St Kiernan's 2-7
Tir Chonaill Gaels 1-8
THE Tipperary Cup mightn't top the priority list, but there was no denying the sweet sense of satisfaction St Kiernan's gained from a fine Friday evening final success over Tir Chonaill Gaels at Ruislip.
Perhaps it is the greatest testament to Tir Chonaill Gaels that they remain the greatest scalp of all to take in London. Even with both teams understrength this match moved along at a nice clip and just when it seemed as if the Gaels might reel in the underdogs Kiernan's held on.
Sensibly refereed by Rob Whelan there was a dash to the football from the first whistle as Kiernan's caused Tir Chonaill Gaels plenty of problems. Capable of moving the ball through the lines in a clever fashion Kiernan's long range shooting was adequate as they led 0-3 to 0-2 at the end of the first quarter.
Ashley Carr, substitute John McGrath (free), and Adrian O'Hanlon replied with points which enabled the Gaels depart at the break armed with a slender 0-5 to 0-4 advantage.
The complexion altered dramatically in the seven minutes immediately after the restart as Kiernan's plundered 2-1 without reply.
Tom Waters thumped over a free and then a slice of good fortune enabled Kiernan's bag a major. A Waters delivery dropped short, but Peter Finn reacted smartly to rattle the Gaels net in the 35th minute. That is exactly what Michael O'Donoghue did 90 seconds later gathering a Danny Ryan delivery before finishing in ice cool fashion.
Suddenly Kiernan's led by six and from then to the finish their resolve was examined by Tir Chonaill Gaels. A 53rd minute Gaels goal by substitute Cathal Magee eventually trimmed the deficit down to two points, but Kiernan's dealt with the inevitable last gasp scrambles to secure victory.
Scorers for St Kiernan's: M O'Donoghue 1-1 (1f), P Finn 1-0, L McKenna 0-1, D Ryan 0-1, D Quinn 0-1, M O'Callaghan 0-1, S McLoughlin 0-1, T Waters 0-1 (f).
Scorers for Tir Chonaill Gaels: C Magee 1-0, A O'Hanlon 0-2, S Friel 0-2 (2fs), A Carr 0-1, L Gavigan 0-1, A McDermott 0-1, J McGrath 0-1 (f).
St Kiernan's: B Mulrooney, L O'Donoghue, I McGough, P Begley; D Quinn, J Gallagher, D Digney; S McLoughlin, D Ryan; L McKenna, T Waters, S Brady; M O'Donoghue, P Finn, M Mulholland. Subs: G Lyons for Digney (31 mins), M O'Callaghan for Brady (43 mins), B O'Leary for Mulrooney (55 mins), R Lively for L O'Donoghue (58 mins).
Tir Chonaill Gaels: G McEvoy; B McAtarney, R Breen, B Ross; N Boyle, D Hughes, G Magee; A McDermott, L Gavigan; S Friel, A O'Hanlon, T Gribben; A Carr, K Butler, A Downes: Subs: J McGrath for Downes (17 mins), C Magee for Butler (42 mins), B Duddy for Carr (31 mins), R Kearney for Boyle (53 mins).
Referee: R Whelan.
