Replay required as Upperchurch Drombane and Moycarkey Borris play out thrilling U17 final

Mid Tipperary U17B Hurling Championship Final

Upperchurch Drombane 1-24

Moycarkey Borris 2-21

The game of the weekend came in the first of the Mid Tipperary U17 Hurling Finals doubleheader in The Ragg last Sunday afternoon, as Upperchurch Drombane and Moycarkey Borris couldn’t be separated after over 80 minutes of hurling with a replay now required next Wednesday evening.

You couldn’t help but be impressed by the standard on show in this B decider as both teams left everything they had on the pitch over the course of the game, with the hurling ebbing and flowing throughout as the crowd present were treated to a magnificent contest in which a replay is probably a fair reflection after the final whistle.

The sides levelled the score an incredible ten times over the course of the game and it just shows how tight and evenly matched the teams were on the day as Kevin Jordan’s refereeing was faultless and contributed greatly to the quality of fare and it was evident early on that this would be a closely fought game.

Richard Ryan was almost faultless with his freetaking on the day and he got the game off and running by scoring the first of his 15 placed balls in the opening minute, but Moycarkey Borris settled into the game quickly in the next five minutes with Killian Cantwell pointing his sides first from a free in the third minute, which was quickly followed by David Costigan and John Fitzgerald points from play.

Ryan pointed his second free in the ninth minute but it was obvious early on that Tipperary minor hurler David Costigan would need minding by Upperchurch, as the midfielder had his second of the day from the following puckout, before fellow Tipperary teammate Jack Hayes pointed from a close range free to give Moycarkey a 0-5 to 0-2 lead after ten minutes.

Frees were the main source of scores for Upperchurch in the game and they had the game back to a point very quickly after two further Ryan frees before they had equalised in the 18th minute with their first point from play, coming from a powerful run and finish off the hurley from Sean Shanahan as they game was being set up nicely after the opening quarter or so.

Upperchurch were very conscious of the threat of the Moycarkey attackers in David Costigan and Jack Hayes and started the game with Toby Corbett as a sweeper and it meant that the scoring chances were limited for the sides, yet there were still some poor wides on both sides when the chances came. However, the sides managed to trade a brace of points each before halftime to maintain the status quo at the break, level at 0-7 apiece.

The restart opened with a brilliant solo score for David Costigan who picked up the throw-in to run clear in space and point from distance for Moycarkey, but Upperchurch were the first to hit for home as they raised a green flag five minutes later after Rian Treacy was put through on goal to bury his effort to put Upperchurch two clear early in the half.

Costigan was becoming a serious problem for Upperchurch at this point though as he found the target again from the resulting restart but in fairness to the men in black and amber, they kept going about their business and hit the next two points through a first from play for Richard Ryan and a point to go with his goal from Rian Treacy; Jack Hayes pointing a free from close range in the 42nd minute with the ‘Church in front 1-9 to 0-10.

Moycarkey Borris were the pre-match favourites but they were in serious trouble just a minute later when Upperchurch bagged their second goal, this time coming from a brilliantly finished effort from Huey Purcell to open up a fairly substantial five point lead with only a quarter of the game to go.

However, that lead disappeared nearly as fast as it had arrived with Moycarkey responding with a quickfire six points in as many minutes to re-take the lead at 0-16 to 2-9 with Killian Cantwell (4), and two more from David Costigan putting the Littleton team ahead with ten minutes of time to go.

Upperchurch hit the next two points - again from Richard Ryan frees - but the big players for Moycarkey  in Cantwell and Costigan were running amok now and re-established the lead before they hit a big score in the 54th minute, when a Costigan point effort held up in the wind and dropped in front of goal to Jack Hayes who went highest to field and then turn on a six-pence to fire into the back of the net. Moycarkey led 1-18 to 2-11.

Moycarkey would prove to be their own worst enemies on the day by giving away so many scorable frees, but it has to be said that the Upperchurch workrate was immense and they managed to manufacture four frees for Richard Ryan to show real steel to slot over and send the game to extra time.

Extra time didn’t do much to separate the sides early in the first half as Upperchurch just edged in front by the mini-break with four of the seven points going the way of the mountain club with Rian Treacy getting another from play with the other three coming from Ryan frees, while Killian Cantwell (free) and two from Jack Hayes had the game finely balanced ahead of the second half of extra time.

The final ten minutes of the game turned into a real nail-biter as the sides were nearly out on their feet but continued to go blow for blow, but Moycarkey looked to have enough done to claim the win as they notched three points in a row in the first five minutes of the second period, Hayes, Cantwell and a first from Eamon Ryan putting them ahead by 1-24 to 2-19, but Upperchurch just wouldn’t give in and it was two ice cool frees from Richard Ryan late on which means that the sides must do it all over again next Wednesday night.

Upperchurch Drombane: Padraig Griffin; Conor Brett, MIchael Quinlan, Paddy Ryan; Sean Griffin, Toby Corbett, Tomas Ryan; Philip O’Dwyer (0-1), David Griffin; Killian Houlihan, Sean Shanahan (0-1), Rian Treacy (1-2); Richard Ryan (0-16, 0-15f), Huey Purcell (1-1), Paddy Quinlan.

Subs used: Liam Challen for Houlihan (46); Liam Ryan (L) for Quinlan (65, ET).

Moycarkey Borris: Darragh Peterson; Daniel Hayes, Cathal Clancy, Mark Drohan; Eamon Ryan (0-1), Killian Cantwell (0-9, 0-6f), Jack O’Keefe; Cillian Doran, David Costigan (0-7); Odhran Lanphier, Louis Coughlan, John Fitzgerald (0-1); Tom Ryan, Jack Hayes (1-6, 0-3f), Rory Heffernan.

Subs used: Sean Lanphier for Heffernan (HT); Conor Doherty for T Ryan (36); Conor Donnelly for E Ryan (36); Richie Maher for O’Keefe (36); Sean Maher for Drohan (46); Sean O’Dwyer for Donnelly (63, ET).

Referee: Kevin Jordan (Thurles Gaels)