LONG READ: Club hurling championships in Tipperary are springing surprises

One of the great glories of sport, especially hurling, is its unpredictability. There are no certainties. On a given day, even the greatest of expectations get rubbished by unfolding events. It’s part of the charm of the games.

The point was well illustrated last weekend in the senior hurling matches. Holycross/Ballycahill’s green shoots glowed even greener with a powerful win over Kiladangan, one of the championship favourites. Cashel KC upended Nenagh Eire Og in their finest statement since returning to the grade. Moycarkey’s triumph over Kilruane MacDonaghs was another arrival notice by an upcoming side; even Roscrea’s draw with Borris-Ileigh caught people unawares.

It all feeds into the sense of a championship where there are few certainties – except, perhaps, for Loughmore/Castleiney who again did what Loughmore/Castleiney routinely do: this time bursting JK Brackens’ bubble.

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From a panoramic perspective it all adds to the intrigue of the championship. The Holycross story is representative. With a background of underage dominance, the issue was how quickly this talent would transition to senior impact. Well, very quickly appears to be the answer at the moment.

Their first round win over Toomevara seemed a significant moment but their follow-up on Sunday against Kiladangan has underlined the vast potential of the side. This was probably the match of the weekend and Holycross’ seven-point win was an emphatic statement of their arrival as county contenders.

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It didn’t come easy. The North champions are a seasoned, battle-hardened side, albeit with the addition of a few youngsters this season. Many fancy them to regain the title but reputations don’t appear to ruffle this Holycross side; they looked totally unfazed on Sunday.

There’s a boyish energy and enthusiasm about this Holycross team. They have quality throughout and they just play their own game and stick with it regardless of setbacks. Kiladangan hit them with first half goals from Dan O’Meara and Sean Hayes but the Mid side put in a purple patch before the interval.

Mikey Nally netted his second goal and Darragh Woods had a third on the cusp of half-time. They led by seven at the interval.
Similar to the Toomevara match a fortnight earlier, they were on the backfoot for a spell in the second half. Kiladangan eventually pared the lead back to a mere two points but it was Holycross who supplied the encore. Tiernan Ryan, one of the stars of the show, hit their fourth goal and they drove home on a final wave of energy against a Kiladangan side that was left bemoaning a string of bad wides.

Jim Ryan was back, and impressive for Holycross at centre back; if they can get Bryan O’Mara back, they’ll be even more formidable. Cathal Barrett was the Clubber man of the match at full back, with Joe Caesar at midfield. That experience alongside the younger contingent makes for a potent mix. Watch out for them.

Arguably the biggest upset of the campaign was Cashel’s toppling of a fancied Nenagh side at Borrisoleigh’s impressive venue on Sunday. In their first year back in the top flight, the King Cormacs stuttered their way to a win over Mullinahone in the opening round. However, this was different gravy entirely.

Nenagh were ranked among the top four favourites to win out the county ahead of this game. Sunday’s match was a clash of a 9/2 contender against a 50/1 outsider. Hard to believe those odds watching from the sideline.

Last year Cashel’s preliminary quarter-final win over Boherlahan ignited their season, culminating in their county final win and promotion to senior. On Sunday there was a sense that the victory over Mullinahone may have had a similarly liberating effect.

They matched Nenagh stroke for stroke in the first half. Mikey Heffernan frees kept the North side in tow but Cashel had a far greater spread of shooters, with Eoghan Connolly and Devon Ryan sharing out the frees and Oisín O’Donoghue hitting two rousing scores near the interval.

Conor O’Dwyer was designated to track Jake Morris and his success can be gauged from the fact that he outscored the Nenagh man by 0-2 to 0-1 from open play. He could do nothing, however, about Jake’s first half penalty goal following a foul on Philip Hickey.

Despite the setback of that goal, Cashel stayed on message and eventually took a one-point lead to the dressing rooms. Eleven Nenagh wind-carried wides told another story of that first half but the question was could Cashel do any better with the elements.

In the event they almost matched Nenagh’s total of wides, hitting ten, but crucially had the better of general play. Nenagh struggled for scores – Mikey Heffernan even misfiring from frees - and Cashel, with Ger Browne now powering into the game, were having the better of things. The lead stretched out to five but came down to a nervy finish when Adam Carey netted a second Eire Og goal three minutes from time.

Ultimately, a few items decided the outcome. Aaron Browne made a superb save to deny Jake Morris five minutes from time and his brother, Ger, hit the final clinching point with a rousing score in injury time. Ronan Connolly was outstanding at half back.

It was a famous win for the King Cormacs so let’s see where it now takes them. The group is still wide open, with the possibility that score difference could decide placings.

In the other game in this section, Sarsfields survived a dogged Mullinahone challenge on Saturday to just about edge out the South side at Cashel. It wasn’t the prettiest of wins but that will hardly trouble Sars, who got their campaign back on track ahead of a crunch tie now against Cashel KC.

To their credit it was a gritty performance by Mullinahone. They led by two at half-time thanks to an Eoin O’Dwyer goal, with Sarsfields heavily reliant on Darragh Stakelum frees. Another fine Mullinahone goal from Martin Keogh early in the second half presented the live prospect of a major upset occurring.

It wasn’t to be, however. Sean Curran faltered on some crucial frees and Sarsfields had a greater scoring capacity to see them home. Darragh Stakelum hit their goal and they drove on for a five-point win, a margin that probably flattered. Conor Stakelum was a standout at half back for the winners.

Above: Mullinahone's Darragh Linnane tries to hook Paddy Creedon, Thurles Sarsfields. Picture: Michael Boland

Mullinahone now face a tough challenge in their final game against Nenagh, where the odds will be against them. The absence of players like Jack Shelly, Michael Dunne and Eoin Fennelly has been a major drawback in their efforts to survive at this level.

Elsewhere, Boherlahan/Dualla pulled off a significant win over Eire Og Annacarty in the Premier Intermediate Championship. It’s a result that guarantees their place in the quarter-finals irrespective of the outcome in their final, dead rubber tie with Templederry Kenyons.

It was a tight affair, one that could have tilted either way. Eire Og were left to bemoan their free-taking problems in the second half, which cost them dearly. By contrast, Tossy Ryan once again proved a match-winner for the Mid side, hitting 1-16 of their 1-22 total.

Eire Og led by three at half-time and held their position in the second half when Conor O’Brien netted a second major.

However, substitute James Kirby won a crucial penalty for Boherlahan, which Tossy Ryan dispatched. That score handed them the initiative and they held out for a valuable two-point win.

Elsewhere, Clonoulty were soundly beaten by Toomevara and look set for a relegation struggle. Toome’ now face a winner-takes-all tie with Kiladangan in a contest for second place behind Holycross.

Finally, St Mary’s turned on the style against Clonakenny in the premier intermediate. It’s the best we’ve seen from the Clonmel team for some time; now for the follow-up.