Four red cards issued as Cashel dig out priceless opening round win over Moyne Templetuohy

FBD Insurance Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship - Group 1 - Round 1

Cashel King Cormacs 1-13

Moyne Templetuohy 0-13

A red mist descended upon Holycross during Cashel King Cormacs’ first-round victory over Moyne Templetuohy in the last game of a busy opening weekend of club hurling action, as the winners finished the game with 12 men.

Moyle Rovers referee Keith Delahunty was a busy man throughout the game and, in total, four red cards were issued over the course of the game with three of those coming for Cashel while Moyne had one of their own, in a game that will be remembered for some ill-tempered flare-ups rather than quality hurling from the teams with Devon Ryan, Dan Moloney, and Nathan Ryan getting the line for Cashel, as well as Tom Meade for Moyne Templetuohy.

Despite playing some over 20 minutes with 12 players and a two-man disadvantage though, the remaining men in red jerseys worked their socks off, and wouldn’t be denied victory as a desperately poor Moyne Templetuohy looked clueless with the extra players, and hit a huge total of 17 wides during the game.

Like a lot of the games over the weekend, the continued shocking weather had a big bearing on the quality of fare produced in Holycross, and both teams really struggled early on with the slick and slippery conditions, but it was Cashel who looked a little more composed in the opening quarter, as they hit the first four scores of the game up to the 11th minute through three Devon Ryan efforts (two frees) and a first for Ger Browne.

Moyne, minus the services of Gearoid O’Connor, looked very listless in the attacking half of their play and would have to wait until the 14th minute for their first score which came from a Jack Taylor free.

Taylor added his second a few minutes later after a good, strong run from Conor Bowe set him up for a score from play, but that opportunity was a flash in the pan as Cashel were a bit more incisive when given a sight at goal, as Ronan Connolly hit his first of the day in the 18th minute to give the King Cormacs a 0-6 to 0-2 lead.

Cashel had the aid of the stiff breeze in the first half, but things took a turn on Moyne’s favour in the 23rd minute, when Devon Ryan was given his marching orders for an off-the-ball incident which swung some momentum towards the mid men, but there was noticeable malice in the exchanges no between the teams, and it came to a head again in the 32nd minute when Dan Moloney and Tom Meade both got the line after clashing off the ball in a moment of madness from the pair as the game looked like descending into farce at an early stage.

Once the hurling became the focus again soon after, Moyne had the gap down to two points going into added time; again it was a brace of Jack Taylor frees supplied as the red of extra time continued to tick down.

However, despite those sendings off, Cashel didn’t lose their focus and finished the half strongly with the final two points of the half being added to their tally, as an impressive strike from Cathal Quinn and an Eoghan Connolly pointed free from an acute angle had the town team in front 0-9 to 0-5 at the break.

The first half was far from a classic, and in all honesty, Moyne will have been delighted to be only four points adrift with the aid of the breeze and extra player to come in the second half, and they started the second 30 off strongly by hitting three points in a row from Conor Bowe, Ciaran Lloyd and a second from play for Jack Taylor within five minutes to slash Cashel’s advantage.

Ronan Connolly picked off a second point for himself three minutes later to make it a two-point game again, but in the build-up to that score, Cashel full-back Nathan Ryan saw red for stamping on Moyne’s Pierce Meade after a scuffle between the pair on the ground, as the referee surely had a pain in his fingers from dredging out his cards with Ryan getting his marching orders. Cashel now down to 12 with over 20 minutes to be played.

Strangely though, the Cashel effort skyrocketed in the final quarter of the match, holding up well defensively. When Eoghan Connolly pointed a free in the 44th minute, the town team got a major boost when Cathal Quinn was picked out beautifully with a cross-field ball by Ger Browne and the Tipp U20 steamed in on goal and blasted the ball past the helpless Paul Maher to make it a 1-11 to 0-8 lead with 15 to go.

Despite the two-player advantage, Moyne were using the possession so poorly and looked as if they were the ones struggling now, but their efforts did keep them in touch as the Cashel defence were forced into fouls on occasion which coughed up Jack Taylor points from placed balls; three in a row coming from his stick as the gap was cut to three points with five minutes remaining.

That was as close as Moyne would come though as the Cashel defence held up extremely well, even with the presence of Conor Bowe inside for the final ten minutes, as Cathal Quinn and Ger Browne hit well-taken points, and even though Sean Hayes and Jack Taylor (free) had it back to three points with time remaining, the mid men couldn’t conjure up a goal chance as Cashel dug out a vital victory against the odds in Holycross.

Cashel King Cormacs: Aaron Browne; Paraic Brosnan, Nathan Ryan, Ciaran Quinn; Daniel Moloney, Eoghan Connolly (0-3f), Ronan Connolly (0-2); Ger Browne (0-2), Cathal Quinn (1-2); James Cummins, Conn Bonnar (0-1), Ross Bonnar; Anthony Walsh, Paddy Fahy, Devon Ryan (0-3f).

Subs used: Jonathan Walsh for A Walsh (33); Simon Delaney for C Bonnar (42); Jack O’Connor for G Browne (62).

Moyne Templetuohy: Paul Maher; Kieran Larkin, Eoin Gorman, Tommy Hassett; Tossy Hamill, Conor Bowe, Ciaran Lloyd; Shane Lowe, John Coughlan; Tom Meade, Jack Taylor (0-9, 0-7f), Éanna Guilfoyle; Ben Ryan, Pierce Meade, Diarmuid Fogarty (0-1).

Subs used: Sean Hayes for Ryan (HT).

Referee: Keith Delahunty (Moyle Rovers)