Awesome St Mary's wrap up five in a row Under 19 hurling titles in south Tipperary

St Mary's 3-21 Ballingarry 3-14

The St Mary’s drive-for-five was achieved in spectacular fashion at Davin Park, Carrick-on-Suir on Wednesday night when they proved too strong for Ballingarry in the O’Sullivan Insurances South Tipperary Under 19 A Hurling Championship final, winning by seven points.

The Clonmel side has dominated Under 19 hurling in the division this decade, winning five in a row A titles, as well as the previous Under 18 crown in 2020.

This win was as impressive as any, with an awesome forward display that saw all six starting forwards score, as well as two substitutes.

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Finn Napier’s 2-2 earned him the man of the match award, but the entire inside full forward line was in sparkling form. Ben Fuller scored 1-1 and Aaron Cagney chipped in with three sublime points from play, as well as five from placed balls.
James Power fired over three points, with Conor Landers and substitutes Harry Lawlor and Dara Beckett hitting 0-2 each, and Paul Maher 0-1.

“We asked them for a performance and they gave it in spades,” said a delighted manager Gearóid Buckley. “They are an honest bunch who want to hurl and we cannot ask much more of them. They are driving it on, not us”.

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Buckley added – “It was tough at times but they are a good bunch of lads. Ballingarry came back at us strongly but that has been happening in a few of our games, that we are allowing the other side back in. But they showed resilience to hold out and a great drive to win the ball. There’s honesty in all of them”.

While he is delighted with the run of underage success over the past five to six years, he says it’s now time to see that transition to senior.

“It’s great winning all these titles but it’s a bigger step-up to senior and that has to be our target, to maintain this standard at senior level. That has to be the focus for the next few years”.

While the forwards grabbed the headlines, the St Mary’s defence was equally crucial to the win. Full back Jack Lawlor and centre back Darragh Landers were outstanding in the pivotal positions, with Max O’Dwyer and Cormac Brennan in the corners, and Daniel Charles and David McSweeney on the wings, all contributing to the win.

Team captain Jamie Ryan was solid in goal and could do little about the three goals conceded, while midfielders Jamie O’Keeffe and Kayden Cloona provided the platform on which the forwards thrived.

Ballingarry came into the game as underdogs and while they struggled in the first half to keep pace with the Clonmel side, they stormed back into contention in the second. When Adam O’Connell hit their third goal in the 41st minute, they were only three points behind, 2-14 to 3-8. However, St Mary’s reacted to the challenge and their third goal from Napier gave them breathing space to control the final quarter.

Although he was off-target with a few attempts, the free-taking of Jack Cahill was crucial for Ballingarry, scoring 1-8 from placed balls, with the son of All-Ireland-winning Tipperary manager Liam Cahill also adding three from play. Tadhg O’Brien, Rory O’Brien and Tommy Blackmore were busy in defence, with Ben Ivers and Tommy McGrath impressive at midfield, and Adam O’Connell always a threat upfront.

Ballingarry failed to match St Mary’s in the first quarter, after which the town side led 0-8 to 0-1, with points from Cagney (three, two frees and one from play), Landers (two), Power, Maher and Napier, to a solitary reply from a Cahill free. Cahill then pointed a second free before the Slieveardagh side’s first from play, from Adam O’Connell, in the 16th minute.

St Mary’s were hurling with great conviction and purpose, with two of their points coming from pinpoint crossfield passes in the space of a minute, Max O’Dwyer to Napier and then David McSweeney to Cagney.

Ballingarry were edging back into the game, 0-9 to 0-5, when St Mary’s struck for their first goal in the 21st minute. Ballingarry ‘keeper Jack Ryan produced a great save to deny Jamie O’Keeffe, but Finn Napier was quickest to react to the rebound to shoot to the net.

James Power and Cagney added points to a Cahill pointed free for Ballingarry to leave it 1-11 to 0-6 at the break.

Ballingarry were back in contention just twenty seconds into the second half when Ben Ivers produced a storming run through the centre and then set up Tommy McGrath for a superb goal.

The sides shared the next four points, two for St Mary’s from Aaron Cagney, one a free, and two from Jack Cahill for Ballingarry, one a free and the other one of the scores of the game from play.

St Mary’s then put further daylight between the sides, when a long ball from James Power caused confusion in the Ballingarry defence and Napier reacted sharpest to shoot for goal. Jack Ryan brought off a fine save but Ben Fuller followed up to find the net.

Fuller added another point from play but back came Ballingarry again with a goal from a Cahill free - instead of opting for a tap-over point, he connected low and hard to find the top corner of Jamie Ryan’s net, to leave it 2-14 to 2-8. When two minutes later a low shot from Adam O’Connell beat Ryan again, there was belief in the Ballingarry team that an upset was on the cards.

But St Mary’s responded in the best way possible, James Power hitting over an immediate reply and then in the next move Finn Napier getting his second goal of the game to give them a seven- points cushion, 3-15 to 3-8, entering the final quarter.

That was still the margin at the final whistle. Three points in a row from Cahill, two from frees, had kept Ballingarry in touch, but the St Mary’s bench delivered when called on, with both Harry Lawlor and Dara Beckett impressing when introduced, scoring two points each. Cagney also pointed two further frees, with Ben Ivers contributing two from play, and Cahill from a free wrapping up the Ballingarry scoring.

St Mary’s: Jamie Ryan, Max O’Dwyer, Jack Lawlor, Cormac Brennan, Daniel Charles, Darragh Landers, David McSweeney, Jamie O’Keeffe, Kayden Cloona, James Power 0-3; Paul Maher 0-1; Conor Landers 0-2; Ben Fuller 1-1; Finn Napier 2-2; Aaron Cagney 0-8, 4f, 1 65.

Subs: Harry Lawlor 0-2 for Conor Landers, Dara Beckett 0-2 for Ben Fuller, Ciaran Kenny for Kayden Cloona, Enda Condon for Paul Maher.

Ballingarry: Jack Ryan, Edward Mullally, Tadhg O’Brien, PJ Ryan, Tommy Blackmore, Rory O’Brien, Eoghan McAree, Ben Ivers 0-2; Tommy McGrath 1-0; Shane Ryan, Jack Cahill 1-11, 1-8f; James Egan, Pierce Ivors, Adam O’Connell 1-1; Sean Kelly.

Subs: Patrick Mullally for Pierce Ivors, Killian Burke for Sean Kelly.

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Moyle Rovers).