Highschool: 0-02 Carrick Voc. School: 1-05
First Year Hurling League
There was disappointment for the first year hurlers who were beaten by great rivals Carrick in the first year league. The game was played in near torrential conditions in Carrick on Tuesday (17 th ). High School had the advantage of the strong wind in the first half but were unhappy with a two point lead at half time with Don Bergin and Diarmuid Bolger getting the scores.
High School knew there was a mountain to climb on the resumption. To make matters worse the wind grew steadily stronger and rain showed no sign of letting up. In the second half the Carrick boys played some excellent hurling given the conditions and the High School could not hold on to their lead.
It was a game contested between two good teams. In better conditions it would have made a great contest. Special mention must be made of the Clonmel centre-back, Tony Ryan, who was perhaps the best player on view. His never-say-die attitude was an inspiration to his team mates. Christopher Daniels, Derek Moore and Ian McCormack gave him the best support.
Luke O’Mahoney, Christopher Daniels, Daniel O’Meara, Derek Moore, Tony Cahill, Stepehen Kennedy, Brendan Costello, Dermot Bolger, Declan Rix, Padraig O’Flynn, Jordan Corbett, John Tobin, Brian McDonnell, Don Bergin, Brian Melbourne, Tony Ryan, Sean Keating, Paul Fennessy, Ian McCormack, Neil Doyle, Robert Henebry, Padraig Burke, Ross Larkin, Shane Hickey, Sean O’Donoghue, Neil O’Brien, Brian Richards, Sean Ward.
Highschool: 3-06 Thurles Voc. School: 2-01
First Year League
The High School got off to a great start in the Tipperary First Year Hurling League with an impressive win over the Thurles side. High School played some excellent hurling in the first half and at the break had established a seven point lead. Thurles did were unlucky to be so far behind. This was due in no small measure to the Clonmel goalkeeper, Paul Fennessy, who made a series of spectacular saves in the closing five minutes of the opening half.
High School were under more pressure in the second half but defended doggedly to hold on to their lead. The forwards had the happy knack of getting scores when they were needed the most. They finished in style with a magnificent Dermot Bolger goal.
The full back line of Keating, Daniels and O’Meara have to be praised for their never-say -die defending. Tony Ryan lead the half-back line magnificently and was ably flanked by Costello and Moore. Midfield, Tony Cahill and Don Bergin, were solid throughout while Ian McCormack did very well when he replaced the injured Bergin. In the forwards the scorers took some great goals and points at vital times while Luke O’Mahoney created panic every time he got the ball. Brian Melbourne proved to be a handful at full-forward.
Men-of-the-match: Tony Ryan (Centre-Back) and Paul Fennessy (Goalkeeper)
Scorers
Dermot Bolger 1-03
Declan Rix 1-01
Jordan Corbett 1-01
Brian McDonnell 0-01
Panel: Luke O’Mahoney, Christopher Daniels, Daniel O’Meara, Derek Moore, Tony Cahill, Stepehen Kennedy, Brendan Costello, Dermot Bolger, Declan Rix, Padraig O’Flynn, Jordan Corbett, John Tobin, Brian McDonnell, Don Bergin, Brian Melbourne, Tony Ryan, Sean Keating, Paul Fennessy, Ian McCormack, Neil Doyle, Robert Henebry, Padraig Burke, Ross Larkin.
Munster U-16 Championship
Best of luck to our under sixteens who open their campaign this Wednesday with a tough game against Colaiste an Spioraid Naomh. The Cork side will be difficult to beat but if Clonmel perform to their ability they are well capable of doing so.
Mount Sion Under 17 Seven-a-side Tournament
The High School under 17 hurlers competed in the above competition yesterday(17 th ). We won one out of our two group games but (controversially!) failed to qualify for the final. Had we qualified we would have been in a very good position to win the. Without a doubt the game against Mount Sion should have been won while many scoring chances in the second half were not taken.
Highschool: 6-06 De la Salle: 3-04
High School dominated this game from start to finish. Emmet Hallinan was on top form and took his scores excellently. There were some excellent long range points and John O’Gorman, who was playing at full-back, stole the show with a great solo run up the field which he finished with a point. Alan Lawlor made great clearances throughout while Ronan Desmond got some very good scores and made some fine passes up front. Diarmuid Wall also got a great goal from a solo effort.
Scorers
Emmet Hallinan 4-01
Ronan Desmond 1-02
Diarmuid Wall 1-02
John O’Gorman 0-01
Highschool: 3-01 Mount Sion: 1-09
After a poor first half in which only Alan Lawlor played to his potential we totally out played the opposition in the second half. High School will have to rue missed goal chances. It has to be said it was a game of two goalkeepers and excellent saves were made at both ends of the pitch. Paul Doyle who had to be taken off injured was a loss and in the end it just wasn’t to be. ( All scores, Emmet Hallinan).
Player(s) of the Tournament: Emmet Hallinan and Alan Lawlor.
Highschool: 2-08 Col. An Sp. Naomh, Cork: 2-05
Munster Hurling Championship U-16 ½
Congratulations to our U-16½ Hurlers who overcame a strong Cork challenge in the first round of the Munster Championship. Despite the recent bad weather the pitch at Fermoy was in reasonable condition. Hurling was never going to be easy in the non-stop rain. None-the-less both sides served up an exciting encounter in which the result was in doubt right up until the final whistle.
High School looked by far the better side in the first half. The full-back line of Phelan, Morrissey and Ryan were coping well with everything that came their way. At centre-back Peter Hally was back to his brilliant best getting what was the score of the game: a great long range point. Up front Liam Lawlor was providing the scores. At the interval High School had a seven point lead and looked comfortable.
Nothing, however, is simple in the game of hurling. In the second half the Cork side raised their game and started to play some very good hurling. Slowly they were clawing their way back into the game. After about fifteen minutes the Corkonians got a twenty metre free which was well struck. Ian Browne made a great save but seemed to want to enjoy the moment by adding a magnificent clearance worthy of the save. A Cork forward pounced and the ball was in the back of the net. (In the words of a certain coach: “out the side Ian!”). With that the sides were level. Game on. Things were not looking good. An Spioraid Naomh were on a roll. The next score was definitely the most important of the game and it came from none other than Aidan Barry who had a solid game throughout. Aidan’s point seemed to stop Cork ‘s momentum. With Niall Kelly playing well at midfield and Declan Power, who was outstanding in both halves, defending brilliantly the tide seemed to be turning back in the High School’s favour. A great Thomas O’Gorman goal gave Clonmel a welcome cushion and with Barry Gibbons coping well under severe pressure they managed to hold on for a three point win.
All in all it was a good win in difficult conditions. It has to be said too that the referee made some strange decisions at times but as a great corner back once said: “It’s all politics anyway!!!” High School lived dangerously in the second half and can improve on that performance. Well done to all the panel. Don’t forget training on Friday!
Man of the Match: Declan Power
Scorers
Liam Lawlor 1-04
Thomas O’Gorman 1-00
Peter Hally 0-01
Niall Kelly 0-01
Aidan Barry 0-01
Ronan Crosse 0-01
The panel was as follows:
Niall Kelly, Liam Lawlor, Sean Phelan, Des Morrissey, Eoin Ryan, Barry Gibbons, Peter Hally, Declan Power, Shane Geoghegan, Ronan Crosse, Brian Carroll, Travis Ryan, Maurice O’Gorman, Aidan Rouse, Pádraig Kelly, Oisin O’ Cuinneagáin, Paul Johnson, Ian Browne, Thomas O’Gorman, Michael Brennan, Oliver O’Gorman, Michael McHugh, Keith Fortune, John Hallinan, Aidan Barry.
Quarter Final – Highschool: 0-09 Lismore: 0-04
Munster Hurling Championship U-16 ½
The High School booked their place in the Munster Semi-Final with a great win yesterday (18/10/2000) over Lismore. Though the day was fine the game was played on a heavy pitch in Newcastle . As a result the match was a tight, dogged encounter in which scores were hard won. High School captain Niall Kelly elected to play against a strong wind in the first half. The Clonmel side battled hard and were happy to be only a point down at half time. In fact they were unlucky to be behind given that Brian Carroll , who was in excellent form, hit the post with a brilliant shot at goal. Minutes later Carroll won the ball in front of goal. In desperation the Lismore defenders pulled him down and referee Willie Barrett awarded the penalty which was later saved by the Lismore ‘keeper.
The second half started with the same frantic pace as the first. Slowly the High School hurlers began to stamp their authority on the game and began to hurl with great confidence. The charge was lead from the back. Des Morrissey was magnificent at full-back while Eoin Ryan was as dependable as ever and in the end was a contender for man-of-the-match. Sean Phelan , as always, was quick to tidy up any breaking ball. Peter Hally’s hurling at centre-back impressed everyone present. In the second half he was unbeatable. Declan Power played with his usual style on the wing and Barry Gibbons must have had glue on his hands- he caught every thing that came his way. Unfortunately for the High School Niall Kelly had to be taken off injured early in the second half. Normally to lose such an influential player would spell disaster but instead the troops rallied. Last year’s under-14 captain, Aidan Rouse , had a fine game when introduced. Shane Geoghegan did an amount of vital work around the middle of the field and took his score very well. In the forwards Liam Lawlor was providing vital scores as he does every time he dons the black and red jersey. At centre forward Ronan Crosse was having the game of his life. He literally could do no wrong. One of his three points was the score of the match, indeed a contender for score of the year. Aidan Barry played with great strength and vigour and grabbed another vital score in the second half. Travis Ryan really came into the game the second half and filled the dual role of play-maker and score-getter very effectively. Brian Carroll had one of his best games for the High School and added a new dimension of robustness to his game. He was terribly unlucky not to get a few scores. In the other corner Thomas O’Gorman was outstanding. The courage and determination of this man knows no bounds.
In the end High School were deserving winners. In fact were it not for one of the best displays of goalkeeping seen at this level from the Lismore ‘keeper the margain of victory would have been much greater. The Semi-Final will be played in about five weeks time so there is plenty of time for training!
Man of the Match: Ronan Crosse
Scorers
Liam Lawlor 0-03
Ronan Crosse 0-03
Travis Ryan 0-01
Shane Geoghegan 0-01
Aidan Barry 0-01
The panel was as follows:
Niall Kelly, Liam Lawlor, Sean Phelan, Des Morrissey, Eoin Ryan, Barry Gibbons, Peter Hally, Declan Power, Shane Geoghegan, Ronan Crosse, Brian Carroll, Travis Ryan, Maurice O’Gorman, Aidan Rouse, Pádraig Kelly, Oisin O’ Cuinneagáin, Paul Johnson, Ian Browne, Thomas O’Gorman, Michael Brennan, Oliver O’Gorman, Michael McHugh, Keith Fortune, John Hallinan, Aidan Barry, Neville Melbourne, Stephen Prendergast, Eamon Wall, Derek McGrath, Paul Ryan, David Conway, Liam Kelly, Barry Hanley.
Scorers of the championship (two games to date)
Liam Lawlor 1-07
Ronan Crosse 0-04
Thomas O’Gorman 1-00
Aidan Barry 0-02
Niall Kelly 0-01
Peter Hally 0-01
Shane Geoghegan 0-01
Travis Ryan 0-01