Valiant Thurles CBS effort comes up short as Ard Scoil Rís win Dean Ryan Cup final

TUS Dean Ryan Cup U16.5 A Hurling Final

Ard Scoil Rís 3-19

Thurles CBS 1-23

Ard Scoil Rís and Thurles CBS played out a captivating Dean Ryan Cup final in MacDonagh Nenagh earlier this afternoon, with the Limerick schools ability to raise green flags being the main difference between the sides.

Two first half goals from Ard Scoil Rís full forward Eoin Begley in the first half was a big factor in the win, along with another three pointer within two minutes of the start of the second half from Patrick Kearney meant that Thurles CBS were always playing catch up in this game, but made it more than a contest in the final ten minutes.

Having played against the wind in the first half, the Tipperary school deployed a sweeper to try and contain the Ard Scoil Rís forward division, with the sides sharing four points in the opening seven minutes with Ryne Bargary providing the points for Thurles, while Kearney and Michael Collins got on the scoresheet for Ard Scoil.

The first goal came in the eighth minute from the aforementioned Begley, who laid on a beautiful flick under a contested ball to run in on goal and finish, but Thurles kept their composure and reeled off the next four points in a row to bring it back level at 1-3 to 0-6 after 15 minutes.

But with the aid of a significant wind, the Limerick school took control of the remainder of the half, with two Darragh Gleeson frees coming just before Begley finished a brilliant second effort to the net in the 21st minute, along with fine scores from Cillian Murphy, Marc O’Brien and a booming Jack Cosgrove score giving them a 2-10 to 0-10 advantage at the break.

Thurles wouldn’t have panicked with that deficit such was the factor of the wind to come in the second half, but they were dealt a suckerpunch after two minutes when Patrick Kearney won a breaking ball inside the 21 to roam in on goal and finish superbly to the net, and just like that it was a nine point game, as the Tipp school now were firmly up against it.

However, they showed great mettle and even with the next ten minutes proving to be a stalemate of tit-for-tat point scoring, they made a game of it, first with David Costigan’s fortuitous goal in the 45th minute giving them a real shot in the arm; his tame effort after a big solo run somehow squirming under the hurley of Darragh Jordan in the Ard Scoil nets.

That brought it back to a five point game at 3-15 to 1-16 and it gave Thurles a real shot of adrenaline as they started to dominate all sectors of the field as the points started to follow from Euan Murray, Robbie Ryan, Keith Loughnane and Cormac Fitzpatrick, and by the time substitute Ronan O’Brien pointed his first of the game in the 59th minute, it was just a one point game with the momentum going the way of the Tipp school.

But credit to Ard Scoil, who managed to withstand the Thurles CBS wave to grind out a pair of priceless frees which were dispatched expertly by Darragh Gleeson and Eoin Carey, which were the winning of the match as Thurles ran out of time and gave Ard Scoil Rís the title after a brilliant spectacle in Nenagh.

Scorers: Ard Scoil Rís: Eoin Begley 2-1, Darragh Gleeson (0-7, 0-5f); Patrick Kearney 1-1, Michael Collins, Cillian Murphy 0-3 each, Marc O'Brien 0-2, Eoin Carey 0-1f, Jack Cosgrove 0-1.

Thurles CBS: Cormac Fitzpatrick 0-5f, Robbie Ryan (0-4, 0-1f), Ryne Bargary 0-4, David Costigan 1-0, Keith Loughnane 0-3, Euan Murray, Jack Lahart 0-2 each, Ronan O'Brien, Daniel McCahey, Jack Hayes 0-1 each.

Ard Scoil Rís: Darragh Jordan (Na Piarsaigh); Conor Ryan (Adare), James Coughlan (Ballybrown), Luke Tobin (Parteen); Eoin Brosnan (Na Piarsaigh), Eoin Carey (Cratloe), Jack Cosgrove (Ahane); Darragh Horkan (Na Piarsaigh), Marc O'Brien (Cartloe); John O'Keefe (Murroe Boher), Michael Collins (Clonlara), Darragh Gleeson (Adare); Cillian Murphy (Sixmilebridge), Eoin Begley (Clonlara), Patrick Kearney (Adare).

Subs: Malachy McKenna (Pallasgreen) for Tobin.

Thurles CBS: Sean Dempsey (Drom & Inch); Kyle O'Dowd (Durlas Óg), Toby Corbett (Upperchurch Drombane), Keelan Dunne (Durlas Óg); Daniel McCahey (Loughmore Castleiney), Evan Morris (Holycross Ballycahill), Colman Moloney (Galmoy); Euan Murray (Durlas Óg), Ryne Bargary (Boherlahan Dualla); Keith Loughnane (Durlas Óg), Cormac Fitzpatrick (Drom & Inch), David Costigan (Moycarkey Borris); Jack Lahart (Holycross Ballycahill), Robbie Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill), Jack Hayes (Moycarkey Borris).

Subs: Killian Cantwell (Moycarkey Borris) for Hayes; Ronan O'Brien (Durlas Óg) for Moloney; John Broderick (Durlas Óg for Fitzpatrick.

Referee: Cathal McAllister (Cork)