Tipperary GAA Scene column – March 4th 2014

Tipperary GAA Scene column

By acting County PRO Ed Donnelly

ALLIANZ HURLING AND FOOTBALL LEAGUE

Tipperary continued their unbeaten start to the Allianz Football League Division 4 thanks to a 1-19 to 1-7 victory over London at Ruislip on Sunday last, Barry Grogan with the Tipperary goal from a penalty. Only 5 of the 16 League matches last weekend ended with the travelling team on the winning side and with Tipperary having won away twice already in this year’s Football League, it augurs well for our promotion challenge. Tipperary now lie second in the table, ahead of Leitrim on score difference. Tipperary’s next game will be against table toppers Clare (on 7 points after 3 wins and a draw) at 3:00pm on Sunday next at Semple Stadium Thurles.

The curtain-raiser for this game will see the visit of the reigning All-Ireland Senior Hurling champions Clare to play Tipperary at 1:15pm. With all six hurling counties tied on 2 points in Division 1A, the winner of this game will be in pole position to qualify for the Hurling League Quarter-Finals.

SEMPLE STADIUM ON SUNDAY

With two meaningful games on the agenda, supporters can visit Semple Stadium Thurles on Sunday and shout on the Premier County for the bargain price of 10 euro provided you purchase your ticket in advance via your local Centra and Supervalu outlets or online via gaa.ie/tickets. Please note both stands are open on Sunday from 12:15pm onwards and tickets can be purchased at outlets on approach to both. The match day admission price will be €15 while Under 16s are free. Concessions for students and OAP’s are available from the match day ticket only and the five euro concession can be refunded upon the production of a full price ticket and appropriate ID at stile 8 in the Kinane Stand and stile 53 in the O Riain Stand.

LAR NA PAIRCE / SEMPLE STADIUM MERCHANDISE SHOP

The Tipperary GAA Merchandise shop and Lar na Pairce GAA museum at Slievenamon Road Thurles will be open on Sunday next from 12 noon to 3:30pm. The GAA merchandise shops in Semple Stadium will also be open on Sunday next until both the games are over. For those unable to visit the shop in person, check out the Tipperary GAA Shop online at https://tipperary.gaa.ie/shop/.

SENIOR HURLING CHALLENGE

Tipperary defeated Wexford by 3-30 to 2-17 in a Senior Hurling challenge game played at Dr. Morris Park Thurles on Saturday afternoon. The Tipperary team and scorers were as follows – Darren Gleeson (Portroe); Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill), Conor O’Mahony (Newport), Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields); Shane McGrath (Ballinahinch, 0-1), Michael Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields), Padraic Maher (Thurles Sarsfields); Brendan Maher (Borris-Ileigh, 0-1 free), James Woodlock (Drom & Inch, 0-1); Michael Heffernan (Nenagh Eire Og, 0-4), Noel McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney, 0-3, 0-1 free), Conor Kenny (Borris-Ileigh, 2-5, 0-2 frees); Jason Forde (Silvermines, 0-2), Seamus Callanan (Drom & Inch, 0-3, 0-2 frees), Patrick Maher (Lorrha). Subs: Darragh Egan (Kildangan), Thomas Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons), Padraig Heffernan (Clonoulty-Rossmore), Seamus Kennedy (St. Mary’s Clonmel, 0-3), David Collins (Drom & Inch, 0-3, 0-1 sideline cut), Ruairi Gleeson (Kildangan), Kieran Morris (Moycarkey-Borris), Tadhg Gallagher (Kildangan, 1-0), Shane Bourke (JK Brackens, 0-4).

UNDER 21 FOOTBALL

The first round of the Cadburys Munster Under 21 Football Championship will take place on Wednesday March 12th when Tipperary take on Waterford in Fraher Field Dungarvan at 7:30pm. The Tipperary management team led by David Power (Manager) along with selectors Pat Moroney and Gerry McGill and coach Pat Flanagan will be looking for a victory to set up a semi-final meeting with Clare on Wednesday March 19th at a Clare venue.

COUNTY SENIOR HURLING CHALLENGE CUP

The first round of the County Senior Hurling Challenge Cup took place on Sunday last with 14 of the 16 matches surviving the inclement weather conditions. 10 of the 14 games were decided by 5 points or less with five of the matches being decided by one score or less while JK Brackens needed extra time to dispose of Thurles Sarsfields. The most notable result of the day saw Silvermines defeat the 2013 County Senior Hurling champions Loughmore-Castleiney by 0-18 to 0-15 at Dolla. The defeat of Lorrha by Mullinahone by 0-13 to 0-12 was the only game where a team from the North Division lost to an opponent from another division. The two postponed games from last weekend have been refixed for this coming weekend. In the next round, the 16 round 1 winners will be paired against each other while the 16 round 1 losers will be paired.

ALL IRELAND SCOR NA NOG FINALS

What a day it was for Tipperary in the All Ireland Finals of Scór na nÓg 2014 in Castlebar on Saturday 1st of March. Seán Treacy’s Club represented us in the new All County Table Quiz held in GMIT. In an extremely tough contest of knowledge and wit, in which 100 questions were asked of the competitors, our boys Brian Carey, Patrick Carey, Conor Nolan and Shane Stapleton produced a sparkling performance to come fourth out of the 28 counties entered. Comhghairdeas libh a bhuachaillí . Dhein sibh éacht ar son bhur glub agus ar son na contaethe. Comhghairdeas le bhur dtuistí agus le bhur lucht tacaíochta chomh maith. Bhí sibh thar barr.

Moving to the Royal Theatre in the afternoon excitement was palpable in the Tipperary camp as the inaugural Léiriú competition got underway. Standards were excellent from the four provinces but Borris-Ileigh’s enactment of Briseann an Dúchas trí shúile an chait was received very well by the huge audience in the auditorium. We waited with baited breath for the adjudication and when Borris-Ileigh Co .Tipperary were proclaimed winners, the blue and gold was unfurled as players, mentors and families went wild with excitement.

Liam Ó Néill, Uachtarán CLG presented All Ireland medals to Kate Delaney, Orla Ryan, Ciara Ryan, James Ryan, Nicky Cooney, Luke Cooney, Ewan Younge and Aaron Rabbitte and also presented the Perpetual Cup to a proud Orla Ryan -daughter of the author of the drama and mentor to the group, a very proud Kay Ryan.

The strains of Sliabh na mBan lingered long into the evening as the realisation of All Ireland Victory dawned. The wonderful Borris-Ileigh Scór committee organised a lovely Homecoming on Sunday evening which saw family, friends and Scór supporters from far and wide come to congratulate and celebrate with na Buaiteoirí óga arís. Tá an Craobh thar nais arís sa chontae.

SCÓR NA BPÁISTÍ

All roads lead to Cashel on Sunday March 9th for the County Scór na bPáistí Final. Go néirí go geal le na páistí go léir agus tá súil againn go mbeidh an-lá ag na hiomaitheoirí uile. Comhghairdeas libh and well done.

SCÓR SINSEAR

The County Scór Sinsear Final is due to take place on Saturday March 15th in Holycross at 7:45pm. Note that the finals scheduled for Borrisoleigh and Clonmore this weekend have been cancelled.

TIPP GAA MONTHLY DRAW

The March draw in the Tipperary GAA Members Draw will take place on Friday next March 7th in Brosnan’s Lounge Cashel at 10:00pm. Tune in to Tipp FM from 10:45pm for the results of the top ten prizes.

CLUB OFFICERS INFORMATION NIGHT

Thanks to the clubs who attended the Club Officers Information Night on Wednesday last.

MUNSTER GAA POST PRIMARY SCHOOLS

Colaiste Phobal Roscrea will play Cashel Community School in the Munster GAA Post Primary Schools Senior B Hurling Final on Saturday March 8th at 1:00pm in Templemore.

REFEREES

All referees in the county are reminded that a fitness and rules test will take place on this Friday March 7th from 7:30pm in The Dome Thurles. If anyone is interested in becoming a referee assessor, they should contact John Lonergan (Secretary of the Tipperary Referees committee) at johnmlonergan@gmail.com or 086-2417763.

FITZGIBBON CUP

Congratulations to the Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) who won the Fitzgibbon Cup for the ninth time following a 1-17 to 1-12 victory over the Cork Institute of Technology (CIT) in Saturday’s final played at Queen’s University Belfast. In the semi-finals played on Friday, WIT defeated the Limerick Institute of Technology (LIT) by 2-21 to 3-17 after extra time while CIT defeated University College Cork (UCC) by 1-17 to 0-19.

Given the participation of four Munster colleges, there was a significant Tipperary involvement over the weekend. Colm Bonnar (Cashel King Cormacs) managed the winning WIT team which included Tomas Hamill (Killea) and Joe O’Dwyer (Killenaule) in the half-back line and Liam McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) lined out at corner-forward, scoring a point in the final. On the losing CIT side, John O’Dwyer (Killenaule) was their scorer in chief, getting 11 points in the semi-final and 5 points in the final. Conor Hammersley (Clonoulty-Rossmore) lined out at wing-forward for CIT, scoring two points in the final while David Corbett (Thurles Sarsfields) made a substitute appearance.

On the losing semi-finalists teams, LIT included Martin Minehan (Kildangan), Philip Ivors (Ballingarry) and Mark Gennery (Portroe) in their starting line-up versus WIT while Stephen Maher (Thurles Sarsfields), Dan McCormack (Borris-Ileigh) and James Barry (Upperchurch-Drombane, Captain) all started for UCC in their one point defeat by CIT.

TIPPERARY GAA SCENE

If you wish to include any item of interest in future articles of the Tipperary GAA Scene, please contact the acting County Public Relations Officer Ed Donnelly at pro.tipperary@gaa.ie on or before 3pm on Monday. Visit the Tipperary GAA web site at www.tipperary.gaa.ie keep up to date with all the latest news in Tipperary GAA circles.