February 16, 2011
By Staff Reporter
By Martin Breheny
The summer is in and the game is on. The first real drama of the 1999 Guinness hurling championships wrapped itself tightly around Pairc Ui Chaoimh in Cork last Sunday as Clare and Tipperary provided an epic encounter in the Munster semifinal. Seventy minutes of high-octane action failed to separate them (Clare 2-12, Tipperary 0-18), so they must return to Cork next Saturday afternoon for a second thrilling installment.
A draw was rarely mentioned in all the pre-match analysis on the basis that it was unlikely that Clare, having finished level against both Waterford and Offaly last year, would start the new season on a similar tightrope. The script pointed to an outright decision on Sunday. The big doubt surrounded the actual winners.
But from an early stage it became apparent to the 42,382 spectators that the sides were so evenly matched that a replay was a distinct possibility. It was all square on no more than six occasions in a bristling first half, and while Tipperary had edged ahead by 0-8 to 0-7 at the interval, it was no more than a nodding acquaintance with superiority in such a tight, tense encounter.
When Tipperary pulled three points clear five minutes after the restart, the big question was posed to Clare and they responded in typically defiant terms. Jamesie O’Connor is not noted for his goal-scoring exploits, but he popped up for as vital a score as he is ever likely to get in the 44th minute when he drifted clear of his marker and whipped the ball past Brendan Cummins to bring the sides level.
A David Forde point put Clare ahead briefly, but Tipperary, inspired by Brendan Cummins, Conal Bonnar, David Kennedy, Tommy Dunne, Liam Cahill and Paul Shelly, who gave Brian Lohan a torrid afternoon, recovered quickly and cruised into overdrive mode, which took them three points clear with three minutes remaining.
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Shelly had a great chance to ensure victory but was thwarted by a brilliant stop from Davy Fitzgerald and the Clare goalkeeper was destined to make another match-saving contribution in injury time after Conor Clancy was hauled down in the square by a desperate Tipperary defense.
Fitzgerald strolled the full length of the pitch and, despite the intense pressure, he held his nerve, blasting the penalty into the Tipp net for a dramatic equalizer.
Fitzgerald was very much the Clare hero, but there were others, too, who deserve enormous credit for their solidity on a day when courage was every bit as important as skill.
Liam Doyle, Anthony Daly, Enda Flannery, Colin Lynch and David Forde all performed heroics for a Clare team which had to line out without the injured Ollie Baker, who was later introduced as a substitute.
So it’s back to Pairc Ui Chaoimh next Saturday for a replay that should provide another classic encounter to decide who will progress to the Munster final against either Cork or Waterford, who meet in Thurles on Sunday.
Football
Dublin and Meath, the most enduring power bases in Leinster football, didn’t have to change out of third gear to speed past Louth and Wicklow, respectively, in the Bank of Ireland Leinster quarterfinals at Croke Park on Sunday.
Dublin beat Louth by 2-15 to 0-14, while Meath were equally impressive in their 2-10 to 0-6 victory over a very disappointing Wicklow side. Dublin now move on to play the winners of Westmeath-Laois, while Meath take on the Kildare-Offaly winner.
Dublin 2-15, Louth 0-14
Louth scored first against Dublin, but once Ian Robertson, Dublin’s latest choice in a troublesome full-forward position, got through for a goal in the 10th minute, a certain inevitability crept in. The Dublin attack was far too inventive for a static Louth defense, where only evergreen favorite Stephen Melia offered consistent resistance, and by the 20th minute, Dublin led by 1-4 to 0-2.
The Louth attack did well enough with limited possession, and by halftime had given their fans in the 39,039 crowd some hope when the deficit was down to three points, 1-7 to 0-7. Alas, for Louth, their dreams were quickly wiped out as Dublin sliced in for a second goal from sub, Mick O’Keeffe, in the 40th minute. It was all very comfortable for Dublin from there on with midfielder, Ciaran Whelan, producing a truly vintage performance, well supported by Declan Darcy, Ian Robertson, Brendan O’Brien and Paul Curran.
Meath 2-10, Wicklow 0-6
If Dublin’s new full-forward was a big hit, so too was Meath’s equivalent, Graham Geraghty, in the easy win over Wicklow. Geraghty, who is team captain this season, has played in a whole variety of positions in the past and had his versatility tested once again when Sean Boylan handed him the No. 14 shirt.
But he took to it like a veteran, scoring 1-4 from play, and causing the Wicklow so many problems that they simply didn’t know where to turn to stem the flow. Tommy Dowd also had an outstanding day, scoring 1-2 while Trevor Giles, back in action after a cruciate ligament operation, showed that he has lost none of his mobility or flair.
Meath’s only worry came just before halftime when center-back Hank Traynor was sent off for a second bookable offense. They were leading by 1-5 to 0-4 (the goal came from Dowd in the 23rd minute) at the time, an advantage they took into the break.
Their response was simple but effective. Enda McManus came on as a sub to fill the center-back role, Trevor Giles moved to midfield in place of Jimmy McGuiness and Meath played with five forwards for the second half. At times it looked as if they had 10 n attackers running against a poor Wicklow defense.
Geraghty scored Meath’s second goal in the 58th minute, and from there to the finish, the tempo dropped almost to a standstill as the life dripped out of Wicklow’s championship season in the most disappointing circumstances.
Donegal 2-9, Armagh 1-12
Donegal appeared to be heading out of the Ulster championship in the preliminary round when they trailed by a point in injury time against Armagh in Ballybofey, but they were rescued by 20-year-old sub Michael Hegarty, who angled over the equalizer in the dying seconds.
The final score looked most unlikely in the opening 10 minutes when Donegal opened up a 7-point lead, 2-1 to 0-0. Tony Boyle got in for a goal in the third minute and four minutes late, John Duffy pounced for a second, followed by a pointed free by Boyle.
Shell-shocked, Armagh were left looking up a mountain, but, in fairness, they responded with commendable bravery and outscored Donegal by 1-12 to 0-8 in the remaining hour. The introduction of Diarmuid Marsden, who was left out due to injury problems, proved the catalyst for Armagh’s revival. He tormented the Donegal defense and with Jarlath Burns and Justin McNulty winning lots of possession around midfield, the tide turned.
Donegal led by 2-2 to 0-5 at the interval, but it was clearly heading for a tight finish. Armagh missed some good chances in the third quarter and a quick Donegal surge put them four points clear with nine minutes remaining. Armagh cut the gap to three and then had a lucky break when Donegal’s goalkeeper, Tony Blake, dropped a long-range shot into the path of Paddy McKeever, who booted the ball to the net.
Armagh twice took the lead in the closing six minutes, but Donegal equalized on both occasions to earn a second chance next Sunday.
Other games
Padraig Joyce scored 1-5, while Jarlath Fallon kicked 0-4 as All-Ireland champions Galway easily accounted for London in the first round of the Connacht championship at Ruislip.
It was never going to be more than a practice run for Galway, who led by 1-4 to 0-0 at after 10 minutes. By halftime, they had gone 12 points clear, 1-12 to 0-3.
London responded positively after the break to score 1-4 without reply in the opening 13 minutes, but once Galway regained their concentration, they kicked a stream of points to ensure an easy win and a Connacht semifinal date with Sligo on June 27.