St Joseph’s Tulla 0-17
Ardscoil Rís 0-14
Eoin Brennan
SAINT Joseph’s Tulla’s already momentous breakthrough season was deservedly glittered with coveted Harty Cup silverware when edging out Ardscoil Rís in TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday afternoon.
Knowing that this was their greatest opportunity to cement a first ever Munster Senior A Post-Primary Schools Hurling Championship crown, the East Clare side certainly grasped it with both hands.
Matching wind-assisted Ardscoil blow-for-blow in the first half, they duly upped the ante with the conditions to dig out a historic win.
Captain Ronan O’Connor led from the front with a relentless hour while Adam Hogan, Oisin Clune, Tony Leyden, Darragh Keogh, Sean Withycombe and Colm Cleary were others to excel when needed most for their school.
On the flip side, Broadford’s Niall O’Farrell was Ardscoil Rís’ most effective performer, especially in the first half while Cian Scully brought the fight most to their opponents as the hour elapsed.
The foundations for Tulla’s win stemmed from a gritty first half in which they actually led by 0-8 to 0-6 by the 26th minute, thanks to three successive points from Withycombe.
Not to be outdone, O’Farrell would replicate that feat as the half concluded including a ’65 at the death to lead by 0-9 to 0-8 by the midway mark following a goalmouth scramble.
In the 31st minute. What seemed a routine O’Farrell free for a point was mishit and forced goalkeeper Aaron Shanahan into a super scrambling save that ricocheted off the post and rolled agonisingly along the line before going out for that ’65.
St Joseph’s would never look back thereafter with a six point blitz by the two-thirds mark through Withycombe (2), Darragh Keogh (2), Oisin Clune and Colm Cleary providing a match-winning position at 0-14 to 0-10.
Ardscoil did bounce back off the ropes to lessen the damage to just one entering the final ten minutes but would also regretfully pass up two glorious goal chances to alter the narrative.
Equally, Tulla were denied a clinching goal as quickfire efforts from Fionn Hickey and substitute Aaron Curtis were somehow repelled by goalkeeper Seimi Gully in the 56th minute.
However, with the historic finish line in sight, a determined Tulla remained steadfast in their pursuit of glory, with Withycombe and Cleary fittingly sealing the school’s greatest day.
St Joseph’s Tulla: Aaron Shanahan (Tulla); Dara Ryan (Tulla), Adam Hogan (Feakle), Fionn Ryan (Tulla); Mikey McMahon (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Oisin Clune (Feakle) Tony Leyden (Tulla); Ronan O’Connor (Feakle), Darragh Keogh (Clooney-Quin); Oisin O’Connor (Feakle), Sean Withycombe (Tulla), Fionn Hickey (O’Callaghan’s Mills); Conor O’Donnell (Broadford), Colm Cleary (O’Callaghan’s Mills), Eoghan McMahon (Crusheen). Sub: Aaron Curtis (Tulla) for E. McMahon (43)
Scorers: Sean Withycombe (0-10, 6f, 3’65); Colm Cleary (0-3); Darragh Keogh (0-2); Ronan O’Connor, Oisin Clune (0-1 each)
Ardscoil Rís: Seimi Gully (Clonlara); Evan O’Leary (Ahane), John Fitzgerald (Na Piarsaigh), Colm Flynn (Sixmilebridge); Vince Harrington (Na Piarsaigh), Cian Scully (Dromin-Athlacca/Banogue), Michael Gavin (Ballybrown); JJ Carey (Na Piarsaigh), Rian O’Byrne (Crecora Manister); Oisin O’Farrell (Askeaton), Niall O’Farrell (Broadford), Brian O’Keeffe (Murroe-Boher); Dylan Lynch (Na Piarsaigh), Shane O’Brien (Kilmallock), David Kennedy (Sixmilebridge). Subs: Dara Casey (Sixmilebridge) for Flynn (30), Diarmuid Stritch (Clonlara) for O. O’Farrell (45), Sam Hickey (Adare) for Casey (56)
Scorers: Niall O’Farrell (0-7, 2f, 2’65); Rian O’Byrne, Shane O’Brien, Dylan Lynch (0-2 each); JJ Carey (0-1)
Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)