A great day for Ballygunner at Walsh Park last Sunday and, hopefully, an even greater day to come on Sunday week when they take on Newtownshadrum in the Munster club senior hurling final at Semple Stadium. The scene, incidentally, of their one and only provincial title win back in 2001 when another Cork side, Black-rock, provided the opposition.
Disappointingly however Tourin/Glen Rovers narrowly failed in their bid to make it a Waterford double, going down after extra time to Aherlow of Tipperary in the Munster junior hurling championship. A brave and battling effort nonetheless by John O’Dwyer’s charges who lost absolutely nothing in this honourable defeat.
My game was at Walsh Park where the Gunners were put to the pin of their collars before eventually seeing off Clare champions Cratloe in a game full of fire and vim and no little quality hurling too. The result was just about right at the end but it could so easily have gone the other way, especially the Claremen had made better use of their first half territorial dominance.
Shrewd second half substitutions were the key to this latest Gunners win, with J. J. Hutchinson, Barry Mullane, and Robert Cunningham all having a decisive input into the eventual 1-14 to 0-15 victory. Even then Cratloe might have saved their bacon at the death, but over the entirety of the game they were decent enough value for the win.
Great to see the marvellous Fergal Hartley in such resplendent form at the age of thirty seven, and alongside him at wing back Wayne Hutchinson turned in a level of performance that cannot but have caught the eye of the new county senior hurling management team.
Hutchinson was a richly deserving winner of the AIB “Man Of The Match’’ accolade.
Next stop then for the Gunners will be Semple Stadium, and a tall order it will be to lower the colours o a Newtownshandrum side that has already beaten Tipp and Limerick’s best en route to this Munster final.
The bookmakers, no doubt, will have Newtown at lengthy odds on to land the spoils, but then who gave De La Salle any real chance a year ago? Role on November 29th.
TOURIN’S BRAVE BID
I was relying on the intermittent radio bulletins toi keep abreast of happenings in the Munster junior hurling game in which Tourin/Glen Rovers did themselves and the county proud even in their extra time 3-20 to 2-15 defeat against Tipperary’s Aherlow.
This, I’m assured, was a really brave and battling display by the Waterford champions, and while it fell marginally short in the extra time period our fellows can hold their heads up high.
Believe me they will be a very decided acquisition to the intermediate grade in 2010.
