St Flannans exited the Harty Cup on Wednesday in Meelick - The 'Bridge were represented by Fiachra O'Braoin at Full back and Vice Captain.
Ard Scoil advanced in their 1/4 Final with Matthew O'Halloran at midfield and Daniel Chaplin hitting 6 frees from corner forward.
It sends Ardscoil through to a semi-final tussle against last year’s runners-up Thurles CBS. Well done to the Ard Scoil Fans who also won the day as 10 bus loads left the school and created an electric atmosphere at the game as seen here - like the old days of Harty cup hurling.
Thurles CBS 2-21 St Flannans 1-17
Source: Christy O Connor - Irish Examiner
Before a ball was pucked, everything looked set up for everything this match potentially could be.
Beautiful January sunshine. A pitch in good condition. A big crowd. A stand packed with hordes of students from both schools. A Tipperary school crossing into Clare to take on St Flannan’s. Anticipation. Energy. Excitement. And then the match was anything but what everyone expected it might be.
Most of that had everything to do with what Thurles did and what Flannan’s didn’t. Thurles were business-like, slick, efficient and highly impressive, bossing a Flannan’s team that was flat and devoid of energy, bringing none of the physicality, aggression and intensity that they needed to take down a team of Thurles’ quality.
In so many ways, this was almost the antithesis of what a big Harty occasion should be. Too much loose hurling. Very little big body hits. No atmosphere. No noise. The Thurles supporters had plenty more to shout about but the overall silence in the stand was largely a metaphor for the event.
That has nothing to do with Thurles who let their hurling do all the roaring and shouting. Flannan’s may have had more high-profile names from last year’s All-Ireland minor winning side but Thurles played with far more panache, class and cohesion and had all the standout performers, one of whom, Euan Murray, underlined again why there has already been so much talk about the 15-year old prodigy from Durlas Óg.
Flannan’s did put on a charge at the outset of the third quarter, but a goal from the excellent Cormac Fitzpatrick in the 37th minute extinguished that flicker of hope that the game might ignite into some kind of a flame to warm the place up more than the winter sunshine.
Flannan’s did keep the scoreboard moving but it was never enough to dilute the sense of inevitability about the outcome which set in from the first quarter. Flannan’s’ last ten scores all came from Tadgh Boddy. His last six were from placed balls but Boddy was still one of the few Flannan’s players that tried to get something going.
Although this is still a relatively young Thurles team, they were the physically stronger outfit but everything about them from the first ball was more dynamic and loaded with intent. The ball was sticking far more in their attack than in Flannan’s final third.
Thurles had seven more shots than their opponents in the first quarter and Flannan’s had to rely on a sensational solo-goal from Luca Cleary to keep them in touch at the end of that period.
Flannan’s were fighting fires everywhere, constantly reconfiguring their defence to try and plug holes and gaping gaps in front of goal. Their half-back line was being dragged all over the place, which was even more damaging considering the firepower Thurles had all over their forward line.
Five of Thurles’ six forwards had scored from play by the 16th minute, but some of their early profligacy was gradually being ironed out into a more silken conversion rate, with Thurles nailing eight out of nine chances in that second quarter. The impressive Robbie Ryan ended with 0-4 from play in that opening half.
Thurles led by five at the break, 0-13 to 1-5, but they had almost double the amount of shots (20-11) in that period. Flannan’s did get five of the first seven scores of the second half but Fitzpatrick’s goal sucked the energy from that charge.
The match just played out to the anticipated low soundtrack in the background. Thurles did what they had to do to stall Flannan’s generating any momentum and, while Boddy kept slotting frees, Thurles still never felt the Ennis school’s hot breath on their neck.
When Flannan’s got the margin back to four in the 60th minute, Thurles just applied another rapier thrust to their gut with a fine goal from David Costigan.
Game over. Job done. Impressively so by Thurles. And even more satisfying again when beating Flannan’s at a Clare venue.
Scorers for CBS Thurles: C Fitzpatrick (1-10, 6fs, 1 ’65); R Ryan (0-5); D Costigan (1-1); J Hayes (0-2), E Murray, B Flanagan, D Kelly 0-1 each.
Scorers for St Flannan’s: T Boddy 0-14, (10fs, 1 ’65), L Cleary 1-0, R Kilroy, F Hegarty and H Doherty (0-1 each).
CBS Thurles: H Loughnane (Roscrea); P Noonan (Thurles Sarsfields), E Morris (Holycross Ballycahill), J Lahart (Holycross-Ballycahill); K Loughnane (Durlas Óg), P O'Dwyer (Killenaule), E O'Dwyer (Boherlahan Dulla); E Murray (Durlas Óg), J Doyle (Holycross Ballycahill); D Costigan (Moycarkey Borris); R Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), B Flanagan (Moycarkey Borris); C Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch), D Kelly (Eire Óg Annacarty), J Hayes (Moycarkey Borris).
Subs: R Bargary (Boherlahan Dualla) for Flanangan (42); T Corbett (Upperchurch Drombane) for O’Dwyer (46); D Carr (Sean Treacy’s) for Cositgan (60); K Purcell (Thurles Sarsfields) for Lahart (60).
ST FLANNAN’S: C Howard (Éire Óg Ennis); I Williams (St Joseph's Doora-Barefield), F Ó Braoin (Sixmilebridge), P Nagle (St Joseph's Doora-Barefield); E Price (Clarecastle), F Meaney (St Joseph's Doora-Barefield, capt), J Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona); J Casey (Kilmaley), J Mescall (Inagh-Kilnamona), T Boddy (Bruff), F Hegarty (Inagh-Kilnamona), R Kilroy (The Banner); K McDonnell (Ballyea), L Cleary (Éire Óg Ennis), H Doherty (Clarecastle).
Subs: M Cleary (Éire Óg Ennis) for McDonnell (ht), R Loftus (Éire Óg Ennis) for F Hegarty (55).
Referee: J O’Halloran (Limerick).
Ardscoil Rís 0-17 John the Baptist CS 0-13
Source: Stephen Barry - Irish Examiner
Ardscoil Rís may have been raging hot favourites coming into this Harty Cup quarter-final but John the Baptist CS provided a stern test of their mettle before advancing.
The 2022 All-Ireland champions still led from pillar to post in this all-Limerick clash at Kilmallock, although that lead looked to be slipping away when reduced to one with eight minutes remaining.
Ardscoil, however, had some cards to play off their bench even with Clonlara star Diarmuid Stritch ruled out through injury.
Eoin Carey slotted a nerve-settler before Limerick U20 Fintan Fitzgerald stepped up with a closing brace, pointing to the crowd in celebration after he pushed the gap out to three.
It sends Ardscoil through to a titanic semi-final tussle against last year’s runners-up Thurles CBS.
They entered this contest having dispatched their group-stage opponents by an average margin of nine points but the Hospital school were battle-hardened having come through a preliminary quarter-final on their return to Harty hurling.
Top-scoring midfielder Owen Meany filled a deep-lying role to shield his defence and they had some success in restricting Ardscoil’s starting inside line to one point from play.
The Bruff prospect also started attacks when John the Baptist went short from their restarts but Ardscoil’s smart passing play, mirroring the Limerick seniors’ style, was able to isolate wing-forwards Michael Collins and Marc O’Brien for 0-3 apiece.
They were among eight All-Ireland minor champions from Clare who saw action and Collins’ form forced John the Baptist to deploy three different markers on him across the hour.
His three-point contribution came in the opening 13 minutes including a stylish opening brace from along the frozen sideline shaded by the Fitzgerald Park stand.
Hugh Flanagan opened John the Baptist’s account and Diarmaid Hurley brilliantly blocked down an Ardscoil clearance, controlled it, and pointed in one flowing sequence.
In between, Daniel Chaplin converted his first of four first-half frees before a three-point run by James Finn, storming up from half-back, Collins reading an opposition puck-out, and another Chaplin free.
Still, Seán Casey and Barry Callinan were dishing out some big hits to stem the flow while Michael Leo and Shane Treacy were having plenty of success in their defensive duels. Griffin McCaffrey was a livewire at midfield and he won a free for Meany to do the rest.
Goalkeeper Fionn O’Brien’s accurate distribution found Marc O’Brien for his opener and Collins drew back-to-back frees for Chaplin to dispatch.
Eoin Begley split the posts from the most acute of angles but John the Baptist were also finding their groove, with two points from Flanagan and a final Meany free leaving it at 0-10 to 0-6 at midway.
They evenly shared eight points in the third quarter. Callinan was coming into the game for the underdogs and he won a free for Meany before teeing up McCaffrey, who was pushing further forward and twirled away from a tackler to score.
O’Brien had the first four shots of the half for Ardscoil, resulting in two white flags, the latter after a smart catch in a crowded area and manufacturing the room to swing the hurley.
They could’ve killed off the game at that juncture when Fitzgerald released Riain McNamara in on goal but his batted effort was saved by Lorcan Costelloe.
Chaplin nailed the 65 and another free but their shooting was otherwise becoming pock-marked by wides.
The final wide count read 14-6, with Ardscoil’s 17 points mined from 33 shots (a conversion rate of just over half), while John the Baptist’s 0-13 came from 21 shots (a 62% success rate).
John the Baptist were more efficient but they couldn’t force enough chances from open play, with just five points aside from placed balls, of which Meany added two more.
But driven on by more heroic blocks by Niall McNamara and Jack O’Neill, they clipped three points on the spin.
It was sparked by a brilliant move involving the charging Casey, substitute Niall Connaughton, and Hurley applying the finish before frees from Meany and Flanagan made it 0-14 to 0-13.
The tension was at its highest but Ardscoil would survive this gut check to rebuild a four-point lead via Carey and Fitzgerald.
Led by Seán McMahon, Jamie Moylan, and Finn, they never looked like conceding a goal. Their clean sheet held as Meany’s stoppage-time free was saved on the line before O’Neill whipped the rebound just wide.
Scorers for Ardscoil Rís: D Chaplin (0-6, 5 frees, 1 65); M Collins, M O’Brien (0-3 each); F Fitzgerald (0-2, 1 free); J Finn, E Begley, E Carey (0-1 each).
Scorers for John the Baptist CS: O Meany (0-6 frees); H Flanagan (0-4, 2 frees); D Hurley (0-2); G McCaffrey (0-1).
ARDSCOIL RÍS: F O'Brien (Bruree); J O'Keeffe (Na Piarsaigh), S McMahon (Smith O'Briens, j-capt), S Morrissey (Dromin-Athlacca); J Finn (Na Piarsaigh), J Moylan (Cratloe), D Scully (Dromin-Athlacca); R McNamara (Cratloe), M O'Halloran (Sixmilebridge); M Collins (Clonlara), F Fitzgerald (Mungret St Paul’s, j-capt), M O’Brien (Cratloe); E Begley (Clonlara), D Neville (Cratloe), D Chaplin (Sixmilebridge).
Subs: D Gleeson (Adare) for O’Keeffe (38), P Kearney (Adare) for Neville (47), E Carey (Cratloe) for Chaplin (47), S Arthur (Newmarket-on-Fergus) for M O’Brien (55).
JOHN THE BAPTIST CS: L Costelloe (Hospital-Herbertstown); N McNamara (Pallasgreen), S Treacy (Staker Wallace), M Leo (Knockainey); D Heavey (Garryspillane), S Casey (Bruff), F Leahy (Knockainey); O Meany (Bruff), G McCaffrey (Hospital-Herbertstown); S Ryan (Garryspillane), H Flanagan (Garryspillane), B Callinan (Bruff); D Hurley (Hospital-Herbertstown), C Cronin (Bruff), H Murnane (Caherline).
Subs: N Connaughton (Caherline) for Leahy (28), J O’Neill (Bruff) for Callinan (38, inj), C Murphy (Ballybricken-Bohermore) for Cronin (55, inj), A Carroll (Staker Wallace) for Meany (58, inj), Meany for Murnane (60+2, inj).
Referee: J Hayes (St Senan’s).
