One Johnnie celebrates as Cahir and Johnny B win the Junior B title in south Tipperary!

Cahir 4-11 St Patrick's 1-16

Johnny B O’Brien, one half of The 2 Johnnies comedy duo, was manager, full forward and jersey sponsor as a hugely impressive Cahir side won the South Tipperary Junior B Hurling Championship final at Ned Hall Park, Clonmel on Saturday, beating St Patrick’s by four points.

Cahir were the better side over the hour, leading at one stage by twelve points, but it got nervy in the closing stages as the Drangan/Cloneen side reduced the lead to just three in injury time.

However, a late insurance point from Tom Delaney proved crucial, and referee Sean Flynn’s final whistle was met with a mixture of relief and delight by the Cahir team and supporters.

Delaney, the former All- Ireland minor medal winner with Tipperary, was the undisputed man-of-the-match with a personal tally of 3-9, the goals coming from two frees and a penalty, but it was the team’s radio and podcast celebrity Johnny B who celebrated most.

He may be famous for his 2 Johnnies partnership with fellow Tipp man Johnny Smacks McMahon, but this was his first title win with his hometown club, after 21 years playing adult hurling, and that meant a lot to him.

“It’s unbelievable, as this is the last hurrah for many of this group who have soldiered together for such a long time. We have three players who transferred back, three more who left a wedding early today to play in the final, and others returning from injury,” he said after the game.

And do his team mates treat him as a celebrity? “No way, these boys keep you level. Anytime you win a title with your club it’s special, no matter what level. I wouldn’t have known half of these lads if it wasn’t for the GAA,” said the 38-year-old, twenty years the senior of Tom Delaney, who scored all but 1-2 of Cahir’s total.

And Johnny B had no second thoughts about finding time away from his professional entertainment career to play Junior B hurling with his club.

“It was 100 percent great to come back, as the GAA keeps the whole community of the town together, it is there for you during the tough times. I hope with this win that the rising tide will lift all boats”.

Teenager Tom Delaney played a huge role in that rising tide, hitting two of the three first half goals that swung the game in Cahir’s direction, and completing his hat-trick from a penalty in the second. He also pointed six frees and hit three from play.

An even first ten minutes saw Cahir leading 0-3 to 0-2, two Delaney frees and a fine point from Mark Casey, to two St Patrick’s replies from Shane Gorey, one a free, when Delaney struck for his first goal. Sean O’Connor was fouled after taking a pass from Conor Casey, and instead of tapping over for another point Delaney hit it low and hard to the net.

Then in the space of two minutes Cahir struck for two further goals, Evin O’Regan cutting in from the left on a brilliant run to strike past Paddy Moroney, and then when Delaney was fouled himself, he blasted another free past Moroney for a 3-3 to 0-2 lead.

St Patrick’s were rocked by the goal blitz, but Conor Brett hit a superb point from the touchline for their first score in seventeen minutes. However, Cahir maintained the upper hand and Delaney pointed two frees to stretch the lead to 3-5 to 0-3 seven minutes before the break. The lead was still a significant one at the break, 3-8 to 0-5, with two Delaney points from play and another from O’Regan for Cahir, and St Patrick’s replies from a Conor Brett free and a Gerard Horan shot tapped over the bar by goalkeeper Conor Kirwan.

The teams shared four points in the opening ten minutes of the second half, two from Delaney, and Aaron Cronin and a Conor Brett free for St Patrick’s, before the Drangan/Cloneen side upped the tempo as the Cahir performance became much more defensive.

St Patrick’s hit five without reply from a Conor Brett free, Shane Gorey, substitutes Damien Barry and Jack Cleere, and a super score from Frank Meagher to reduce the margin to seven points, 3-10 to 0-12.

The game turned again when a lovely Cahir move involving Evin O’Regan and Daniel Moloney ended with a foul on Brian Enright in the square, and Tom Delaney blasted the penalty to the net.

But St Patrick’s – who have enjoyed a great divisional run in recent weeks, also reaching the finals of the Junior A football, Junior A hurling and Under 19 B hurling – came back strongly with 1-4 without reply, points from two Conor Brett frees, James Ryan and Nickey Kearney, and a goal from Frank Meagher, to reduce the lead to just three points in a game that Cahir appeared to have well under control.

St Patrick’s failed to maintain the momentum as the game went into the third minute of added time, and it was no surprise that when Cahir won a free around halfway, that Tom Delaney split the posts again for the clinching score.

Cahir: Conor Kirwan, Keelan Looby, Kieran O’Dwyer, Thomas Molan, Mark Casey 0-1; Eoghan Kelly, Ger Hally, Daniel Moloney, Niall McKenna, Sean O’Connor, Conor Casey, Tom O’Gorman, Tom Delaney 3-9, 2-6 frees, 1-0 penalty; Johnny B O’Brien, Evin Regan 1-1.

Subs: Oisin Maher for Niall McKenna, Brian Enright for Tom O’Gorman, Aidan Casey for Evin O’Regan, Liam Meehan for Keelan Looby, Dara Heffernan for Johnny B O’Brien.

St Patrick’s: Paddy Moroney, Sean Ryan, Conor Gorey, Keith Morrissey, Brian O’Halloran, Colm Dunne, Frank Meagher 1-1; Shane Gorey 0-3, 1 free; Jack Meagher, Jamie Brett, Robbie Noonan, Ciaran Mockler, Conor Brett 0-6, 5 frees; Aaron Cronin 0-1; Gerard Horan 0-1.

Subs: Jack Cleere 0-1 for Brian O’Halloran, Damien Barry 0-1 for Jamie Brett, Nicky Kearney 0-1 for Colm Dunne, James Ryan 0-1 for Sean Ryan, Eoin Fitzgerald for Ciaran Mockler.

Referee: John Flynn (Carrick Swan).