Senior B success completes double for Tubber

Tubber 2-13   O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-10

TUBBER bridged a nine-year gap when capturing the Ryan-Hannon Trophy at the expense of O’Callaghan’s Mills at Clarecastle on Sunday.

 

Tubber 2-13
O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-10

TUBBER bridged a nine-year gap when capturing the Ryan-Hannon Trophy at the expense of O’Callaghan’s Mills at Clarecastle on Sunday.

The North Clare club’s last success in the Senior B Hurling Championship came in 2003 and this latest win completed a tremendous weekend for the club. Twenty-four hours earlier, the club won the Junior B Championship for the first time when proving too strong for their neighbours Crusheen.

Their determination to win this title was evident from as early as the second minute when team captain Justin McMahon had the game’s opening score after taking a pass from Eamonn Taaffe.

“The two teams came into this game differently, in that the Mills had done well against Clonlara, whereas we were disappointed with our performance against Newmarket. We would have liked to have made it a bit harder for them.

“There was a great hunger in Tubber to rectify that and it showed in this final. We had two good goal chances against Newmarket, which we didn’t take but we took them today,” said Tubber boss, Pat O’Connor, after Sunday’s victory.

This win, added to the club’s success in the Junior B Championship the previous day is fantastic for the club, he said. “These wins are crucial and help to keep small clubs going because if the don’t get a title now and then, they will run out of diesel. These successes will energise Tubber for next year,” O’Connor added.

“The Senior B is a stepping stone to success in the main event. Crusheen won this title [Senior B] four years ago and they went on to win two Senior A titles. Newmarket won this title last year and they are now in the senior final. We lost just one championship game this year, which reflects consistency. I am happy with the display and the work rate,” said O’Connor.

Exchanges in the opening quarter were fairly even on a day when referee Johnnie Healy issued five yellow cards inside the first quarter.

With the score tied at 0-3 each, Tubber got the breakthrough that led to the opening goal, a score that gave them a lead they held to the finish. It came in the 22nd minute when the evergreen Eamonn Taaffe found the net after an impressive passing movement by Pat O’Connor’s outfit.

At half-time, the winners were two points clear, 1-5 to 0-6, and that was as close the Mills got.

Early in the second half, the winners lost their captain, Justin McMahon, with a shoulder injury but they hit back with three unanswered points to go five clear by the 10th minute of the second period.

The game had just entered the final quarter when they struck for their second goal, a score that left the Mills with a mountain to climb. O’Callaghan’s Mills goalie John Cooney could only parry a delivery from outfield and Tubber substitute David O’Donoghue reacted quickest and flicked the ball to the net.

The score put seven points between the teams and there was no way back for the Mills.

Gary Neville kept his side’s slim hopes alive when he converted a 65’ but Blaine Earley and Tommy Lee replied for the winners, who closed out the tie with a brace from the game’s top scorer, Blaine Earley.

Conor and Mark Earley and John O’Connor were always prominent in the winners’ defence, while Patrick O’Connor dominated the midfield exchanges. Justin McMahon, until injured, Eamonn Taaffe and Blaine Earley did well up front.

For a disappointing O’Callaghan’s Mills side, Patrick and Bryan Donnellan and Niall Donovan worked hard throughout but their attack failed to trouble the winners’ defence and only managed three points from play.

After the game, Clare GAA chairman, Michael O’Neill, presented the Ryan-Hannon Trophy to Tubber captain, Justin McMahon.

Tubber: Ronan Taaffe; Mark Earley, Eoin Ruane, John O’Connor; Paul Fogarty, Conor Earley, Fergal O’Grady; Patrick O’Connor, Clive Earley; Justin McMahon (captain), Shane O’Connor, Jack Neylon; Tommy Lee, Eamonn Taaffe, Blaine Earley.
Subs: David O’Donoghue for McMahon (inj, 34 minutes), Gerard O’Connor for Neylon (55 minutes) and Francis McCormack for S O’Connor (59 minutes).
Scorers: Blaine Earley (0-8, 6f), Eamonn Taaffe (1-1), David O’Donoghue (1-0), Patrick O’Connor, Mark Earley, Justin McMahon and Tommy Lee (0-1 each).
Frees for: 16; wides: 9.
Bookings: Shane O’Connor (5 minutes), Eamonn Taaffe (15 minutes), Jack Neylon (27 minutes) and Ronan Taaffe (59 minutes).
O’Callaghan’s Mills: John Cooney; Ger Frost, Adrian Donovan, Gerry Cooney; Aidan O’Gorman, Patrick Donnellan, Niall Donovan; Bryan Donnellan, Jonathon Lyons; Adrian Flaherty, Conor Cooney (Ermhill), Gary Neville; Cathal McKeogh, Conor ‘Rocky’ Cooney, Eoghan Pewter.
Subs: Aidan Fawl for Pewter (28 minutes) and Michael McGrath for Conor Cooney (Ermhill, 38 minutes).
Scorers: Gary Neville (0-4, 3f, 1 65’), Patrick Donnellan and Adrian Flaherty (0-2 each), Conor ‘Rocky’ Cooney and Jonathon Lyons (0-1 each).
Frees for: 10; wides: 11; b 1.
Bookings: Patrick Donnellan (5 minutes), Niall Donovan (6 minutes), Gerry Cooney (15 minutes) and Ger Frost (45 minutes).
Referee: Johnnie Healy, Smith O’Brien’s.