men rallied and hit the next three points on the bounce, two from Ferncombe and one from Jack Ryan after intercepting a puck-out. This put five between the sides, with three minutes of normal time remaining.

Jack Shelly hit his third minor of the day before a twenty-metre free shot low by Micheál Dunne was saved and cleared to safety. Cathal Bourke closed out the scoring in added time, with Clonoulty Rossmore running out four-point winners.

Clonoulty retain their senior status for 2027, while Mullinahone have one more chance as they head to the relegation final in two weeks’ time, where they take on Roscrea.

Scorers: Clonoulty Rossmore: Stephen Ferncombe (1-1, 0-8f), Cathal Bourke 0-4, Jimmy Maher 1-0, John O’Keeffe, Jamie Davern, Jack Ryan, Mikey Ryan (W) all 0-1 each.

Mullinahone: Jack Shelly (1-4, 0-1f), Micheál Dunne (0-7, 0-6f, 0-1 65), Sam Rowan 0-4, Daire O’Brien, Sean Curran, Eoin O’Dwyer all 0-1 each.

Clonoulty Rossmore: Jason O’Dwyer; Danny Slattery, Robert Doyle, Aidan Loughman; John O’Keeffe, Ronan Heffernan, Jamie Davern; Sean O’Connor, Donnchadh Quirke; Jimmy Maher, Cathal Bourke, Mikey Ryan (W); Stephen Ferncombe, Jack Ryan, Thomas Butler.

Subs used: Nathan Slattery for Sean O’Connor (43); Philip Kelleher for Donnchadh Quirke (50).

Mullinahone: Brendan Kearney; Daire O’Brien, Paul Curran, Eoin Treacy; Eoin Fennelly, Darragh Linnane, Martin Kehoe; Eanna Ryan, Sam Rowan; Colin Shelly, Sean Curran, Enda Keane; Eoin O’Dwyer, Jack Shelly, Micheál Dunne.

Subs used: Colin O’Brien for Eoin Fennelly (51); Ned O’Meara for Martin Kehoe (59).

Referee: Peter Carroll (Burgess)