Our Ladys Templemore begin Harty Cup campaign with emphatic victory in Tipp Town

TUS Dr. Harty Cup Round 1 - Group 2

Our Lady’s Templemore 3-25 

Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig 1-12

By John O’Shea 

Our Lady’s School Templemore got their 2024/25 TUS Dr. Harty Cup campaign up and running impressively as they comprehensively brushed aside the challenge of Coláiste Choilm Ballincollig in their Round 1, Group 2 game at Sean Treacy Park Tipperary Town on Wednesday afternoon.

After losing last year to John The Baptist C.S. Hospital at the preliminary quarter-final stage, Gavin Ryan, Tom O’Donoghue, and Peter O’Rourke’s management team will hope for a longer run in this year’s competition.

From the start, they bossed the Ballincollig side. With their midfielder Paudie O’Shea unerring from placed balls and a goal from Sean Stapleton after nine minutes, they had built up a commanding 13-point lead by the interval. 

Their six forwards, who came from six different clubs, really gelled together, and their interplay caused problems for the Ballincollig defence throughout. 

After the sides were on level terms, at 0-1 each, by the fourth minute they then really exerted their dominance as they hit 1-6 without reply during the next nine minutes. They then hit three of the last four points of the half to lead by 1-14 to 0-4 at the break.

Coláiste Choilm landed the opening score after the restart with a point 25 seconds in, from Tadhg Murphy. From the puck out Paudie O’Shea gained possession before putting Philly O’Dwyer through on goal and the Upperchurch Drombane clubman crashed home goal number two for the Templemore side. A mini recovery saw the Cork side score four of the next seven points, but a Chris Dunne major after 44 minutes put the contest beyond reach.

Coláiste Choilm broke through for a major at the start of the final quarter but the Templemore outfit pushed on,  outscoring their opponents 0-7 to 0-2, the final point from the Cork side coming at the death.

Our Lady’s won the toss and elected to defend the town goal for the opening period. Paudie O’Shea got the non-existent scoreboard moving after two minutes when he put over at the far end, but Coláiste Choilm replied when Shane O’Sullivan and Danny Miskella combined in a move which ended with an Eoin Dwyer equaliser. 

This was a close as the Cork lads would come to causing an upset as Templemore pushed on from there. 

Their half-back line of Mark Conroy, Cormac Cahill, and Sean Walsh virtually closed up shop and with quality ball, the forwards began to move well. Jack Marnell got on the end of a well-struck line ball from Richie Morris for his opening score after six minutes. 

O’Shea again from a placed ball and Marnell stretched the lead to three before a good flowing Our Lady’s move down the stand side resulted in a cross from Eoin Boyle being batted to the Ballincollig net for the opening major. 

O’Shea added two further points and Eoin Boyle opened his account, Marnell being the provider, as the gap widened.

Eoin Dwyer hit back with a white flag from a free but Our Ladys’ hit seven of the next nine points before the break, Cian Broderick and Paudie O’Shea with two each, and one a piece from Eoin Boyle, Cian Ahern, and Philly O’Dwyer, leaving the half time score, Our Lady’s 1-14, Coláiste Choilm 0-4.

The second half started with two scores inside a minute, first Tadhg Murphy flashed over within 25 seconds. Paudie O’Shea then won possession from the restart and his neat pass found Philly O’Dwyer who crashed home goal number two. 

This green flag certainly put to bed any hope of a Ballincollig revival and when Cian Broderick fired over his third of the game the gap was out to sixteen with 25 minutes remaining.

Coláiste Choilm, to their credit, never gave up and continued to battle, They hit four of the next six points in a mini-revival.  However, coming up to the end of the third quarter Our Lady’s put the game firmly out of reach when Chris Dunne finished a move that involved Philly O’Dwyer and Eoin Boyle. 

The Gortnahoe Glengoole club man found the net from close in, giving Donnchadh Murphy no chance.

Coláiste Choilm eventually beat Cormac Bourke when Cian O’Connor goaled from close range with thirteen remaining and Dwyer followed up with a point. The final ten minutes were all Templemore as they emptied their bench while outscoring their opponents 0-7 to 0-2. to leave a 19-point winning margin. 

The Templemore management will be happy with this opening victory but are fully aware of the challenge that awaits on November 6th. when they take on Ardscoil Rís, who were winners over Castletroy College in their opening round.

Our Lady's Templemore: Cormac Bourke (JK Brackens); Tommy Burke (JK Brackens), Shay Gleeson (Moneygall), Niall Delaney (JK Brackens); Mark Conroy (Drom & Inch), Cormac Cahill (Drom & Inch), Sean Walsh (JK Brackens); Cian Broderick (JK Brackens, 0-3), Paudie O’Shea (JK Brackens, 0-10, 0-9f); Jack Marnell (JK Brackens, 0-4), Eoin Boyle (Borris-Ileigh, 0-3), Richie Morris (Loughmore Castleiney); Philly O’Dwyer (Upperchurch Drombane, 1-2), Sean Stapleton (Clonakenny, 1-0), Chris Dunne (Gortnahoe Glengoole, 1-2). 

Subs used: Joey Quinn (Loughmore Castleiney, 0-1) for Sean Stapleton (41, inj); Billy Collier (JK Brackens) for Mark Conroy (53); Sean Burke (JK Brackens) for Eoin Boyle (53); Kieran Martin (JK Brackens) for Jack Marnell (55); Darragh Hoare (Drom & Inch) for Tommy Burke (57).

Coláiste Choilm: Donnchadh Murphy (Ballinora); Shane O’Callaghan (Éire Óg), Colm Herlihy (Inniscarra), Jack Murphy (Ballincollig); Alan Heelan (Inniscarra), Kevin O’Leary (Ballincollig), Cian O’Connor (Ballincollig, 1-0); Danny Miskella (Ballincollig), Cian Ahern (Ballincollig, 0-1); Cillian Power (Ballincollig), Eoin Dwyer (Ballincollig, 0-8, 0-4f, 0-1 65), Shane O’Sullivan (Ballincollig); Tadhg Murphy (Ballincollig, 0-2), Ciaran O’Donoghue (Ballinora), Niall Buckley, (Inniscarra, 0-1). 

Subs used: Ethan Donovan (Ballincollig) for Ciaran O’Donoghue (38); Daniel Walshe (Ballincollig) for Cillian Power (49); Adam Kennedy (Ballinora) for Jack Murphy (56); Stephen Twohig (Ballinora) for Shane O’Sullivan (58).

Referee: Seán Everard (Moyne Templetuohy)