All-Ireland IHC final: Thomastown far too strong for Castlelyons

Thomastown (Kilkenny) 2-23

Castlelyons 0-13

Thomastown made it a Kilkenny double in Croke Park on Saturday evening as Castlelyons fell to defeat in the AIB All-Ireland Club IHC final.

The Cork premier intermediate champions never led the encounter and a start that saw them concede the game’s first five points was never fully remedied. While the deficit was cut to two points at one stage, they fell seven behind as half-time approached.

Two Alan Fenton 65s – each after Anthony Spillane had generated a half-chance for a goal – left them 0-11 to 0-6 behind at half-time and captain Colm Spillane brought them within four points inside 15 seconds of the restart.

However, that was as close as they got. Thomastown responded strongly with points from two of their dangermen, Robbie Donnelly and John Donnelly, and then the latter’s run set up Stephen Donnelly for a well-taken goal and a 1-13 to 0-7 lead.

From there, Thomastown solidified their advantage and they were 1-22 to 0-12 in front when Donnelly got his second goal near the end. A 16-point difference between the teams at the end was harsh on Castlelyons, for whom Niall O’Leary ran himself ragged, but there could be no denying the superiority of a Thomastown side that had lost three Kilkenny IHC finals in four years before making the breakthrough.

The opening ten minutes at-best forgettable for Castlelyons as they allowed their Kilkenny opponents the head-start. Robbie and John Donnelly found the target early while the Cork side’s shooting efforts were off-target or short.

Things could have got even worse in the tenth minute as Jack Holden looked to play in Robbie Donnelly for a goal chance but Jack Barry was off his line well to pressurise the attacker and Niall O’Leary completed the tidy-up operation. Moments later, Cork star O’Leary again came to the rescue as he got in a vital challenge on Stephen Donnelly.

After Alan Fenton opened the Castlelyons account on 14 minutes with a free, O’Leary – landed a huge effort and Oscar Hallihan’s good score from the left made it 0-5 to 0-3.

However, Thomastown came back strongly with three consecutive points and repeated the dose after another from O’Leary to make it 0-11 to 0-4 with three minutes left until half-time.

Anthony Spillane, deprived of possession for much of the evening, almost created something as he won a break only to be crowded out by Jay Burke and Ned Kirwan; Fenton pointed the 65 and did so again after O’Leary’s ball found Spillane, who turned his man only to be denied by a Diarmuid Galway save.

Five points down at half-time was not insurmountable and Colm Spillane’s point on the resumption gave them further hope but Thomastown’s firepower could not be quelled/.

A six-point surge between the 40th and 47th minutes put the Noresiders into a 1-20 to 0-10 lead with Robbie Donnelly continuing to be unerring from dead balls while Holdren, Jonjo Farrell and Stephen Donnelly all pointed.
Fenton remained accurate from frees for Castlelyons when the opportunities presented themselves but a resolute Thomastown defence was never going to allow itself to be demolished to the extent that Castlelyons required for a late turnaround.

Stephen Donnelly capped a great evening for him and his team with the second goal on 56, goalkeeper Jack Barry unlucky with the rebound after saving well from Robbie Donnelly.

Scorers for Thomastown: R Donnelly 0-10 (0-5f, 0-2 65), S Donnelly 2-3, J Donnelly 0-3, L Connellan, J Farrell 0-2 each, E Donnelly, P McDonald, J Holden 0-1 each.

Castlelyons: A Fenton 0-7 (0-3f, 0-2 65), C Spillane, N O’Leary 0-2 each, O Hallihan, B Murphy 0-1 each.

THOMASTOWN: D Galway; N Kirwan, J Burke, P Connellan; B Staunton, E Donnelly, Z Bay Hammond; P McDonald, J Farrell; R Donnelly, L Connellan, J Donnelly; J O’Hanrahan, S Donnelly, J Holden.

Subs: D Waugh for Holden (52), R O’Hara for Kirwan, D Prendergast for O’Hanrahan (both 59), A Cass for Connellan, B O’Hanrahan for Bay Hammond (both 60).

CASTLELYONS: J Barry; J O’Leary, C Barry, L Sexton; N O’Leary, C Spillane, D Spillane; A Fenton, J Kearney; B Murphy, L Doocey, O Hallihan; D Morrison, A Spillane, K O’Leary.

Subs: C McCarthy for Doocey (11, injured), Shane Moroney for J O’Leary (49), B O’Donovan for Hallihan (53), R Fenton for Morrison (55), R Feeney for K O’Leary (58).

Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).