Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas 1-14
Ballinascarthy 1-12
JOHN MURPHY REPORTS
ALL hail the conquering heroes of Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas, the RCM Tarmacadam Junior A Hurling Championship high kings of Carbery for 2024!
The mighty men of Mathúnas delivered a scintillating display of power-packed hurling to claim their sixth title at this level by narrowly defeating a resilient Ballinascarthy side at a jam-packed and resplendent Enniskeane on Sunday.
In the process, Mathúnas wrote a new and exciting chapter in the already illustrious and chequered history of this small, vibrant and fast becoming famous club from Castletownkenneigh.
The Diarmuid Ó Mathúna team celebrates after defeating Ballinascarthy in the RCM Tarmacadam JAHC final replay at Enniskeane on Sunday. (Photo: Paddy Feen)
Fourteen years is a long wait to reclaim the famous Flyer Nyhan Cup, and certainly there have been highs and lows for Mathúnas in the interim years since their last Carbery JAHC triumph in 2010, but once the final whistle blew on Sunday all the heartbreaks were banished.
Mathúnas had reached their Promised Land and Holy Grail, their wait for hurling glory was over, and the unbounded celebrations were about to begin.
It takes two to tango and Ballinascarthy played a major part in both the draw and replayed to raise the drama level to a new height. While victory eluded them this time out, they can take some solace in making both games the hurling spectacles they were.
The sides were deadlocked ten times on Sunday and while both teams shot a number of wides, the drama and uncertainty were there to the very end. True grit, dedication and determination was displayed by both teams and were very evident in this thrilling cliffhanger. Like the first game, it went down to the wire.
Cometh the hour, cometh the man and perhaps it was fitting that Caolan O’Donovan, one of the stars of the show and winner of the Clash Awards man-of the-match accolade, was the man that finally saw Mathúnas get past the winning post in the exciting dying embers.
As the clock ticked over into injury-time and Mathúnas in front, 1-12 to 1-11, never-say-die Ballinascarthy conjured up a neat move culminating in a delightful levelling score from the stick of Cillian Cullinane. The smell of extra-time was in the air, but a rejuvenated Mathúnas, who had controlled the tempo and possession during the previous ten minutes, was having none of it.
Diarmuid Ó Mathúna's Conor O'Sullivan races away from Ballinascarthy's Brian O'Donovan.
Surging upfield they breached the Bal citadel and it looked like Caolan O’Donovan just had to score when he let fly with a blockbusting drive after a gut-wrenching sally. But as he had done a number of times previously, ace Ballinascarthy shot-stopper Darragh Hennessy dived spectacularly to divert the sliotar for a 65 and save a certain goal. Unerringly, Caolan bisected the uprights.
While Ballinascarthy had survived and had time to launch another bombardment, Mathúnas resilient defence – with Robbie Lucey and captain Jeremiah Hurley displaying real control and composure – ensured the danger was averted.
Summing up hidden reserves of energy, outstanding midfielders Conor O’Sullivan and Seán Crowley launched their own missile and no better man than Caolan O’Donovan to send an absolute beauty between the posts. Shortly afterwards the final whistle sounded, Mathúnas had won an epic encounter and achieved a victory of mammoth proportions somewhat against the odds, and just one week after losing the Carbery football final to Kilmacabea.
As in the first game Mathúnas got the scoring show on the road, Kevin O’Donovan finding the range in the opening minute. However, Ballinascarthy went on to control the tempo in the following period and with a monopoly of possession set up a number of incursions into enemy territory. From one such attack Eoin O’Brien embarked on a scintillating solo only for a combination of fine defending by Ronan McCarthy, Michael O’Sullivan and Jack O’Callaghan, allied to staunch goalkeeping by Micheál O’Driscoll, diverting the shot for a 65.
Jeremy Ryan made no mistake from the resulting 65 and was to go on and emerge Bal’s leading scorer giving a faultless display of dead ball accuracy on a day when both free-takers, including Caolan O’Donovan for Mathúnas, performed to the pinnacle of their powers. The latter pointed another free, but Bal’s attack, with Brian O’Donovan and Seán Ryan having changed positions at the outset, saw the former place the latter who cut in from the right touchline, round his marker and his low trajectory drive flew into the Mathúnas rigging.
Ryan and O’Donovan exchanged frees as Timmy Cullinane fired over from an acute angle. Bal’s tails were up and with Daniel Nyhan and Ciarán O’Neill minding the house to good effects, things appeared to be looking up.
But Mathúnas intensity went to a new level and after veteran Ted Lordan was fouled, Caolan O’Donovan split the posts. It was to get even better as a long delivery by the hard-working Robbie Lucey left Kevin O’Donovan in isolation. Spotting a chink in the Reds armour he sprinted inside the cover to flash a superb drive past Darragh Hennessy. All square, 1-4 to 1-4.
Again, Jeremy Ryan and Caolan O’Donovan found the target, and a fantastic long-range drive by Ryan saw them ahead, 1-6 to 1-5. However, only for the agility of goalkeeper Hennessy the Reds could have been in arrears, Caolan O’Donovan ensuring half-time parity, 1-6 to 1-6.
It was tit-for-tat on resuming as after Jeremy Ryan put Bal two points to the good, back came the O’Donovan brigade of Kevin and Caolan (free) to tie it up again, 1-8 to 1-8, the pace unrelenting, the excitement at fever pitch.
Enter Cian Ryan and Eoghan Ferguson as Bal freshened things up front. Kevin O’Donovan with a smashing point and the ever-reliable Ryan again did the business as Ferguson with almost his first touch sent over a classy point.
Caolan O’Donovan (free) and Brian O’Donovan, having been set up by the hardworking Tristan Walsh, were next to send the scoreboard operator in action. Mathúnas were on a roll now and two sublime frees by Caolan saw them ahead, 1-12 to 1-11, the remainder of the hectic later action described at the outset.
Scorers
Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas: Caolan O’Donovan 0-11 (8f, 2 65); Kevin O’Donovan 1-3.
Ballinascarthy: Jeremy Ryan 0-8 (6f, 1 65); Seán Ryan 1-0; Brian O’Donovan, Timmy Cullinane, Eoghan Ferguson, Cillian Cullinane 0-1 each.
Diarmuid Ó Mathúnas: Micheál O’Driscoll; Ronan McCarthy, Michael O’Sullivan, Jack O’Callaghan; Eoin Mangan, Jeremiah Hurley, Robbie Lucey; Conor O’Sullivan, Seán Crowley; Ted Lordan, Kevin O’Donovan, Caolan O’Donovan; Jamie Lucey, Patrick Crowley, Gearóid O’Donovan.
Sub: James Fleming for Jamie Lucey (52).
Ballinascarthy: Darragh Hennessy; James O’Brien, Daniel Nyhan, Pádraic Cullinane; Tristan Walsh, Ciarán O’Neill, Seamus McCarthy; Luke Murray, Jeremy Ryan; Cillian Cullinane, Seán Ryan, Conall Cullinane; Timmy Cullinane, Brian O’Donovan, Eoin O’Brien.
Subs: Cian Ryan for Conall Cullinane (46), Eoghan Ferguson for Timmy Cullinane (51).
Referee: Alan Long (Argideen Rangers).
