REPORT: Hardy Thurles CBS show true grit to qualify for first Croke Cup final in a decade

Masita All-Ireland PPS Hurling Croke Cup Semi-Final

Thurles CBS 0-21

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair 0-17

Thurles CBS withstood a stern challenge from Connacht runner-ups Colaiste Bhaile Chlair of Galway in the Croke Cup semi-final in Banagher on Saturday afternoon and in doing so, qualified for a first All-Ireland schools decider since 2015.

Played on a heavy autumn pitch in St Rynagh’s GAA club, the game was a scrappy and physical contest and the Galway school made life incredibly difficult for the favourites on the day, but eventually, Thurles slowly wore down their opponents in the working stakes. Their class shone late on to get the scores necessary to get a deserved win.

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair were clearly still riding the crest of a wave built up from their immense performance in the quarter-final - beating Kilkenny CBS - and they came to play from the throw-in as the first half was an evenly fought contest.

Both sides were guilty of some awful shooting at times, particularly Thurles, who finished the first half with a whopping 12 wides coming just ahead of their opponents with eight. The sides went in at the interval 0-9 each.

However, Thurles came out a different team after the break and went on to take control of the contest as they slowly found the scores to stride away from the Galway team, especially in the final quarter where they outscored their opponents by 0-9 to 0-6 to take the contest away from Claregalway and win the day.

More to follow………

Scorers: Thurles CBS: Cormac Fitzpatrick (0-7, 0-3f, 0-1 65), Robbie Ryan, Jack Hayes all 0-3 each, Ryne Bargary, Tiarnán Ryan 0-2 each, Euan Murray, Cillian Minogue, Kieran Rossiter, Toby Corbett all 0-1 each.

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair: Eoin Collins (0-7, 0-5f), Cormac Feeney, Jack Kelly 0-2 each, Sean Moran 0-2f, Ronan Duggan, Gearoid King, Ben Morley, Dylan Casserly all 0-1 each..

Thurles CBS: Harry Loughnane (Roscrea); Toby Corbett (Upperchurch Drombane), Evan Morris (Holycross Ballycahill), Jack Lahart (Holycross Ballycahill); Killian Cantwell (Moycarkey Borris), Keith Loughnane (Thurles Sarsfields), Ryne Bargary (Boherlahan Dualla); Euan Murray (Durlas Óg), Kieran Rossiter (Durlas Óg); Tiarnán Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), David Costigan (Moycarkey Borris), Cormac Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch); Jack Hayes (Moycarkey Borris), Cillian Minogue (Thurles Sarsfields), Robbie Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill).

Subs used: James Butler (Sean Treacys) for Minogue (51); Leelan Donoghue (Thurles Sarsfields) for Corbett (57).

Colaiste Bhaile Chlair: Mark Walsh (Carnmore); Cormac Gillespie (Carnmore), Daniel Hughes (Turloughmore), Dylan O’Connor (Carnmore); Matthew Collins (Turloughmore), Sean Moran (Castlegar), Dylan Casser (Carnmore); Gearoid King (Castlegar), Ben Morley (Carnmore); Jack Kelly (Turloughmore), Eoin Collins (Carnmore), Ronan Duggan (Turloughmore); Cormac Feeney (Carnmore), Patrick O’Kane (Turloughmore), Daniel Fitzmaurice (Turloughmore).

Subs used: Ciaran Collins (Carnmore) for O’Kane (58); Éanna Flaherty (Carnmore) for Fitzmaurice (58).

Referee: Eamonn Furlong (Wexford)