There’s a Biblical psalm that, I think, goes something like ‘He lifted me out of the slimy pit, out of the mud and mire’. It might have been the Ragg on Sunday last. There was certainly plenty of mud and mire about, though as for the uplifting part I think the Good Lord took a Sabbatical break.
There’s no blame attached to the players though. Conditions were atrocious for this Bicentennial exhibition between the CBS All Stars and a county selection. A slimy pitch that cut up badly, plus the intermittent rain, ensured that this was a slobbery affair for an attendance that pretty much filled the covered accommodation.
It was a day when Thurles CBS showed off its rich heritage and celebrated a landmark date. How poignant that it coincided with the passing of Billy Quinn, a former Harty winner with the school and double All Ireland minor medalist with Tipperary.
Ger Corbett produced an excellent seventy-two page souvenir programme for the day, one which will be rated a valuable collectors’ item. In a section headed those-were-the-days Billy Quinn reminisced about his Harty memories. He focused on two sporting injustices that offered some sort of balance. The first was in 1949 when Billy was a spectator as his school played St. Flannan’s in the Harty. Flannan’s had been the school’s bogey team but this time Thurles led by two points nearing the end.
Then it happened. A Flannan’s linesman gave a disputed call to his own team and when the ball dropped into the goal area it ended in the net, depriving the CBS of what would have been a famous win. There was revenge, however, a year later, according to Billy. This time the Rahealty native was in goal for the CBS and they played Flannan’s at Nenagh. Thurles got a ‘21’ and in the kerfuffle that followed the referee mistakenly placed the ball on the fourteen-yard line. Before anyone could notice Larry McDonnell stitched it to the net and Thurles went on to win and subsequently claim the Harty with a victory over Midleton. We’ll have to take the word of Niall Quinn’s dad on that one. May he rest in peace.
As for Sunday’s game it was something of a novelty act and in the conditions was never going to be pretty. Nonetheless there were plenty of players on duty who are anxious to draw notice and in fairness there was lots of effort – even a few heavy hits such as the haymaker by Micheal Butler on Adrian Ryan as he careered in on goal.
Tipp had the better of it against the makeshift CBS amalgam, which featured a Kilkenny man at either end. P.J. Ryan has lost none of his goalie’s alertness as he kept out a John McGrath effort in the first half while Aidan Fogarty got the only green flag of the day at the other end.
Enda McEvoy has a neat piece in the programme about the Emeralds man, Fogarty, and just look at the action shots that accompany the article. In one of them Fogarty has the hurley gripped with the right hand half way down the handle, sliotar in the other fist, as he surveys options. The second photo is no more elegant. This time it looks like a golfer’s grip on the hurley as he strikes. It’s not pretty but it’s sure effective – a victory for substance over style and typical of Cody’s preference.
Sunday’s goal was in the mould. Pa Bourke’s free failed to gain elevation but as it came to Fogarty waist-high he somehow swiveled the stick at it and the ball flew past a helpless Darragh Mooney. The cheer of the day fell to ‘Redser’ O’Grady. A few fluffed attempts to lift the ball drew some giggles from the crowd, but then ‘Redser’ had his moment: a dummy, a body-swerve and a flashing point from about sixty-five metres out. The gesture to the crowd said it all. ‘Redser’ was back.
From Michael Ryan’s perspective it was a match that gave his extended panel more game time. You won’t get definitive judgments from these affairs though little items will be noticed. Darragh Mooney has definitely put himself into the mix; another fine first half save, this time from Denis Maher. Conor Kenny again showed form. His five points from play was quite a haul in the conditions and won him the man-of-the-match prize. Adrian Ryan wasn’t far behind with four scores.
The manager, I’m sure, will be watching for attitude more than anything else on these days and there was plenty of that on show. It was good to see John Meagher come through another game unscathed; Seamus Kennedy looked busy on his first outing; Bill Maher likewise got through a deal of work.
Good too to see some of the regulars return. Noel McGrath was back in harness and looking keen. ‘Bonner’ and Paudie Maher had quite a set-to for a spell, neither being shy on the dropping ball. Brendan Maher looked hungry too after his time bowling down under.
It’s interesting to see that Michael Breen had his second day on the full back line beside Joe O’Dwyer, which perhaps reflects the management’s assessment of positioning at this early stage of the season.
Anyway there’s another chance to see these players, and others, in action next Sunday when the team faces Mary Immaculate College at Boherlahan. It’s a fund raiser for Little Flower primary school in Ballytarsna. Hopefully the weather will oblige.
Meanwhile our much-delayed U21 championship is finally set for a conclusion. It’s been, frankly, an embarrassment at this stage. You can blame the weather as much as you like but this comes down to poor administration. It’s time perhaps to take this grade away from the divisions and play it off early in the year as an all-county, knock-out championship. Let the divisions run their own version then whenever suits them. Since the four divisions haven’t been able to manage this grade it’s surely time to relieve them of the job entirely.
The Cappawhite/Sean Treacys combination – or should it be Treacys/Cappawhite? – raised more than a few eyebrows at the weekend when ditching Clonoulty in the West decider and then the following day sending the Swans flying. Their West win wasn’t generally expected especially since the delay had cost them the services of Russell Quirke who’s gone Stateside. Yet, through honest and hard endeavour, I’m told, they added to Clonoulty’s ongoing misery. Perhaps they were more battle hardened then than the Swans who had a long wait for this one.
They now play Sarsfields in a final where they’ll face a really tough one. I was in Dolla on Saturday for Sarsfields’ galloping win over Nenagh Eire Og. This was expected to be a cracker between the champions of Mid and North. It wasn’t. Instead Sarsfields put on a master class and Nenagh just couldn’t cope.
This was as good an U21 exhibition as I can recall. I watched Sarsfields in the warm-up and they looked really revved up for the job, urging each other on as they trotted back to the dressing rooms. I think they expected a really tough test from Nenagh and were ready for it.
In fairness to the Northerners they were without a few key players such as Shane Hennessy, Killian Gleeson and Gary Howard. They probably wouldn’t have changed the outcome but they might have made it a more gripping contest.
You expect pure hurling when these clubs meet and there was a stamp of class on much of the play here. Sarsfields especially were crisp and incisive with key men controlling up the middle. Jack Derby was powerful at full back while Ronan Maher was the controller-in-chief at number six, reading, covering, clearing endlessly. The flankers too were on top of their game and then you have a senior midfield for Sarsfields in Stephen Cahill and Billy McCarthy, the latter getting the better of Barry Heffernan, I thought. Up front you had another senior in Conor Lanigan – some of his scores drew gasps from the followers. Dylan Bourke too hit some quality points; Pa Phelan and Seanie Butler were other stars.
It all sounds bleak for the West combo, doesn’t it? Maybe if Sarsfields believe the hype and if the weather turns it into a dogfight then perhaps there’s hope for the dogged Westerners. Perhaps. On known form, though, nobody will expect anything other than another Sarsfields title.
P.S. A date for the diary. Thursday week, January 28, sees the Tipperary Supporters Club launch their 2016 membership at the Horse and Jockey Hotel. Hurling managers, Michael Ryan, Liam Cahill and Willie Maher will attend. All are welcome for what hopefully will launch a cheer-filled year.
