The draw for the second round of the 2013 county senior hurling championship took place on Sunday evening and pits Nenagh Éire Óg against south Tipperary’s Mullinahone. Fixture details TBC.
County Senior Hurling Championship
Nenagh Éire Óg 0-15 Thurles Sarsfields 0-12
Éire Óg recorded a stirring win over Thurles Sarsfields – the defending county and provincial champions – at a soaking wet The Ragg in the opening round of the county senior hurling championship this evening. Indeed, a hard-working Éire Óg were superb value for this three-point win.
The game began at a frantic pace with Thurles’ Lar Corbett and Éire Óg’s Billy Heffernan shown straight red cards as early as the fourth minute. Thurles took the lead thanks to a Pa Bourke free, but Éire Óg hit back with two Tommy Heffernan points to lead 0-2 to 0-1 after eleven minutes.
Two Pa Bourke efforts (one free) and a Seánie Geaney point saw the sides locked at 0-3 apiece by the 18th minute. Stephen Cahill then gave Thurles the lead, but Éire Óg responded with a Kevin Tucker ’65 before Killian Gleeson handed the Blues a 0-5 to 0-4 advantage in the 23rd minute.
A Kevin Tucker ’65 added to the Éire Óg tally, but to their credit Thurles Sarsfields finished out the half strongly with points from Stephen Cahill and Pa Bourke retiring the sides at six points apiece.
Having played with the wind in the opening half Éire Óg were a little disappointed not to enjoy an interval lead. Three times Éire Óg had created goal-scoring opportunities, but Thurles ‘keeper Paddy McCormack denied Paddy Murphy (twice) and Seánie Geaney with a series of superb saves.
Éire Óg began the second half in positive fashion with points from Kevin Tucker (one free, one point) and Paddy Murphy helping the Blues into a 0-9 to 0-6 lead by the 34th minute.
Michael O’Brien and Paddy Murphy then traded points before a Pa Bourke brace (one free) left one between them – 0-10 to 0-9.
A Kevin Tucker free in the 43rd minute settled Éire Óg, but Thurles responded with a Pa Bourke free to leave one between them with twelve minutes to play.
Éire Óg then upped their performance level considerably with points from Kevin Tucker (two frees) and Tommy Heffernan (two) forcing the Blues five points clear (0-15 to 0-10) in a stunning six-minute spell. Thurles did manage two late points, but the Éire Óg defence was in no mood to concede a goal which could have rescued the game from a Sarsfields point of view.
The draw for the second round of the county senior hurling championship took place on Sunday evening and pits Éire Óg against Mullinahone. Fixture details to be confirmed. The full draw for the second round of the county senior hurling championship is: Nenagh Éire Óg v Mullinahone, Roscrea v Knockavilla Kickhams, Burgess or Carrick Davins v Cappawhite, Moycarkey-Borris v Portroe, Upperchurch-Drombane v Holycross-Ballycahill, Toomevara v Kilruane MacDonagh’s, Templederry Kenyons v Ballingarry & Borris-Ileigh v JK Bracken’s.
Nenagh Éire Óg: Michael McNamara, Mark Flannery, Noel Maloney, John Brennan, Daire Quinn, Hugh Maloney, Billy Heffernan, Barry Heffernan, Kevin Tucker (0-7, 0-4 frees, 0-2 ’65s), Seánie Geaney (0-1), Michael Heffernan, Tommy Heffernan (0-4), Killian Gleeson (0-1), Paddy Murphy (0-2), Brian Quinn. Subs: (56th) Donnacha Quinn for Mark Flannery.
Referee: Fergal Horgan (Knockavilla Kickhams).
