Munster Club IHC: Watergrasshill in a winter wonderland after win over Cashel
Joy for the Watergrasshill hurlers after winning the Munster Intermediate title. Picture: Padraig Hogan.
Watergrasshill added provincial honours to their county title as the AIB Munster Club IHC was claimed with victory over Cashel King Cormacs at TUS Gaelic Grounds on Saturday evening.
While it was a comfortable win in the end, Eddie Enright’s side had to show good battling qualities to hold off their Tipperary opponents for three quarters of the game before they pulled clear, set on their way by Adam Murphy’s 48th-minute goal.
Having gone close just beforehand, Murphy was at the end of lovely work by Anthony Cronin and Patrick Cronin, his low strike opening up a 1-15 to 0-11 advantage. After the goal, the east Cork side were dominant, with four late Murphy points solidifying their supremacy.
The star attacker finished with 1-12, 1-5 from play, while a strong defensive effort, led by Shane Field, Dáire O’Leary and Kevin O’Neill, ensured that Cashel were unable to find a goal.
The Hill had a great start as Murphy had a point inside the opening 20 seconds and that set the tone for a four-point first-half haul for the attacker. Overall, the Cork champions possessed more cutting edge in that opening period – and outscored their opponents by eight points to one from open play – but they still only retired with a lead of 0-10 to 0-8.
There was one good early goal chance as Michael O’Driscoll’s good diagonal ball found the dangerous Brendan Lehane, who in turn fed Seán Desmond, but his shot was well saved by Jonathan Walsh for a 65.
The Hill had led by 0-3 to 0-1 at that stage but Devon Ryan and Oisín O’Donoghue – with that sole first-half score from play – had Cashel level and matters were tight for much of the first half.
While Watergrasshill didn’t trail before the break, almost every surge was answered, with two of Cashel’s scores coming from excellent Eoghan Connolly sideline cuts. Coming up to the break, a good Lehane point was followed by one from Ciarán O’Leary, linking well with Aaron Spriggs, to make it 0-9 to 0-7 by the 25th minute.
While Devon Ryan’s fifth free cut the deficit again, Shane O’Regan and Anthony Cronin combined to set up Liam Foley – just on as a sub for the injured O’Driscoll – to leave two in it at the interval.
Though Ryan had a free to make it a one-point game again on the restart, it was that last time that the teams were that close. The Hill – having changed into a set of dry jerseys – pushed clear as three from Murphy, two of them frees, were only answered by Ryan to leave three in it.
Further Cashel opportunities from play and frees were wasted, with the hardworking Cronin, set up by Ciarán O’Leary and Pádraig O’Leary, on target to open up a four-point lead, the biggest of the game.
After O’Donoghue got his and Cashel’s second point from play, Murphy might have replied with a Hill goal – his shot whizzed over, but he didn’t have long to wait.
The goal opening up a seven-point lead and the Hill cruised to victory from there.
A Murphy 1-12 (0-7f), B Lehane 0-3, A Cronin, P O’Leary, S O’Regan, L Foley, I O’Callaghan, C O’Leary 0-1 each.
D Ryan 0-7, O O’Donoghue, A Cummins, E Connolly (0-2 sideline) 0-2 each, G Browne 0-1.
A Foley; S Field, D McCarthy, I O’Callaghan; M O’Driscoll, D O’Leary, K O’Neill; A Cronin, A Spriggs; C O’Leary, S Desmond, S O’Regan; B Lehane, A Murphy, P O’Leary.
L Foley for O’Driscoll (28, injured), P Cronin for O’Callaghan (46), C Healy for P O’Leary (52), J McCarthy for C O’Leary (59), P O’Regan for Spriggs (60), R Murray for Field (60+4, temporary).
J Walsh; K O’Dwyer, N Ryan, C Bonnar; J Cummins, C O’Dwyer, A Walsh; R Connolly, E Connolly; R Bonnar, D Ryan, C Quinn; P Fahy, O O’Donoghue, D McGrath.
G Browne for McGrath (42), A Cummins for Fahy (52), D Moloney for Walsh (56).
N Malone (Clare).
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