By PRO Joe Bracken
BORD GAIS ENERGY U21 HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP
Knowing only a top rate display would see them through, the Tipperary U21 team delivered the performance required to see them reach the Bord Gais Energy All-Ireland Under 21 Hurling Championship Final following their 3-17 to 1-17 defeat of Galway in the semi-final in the Gaelic Grounds last week.
First half goals from Mark Kehoe (Kilsheelan-Kilcash) and Jake Morris (Nenagh Éire Óg) ensured Tipp were in front at the break and though Galway rallied Ger Browne (Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams) provided Tipp’s third goal late on to ease the nerves in the closing stages.
This was the 16th tie between the sides in U21 competition. Galway played minor, U21 and senior in Munster from 1959-1969 inclusive with the under 21 championship commencing in 1964. So of the 16 played Tipperary has won 10, Galway 5 and there was one draw. The details of these encounters are as follows; 18/7/1965 Munster Final, Ballinasloe – Tipperary 4-9 Galway 3-3; 16/7/1967 Munster Final, Limerick – Tipperary 3-9 Galway 3-5; 15/8/1972 All-Ireland Semi-Final , Nenagh – Galway 2-11 Tipperary 1-11; 8/10/1978 All-Ireland Final, Limerick – Tipperary 2-8 Galway 3-5 (Draw); 22/10/1978 All-Ireland Final, Limerick – Galway 3-15 Tipperary 2-8 ( Replay); 23/9/1979 All-Ireland Final, Portlaoise – Tipperary 2-12 Galway 1-9; 17/8/1980 All-Ireland Semi-Final ,Ennis – Tipperary 3-11 Galway 2-12; 23/8/1981 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Ennis – Tipperary 3-17 Galway 0-7; 11/9/1983 All-Ireland Final, Tullamore – Galway 0-12 Tipperary 1-6;12/8/1984 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Ennis – Tipp 3-10 Galway 2-8; 11/8/1985 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Tullamore – Tipperary 1-15 Galway 2-7; 13/8/1989 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Limerick – Tipperary 1-14 Galway 1-7; 3/9/1999 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Tullamore – Galway 3-12 Tipperary 1-16; 22/8/2003 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Ennis – Galway 2-20 Tipp 2-16 (AET); 11/9/2010 All-Ireland Final, Semple Stadium – Tipperary 5-22 Galway 0-12 and finally last week 08/08/2018 All-Ireland Semi-Final, Gaelic Grounds – Tipperary 3-17 Galway 1-17.
As we know Cork will once again provide formidable opposition in the All-Ireland Final and are sure to be hot favourites for the title having seen off the Tipperary challenge in the recent Munster Final. With that loss in mind, hopefully the Tipp resolve will be all the greater as they head into the last week and a half of preparation with one single goal on their minds, reparation.
The final is set for Sunday week, August 26th in the Gaelic Grounds, Limerick with a 5:30pm throw-in.
SENIOR HURLING MANAGEMENT
Following last week’s county management committee meeting, the 5 serving county board officers will be the committee charged with the task of appointing a new county senior hurling manager and subsequently the management team. There is no time line in place and the committee will report back to management when the process has been completed.
CAMOGIE
Best wishes to the Tipperary camogie teams in action this weekend. The main emphasis will be on the senior camogie team who will play Cork in the Liberty Insurance Senior Championship All-Ireland Semi- Final in Semple Stadium, on Saturday next, August 18th at 7:15pm. This match will be preceded by the other semi-final between Galway and Kilkenny which has a 5:30pm start.
Before that the Tipperary intermediate team will play Down in the Liberty Insurance Intermediate Championship All-Ireland Semi-Final in Kinnegad also this Saturday where throw-in is at 1:15pm and extra time will be played if required.
LADIES GAELIC FOOTBALL
Unfortunately the Tipperary senior ladies football team lost out to Waterford 3-13 to 1-13 last Saturday in the TG4 Ladies Football relegation playoff and will now play Cavan in a relegation decider. This match goes ahead on Sunday next, August 19th in Dolan Park, Virginia, Co. Cavan with throw-in at 1pm. Best wishes to the team on Sunday and here’s hoping they can retain their status in the senior ranks.
HANDBALL
Congratulations to James Prentice (Ballina & Tipperary) on winning the Male Singles Wallball – 19 and Under (Juniors) at the 2018 World Handball Championships in the University of Minnesota Recreation and Wellness Center – Minneapolis, MN USA.
Up against the No. 1 seed Sean Kerr in the final, James lost the first game 21-19 but delivered an excellent second game winning 21-5. In a tight nail biter of a tie break, James held his nerve and won 11-9 and was crowned World Champion after beating the No 1, 2 and 3 seeds.
Best wishes to all Tipperary competitors in action over the next week at the World Games.
CLUB FIXTURES
There was 2 finals among all the fixtures last week where in the Tipperary Water Hurling League Division 4 the honours in a close encounter went to Drom & Inch as they just saw off the Boherlahan-Dualla challenge 0-20 to 2-13. Elsewhere, in the Tipperary Water Hurling League Division 6 decider, Ballingarry defeated Newcastle 1-16 to 1-8.
The results of last weekend’s action in the Tipperary Water County Senior and Intermediate Hurling Championships as well as the Tipperary Water Seamus Ó Riain Cup are as follows;
Tipperary Water County Senior Hurling Championship – Group 1
(Round 2), Roscrea 3-18 Mullinahone 0-19
(Round 2), Clonoulty-Rossmore 1-18 Nenagh Éire Óg 1-20
Tipperary Water County Senior Hurling Championship – Group 2
(Round 2), Killenaule 2-24 Kilruane MacDonaghs 3-16
(Round 2), Toomevara 2-14 Éire Óg Annacarty-Donohill 0-18
Tipperary Water County Senior Hurling Championship – Group 3
(Round 2), Upperchurch-Drombane 1-15 Thurles Sarsfields 1-24
(Round 2), Carrick Swans 0-16 Drom-Inch 2-24
Tipperary Water County Senior Hurling Championship – Group 4
(Round 2), Kiladangan 1-22 Portroe 1-18
Tipperary Water Seamus Ó Riain Cup – Group 1
(Round 2), JK Brackens 2-16 St Mary’s Clonmel 1-11
(Round 2), Ballingarry 1-10 Burgess 2-23
Tipperary Water Seamus Ó Riain Cup – Group 2
(Round 2), Newport 0-19 Silvermines 0-18
(Round 2), Templederry Kenyons 1-24 Clonakenny 1-12
Tipperary Water Seamus Ó Riain Cup – Group 3
(Round 2), Moycarkey-Borris 3-34 Ballina 0-10
(Round 2), Holycross-Ballycahill 3-23 Lorrha-Dorrha 4-13
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 1
(Round 2), Lattin-Cullen 0-11 Moyne-Templetuohy 1-22
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 2
(Round 2), Thurles Sarsfields 2-23 Carrick Davins 0-14
(Round 2), Cashel King Cormacs 1-21 Cappawhite 1-17
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 3
(Round 2), Arravale Rovers 1-15 Borrisokane 4-14
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 4
(Round 2), Gortnahoe-Glengoole 0-14 Sean Treacy’s 0-16
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 5
(Round 2), Ballybacon-Grange 0-12 Golden-Kilfeacle 1-22
(Round 2), Kiladangan 2-14 Kilsheelan-Kilcash 0-21
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 6
(Round 2), Knockavilla-Donaskeigh Kickhams 0-19 Moneygall 4-16
One hurling fixture carried over from last weekend in the Tipperary Water County Senior Hurling Championship – Group 4 takes place this Wednesday night in the Ragg at 7pm in (Round 2), with Borris-Ileigh v Loughmore-Castleiney at 7pm.
In football fixtures for the coming week, the following are the details;
Tipperary Water County Senior Football Championship – Group 2
Sat, 18 Aug, Venue: Leahy Park Cashel, Upperchurch-Drombane v Moyle Rovers 18:30, Ref: Paddy Russell
Sun, 19 Aug, Venue: Pairc Ciocaim Dundrum, Arravale Rovers v Galtee Rovers-St. Pecaun 19:00, Ref: Sean Lonergan
Tipperary Water County Senior Football Championship – Group 3
Sat, 18 Aug, Venue: Clonmel Sportsfield, Cahir v Killenaule 18:30, Ref: John Butler
Sun, 19 Aug, Venue: Leahy Park Cashel, Kiladangan v Ballyporeen 12:00, Ref: Seanie Peters
Tipperary Water County Senior Football Championship – Group 4
Sun, 19 Aug, Venue: New Inn, Éire Óg Annacarty-Donohill v Ardfinnan 19:00, Ref: Tommy Ryan
Sun, 19 Aug, Venue: Cahir, Clonmel Commercials v Aherlow Gaels 19:00, Ref: Sean Everard
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Football Championship – Group 1
Sat, 18 Aug, Venue: Ned Hall Park, Fethard v Grangemockler-Ballyneale 19:00, Ref: Michael Heffernan
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Football Championship – Group 2
Sun, 19 Aug, Venue: Templemore, Moyne-Templetuohy v Loughmore-Castleiney 12:00, Ref: Conor Doyle Sun, 19 Aug, Venue: O Sullivan Park Ballingarry, Moyle Rovers v Moycarkey-Borris 12:00, Ref: Michael Duffy
Tipperary Water County Intermediate Football Championship – Group 4
Sat, 18 Aug, Venue: Clonmel Sportsfield, Rockwell Rovers v Carrick Swans 17:00, Ref: Brian Tyrell
With the Tipperary U21 team reaching the All-Ireland Final, it has been necessary to reschedule the drawn North semi-final again and it’s most likely that the replay involving Nenagh Éire Óg and Kiladangan will now take place on the weekend of September 8th/9th. The winners will meet Kilruane MacDonaghs in the final.
To keep up to date with all fixtures and results please check http://people.gaa.ie/club/tipperary/
TIPPERARY GAA CLUBS DRAW
Congratulations to all winners in the August Tipperary GAA Clubs Draw which was held last Friday night in conjunction with Holycross-Ballycahill GAA Club. Portroe was the promoting club to the main winners Con and Francis O’Halloran who will collect either a Skoda Octavia /Renault Megane or €15,000. Second prize of €5,000 or a holiday went to Pat and Liz Stapleton and their promoting club was Sean Treacys.
CLUB DIRECTORY
The Club Directory from 2018 is available to clubs now and copies have been distributed to divisional chairpersons for handing out at the next corresponding divisional meeting.The directory will also be available to view online on the new Tipperary GAA website which will be launched shortly.
NATIONAL HERITAGE WEEK
As part of National Heritage Week from August18-26, Morgan Lanigan will lead a GAA Experience in Thurles on August 21st. This is a walking tour and the meeting point is outside Lar na Páirce at 6:30pm. For further enquiries please contact Morgan 083 3533893.
TIPPERARY GAA SCENE
Information concerning all areas in the GAA will appear in this section in the future. If you wish to include any item of interest in future articles, please e-mail at pro.tipperary@gaa.ie on or before 3.00pm on Monday. Visit the Tipperary GAA web site at https://tipperary.gaa.ie to keep up to date with all the latest news in Tipperary GAA circles.
