Cashel Community School claim first ever Dr Harty Cup final place after last gasp winner

TUS Dr Harty Cup U19A Semi Final

Cashel Community School 1-12

Ardscoil Rís 0-14

Cashel Community School are through to their first ever Dr Harty Cup final after a last gasp Adam Daly point in the last throes of second half stoppage time sent the Tipperary school past Ardscoil Rís in the first semi-final in Kilmallock earlier this afternoon.

With the tension palpable in the Limerick venue in the third minute of stoppage time, all eyes were on referee Cathal McAllister has he threw in a throw ball on the Ardscoil Rís 21 yard line and with some 20 plus bodies around the ball, it somehow came to Adam Daly who stepped out of traffic to bury the winning point from an angle and send Cashel players, management and supporters wild.

Both teams produced a really close and nervy contest with there very rarely being more than one score between the teams, but it was David McGrath’s goal at the start of the second half that proved crucial as it gave Cashel a scoring cushion that helped them withstand a very strong third quarter from Ardscoil Rís who threw everything at their opponents.

An incredibly strong defensive performance from Cashel was hugely important for Cashel, with Dylan Fogarty, Jack Quinlan, Ger O’Dwyer, and Ciaran Byrne in particular proving to be excellent in an overall outstanding performance from the defensive unit.

It has to be said that every player in blue and gold gave it their all on the day, and despite the dry weather in Kilmallock, the heavy underfoot conditions made the game very scrappy for large spells but the teams produced brilliant hurling considering and enthralled the spectators present.

Ardscoil Rís got the games scoring underway after four minutes from a Marc O’Brien point but it was clear that Cashel were mentally prepared for this game from the early exchanges and had equalised two minutes later thanks to a well take Ben Currivan point after being set up by Eanna Ormond.

The scrappy conditions began to tell early doors though, with some hard hitting and over zealous tackling leading the sides trading four pointed frees up to the 15th minute with Ronan Connolly looking accurate along with Fintan Fitzgerald for Ardscoil which had the game even at 0-3 apiece.

Connolly pointed again soon after to put Cashel ahead and they extended that to two points a minute later with Adam Daly - operating as a third midfielder - found his range after a clever hand pass from Currivan.

Michael Gavin hit his first of the day for Ardscoil soon after but Cashel were looking to more fluid team and were winning the exchanges now to extend their lead out to three points with David McGrath running off the shoulder beautifully to receive a hand pass from Currivan and point; Adam Daly finding his second in the 21st minute on the run to give Cashel a 0-7 to 0-4 lead.

Both teams were creating the chances but Cashel were proving far more economical with their chances as Ardscoil were hitting some poor wides in the next few minutes, but a quickfire brace from the pacey Michael Collins had them back to within a point going into added time, but Cashel pushed out their lead to two points before the break with Daly proving very elusive for Cashel to bag his third. 0-8 to 0-6 at half time to Cashel.

Whatever breeze that was present in Kilmallock aided Cashel in the first half, and despite Ardscoil coming out of the traps quickly at the start of the second half through a Marc O’Brien point, Cashel found a big score in response in the 38th minute.

Ben Currivan was the provider rather than the finisher in this match, and his clever play set up the biggest score of the game; latching onto a looping ball before showing real composure to find David McGrath running through the centre of the Ardscoil defence and the Cashel man ran through and rifled a left sided strike to the back of the net to give the Tipp school a 1-8 to 0-7 lead.

With goal chances few and far between, that felt at the time like it could prove to be a huge score but Cashel retreated into their shell in the ten minute as Ardscoil began to turn the screw, hitting the next four points in a row from Fintan Fitzgerald (two frees), and James Finn levelled the game by the 50th minute as we looked set for a tight finish.

Cashel dug in though and managed to manufacture a close range free for Ronan Connolly to convert from close range in the 52nd minute, but it was the Limerick school who had momentum, but they were letting Cashel off the hook with some poor shooting as the players began to look tense with so much on the line.

Fintan Fitzgerald equalised again in the 55th minute but it was Ronan Connolly again who was stepping up for Cashel when needed, pointing an unbelievable free from half way near the sideline against a sturdy breeze to give Cashel the lead back.

The tension was unbelievable now as both teams fought tooth and nail to pull away, but Ardscoil are not All Ireland champions for nothing and the sides were level after a fantastic score from John O’Keeffe on the run; but Cashel always managed to find a riposte, this time from their own cornerback Ciaran Byrne who lashed over a brilliant effort after a big run from defence to put Cashel ahead with one minute of normal time remaining.

Cashel led 1-11 to 0-13 points but in their eagerness to win a fifty-fifty ball two minutes later, Fintan Fitzgerald was gifted a shot at the posts from a close range free as the game was tied up for the seventh time in the game, and it was all on the line with a minute to play.

And Cashel found the big moment with time just up, with Adam Daly of Knockavilla Kickhams somehow digging the ball out of an ocean of bodies to peel away and put over his fourth point of the day as the full time whistle sounded from the resulting puckout with Cashel creating history.

Scorers: Cashel Community School: Ronan Connolly 0-5f, Adam Daly 0-4, David McGrath 1-1, Ben Currivan, Ciaran Byrne 0-1 each.

Ardscoil Rís: Fintan Fitzgerald 0-6f, Michael Collins, Michael Gavin Marc O’Brien 0-2 each, James Finn, John O’Keeffe 0-1 each.

Cashel Community School: Tommy Breen (Boherlahan Dualla); Cian Ryan (Golden Kilfeacle), Jack Quinlan (Fethard), Ciaran Byrne (Golden Kilfeacle); Darragh Spillane (Fethard), Ger O’Dwyer, Dylan Fogarty (Boherlahan Dualla); Ronan Connolly (Cashel King Cormacs), Shane Buckley (Knockavilla Kickhams); Eanna Ormond (Golden Kilfeacle), Ben Currivan (Golden Kilfeacle), Oisin O’Donoghue (Cashel King Cormacs); David McGrath (Cashel King Cormacs), Ross Darcy (Boherlahan Dualla), Adam Daly (Knockavilla Kickhams).

Subs: Fabian Ryan (Cashel King Cormacs) for Darcy (HT); Padraig Dalton (Golden Kilfeacle) for Ormond (47); Anthony Walsh (Cashel King Cormacs) for Fogarty (56); 

Ardscoil Rís: Eoin Deegan (Cratloe); John O’Keeffe (Na Piarsaigh), Sean McMahon (Smith O’Briens), Sean Morrissey (Dromin Athlacca Banogue); Jamie Moylan (Cratloe), Cian Scully (Dromin Athlacca Banogue), James Finn (Na Piarsaigh); MIchael Gavin (Ballybrown), Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara); Shane Gleeson (Adare), Fintan Fitzgerald (Mungret St Pauls), Matthew O’Halloran (Sixmilebridge); Michael Collins (Clonlara), Daire Neville (Cratloe), Marc O’Brien (Cratloe).

Subs: Sam Hickey (Adare) for Neville (34); Daniel Scully (Dromin Athlacca Banogue) for O’Halloran (39); Eoin Begley (Clonlara) for O’Brien (55); Jim Beary (Na Piarsaigh) for Gleeson (55).

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)