Late Down scoring flourish denies Tyrone U20 hurlers

Tyrone 4-11 Down 1-22

A FAMOUS victory was tantalisingly within the grasp of the Tyrone U-20 hurlers in this All-Ireland Final at Breffni Park on Saturday until they were denied in agonising fashion by a Down revival which saw them clinch the title instead.

It was all looking so good for the Red Hands as they defied their underdogs status. Four goals at crucial stages from Shea Munroe and Liam Griffiths saw them lead for long periods and they looked capable of holding on as this entertaining clash entered added time.

But the win that they craved eluded the Tyrone players right at the end. They will know that this was a title which could have been won, and the knowledge of an absolutely brilliant display is scant consolation for the players and management.

This was undoubtedly an historic day for Tyrone hurling as the county’s U-20s played in the All-Ireland B final for the first time. They certainly weren’t overawed by the occasion either as a brilliant display in the opening period left them deservedly dreaming of a massive success.

It had been looking worrying for the young Red Hands during the opening stages at a sunny but blustery Breffni Park. Early points for Down looked set to see them confidently confirm their pre-match favourites tag.

Scores from Noah Rogers and Odhran Buirt saw them go ahead by 0-2 to no score within less than a minute. John Duggan and a brace courtesy of Cathal Coleman put them 0-4 ahead, as Tyrone goalkeeper, Odhran McMurray, was called upon to pull off a good save from Liam Blaney.

Tyrone were battling hard and enjoyed early scoring opportunities. Francie Hurson, Cillian Kerr and Ronan Molloy in the defence, Fionn Corry at midfield and Pierce Mullin, Shea Munroe and Aidan Woods in the attack were certainly working hard.

Suddenly, though, they began to find their form with the aid of a reasonably strong wind. It took a couple of scores to provide them with the ideal confidence boost, and they were soon battling back in impressive fashion with a series of fine scores and great all-round play.

Swapped points between Francie Hurson for Tyrone and Mark Rogers for Down initially maintained the status quo. Then, Tyrone really upped the tempo and they wasted little time subsequently in getting their title challenge right back on track.

Two goals in very quick succession transformed their hopes. First great work from Shea Munroe saw him set-up Liam Griffiths who made no mistake from close range. Then, just three minutes later, the underdogs were again celebrating, this time after their second goal.

This time Pierce Mullin showed good skill in controlling the ball despite losing his hurl. He showed good composure to set up Shea Munroe, who rattled the sliotair to the net. Tyrone had turned things dramatically around and were now enjoying a 2-1 to 0-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.

Three points in the subsequent minutes consolidated Tyrone’s advantage and highlighted their supremacy at this stage of the match. A brace from Aidan Woods and then a brilliant point from Liam Griffiths left them enjoying a double-scores 2-4 to 0-5 lead.

It remained very closely contested as Tyrone continued to pile on the pressure. Relieving clearances from players such as Francie Hurson, Ronan Molloy and Cormac McCrystal kept Down at bay, especially when Liam Blaney came close to grabbing a goal.

Liam Blaney, Cathal Coleman and John Duggan all fired over to reduce the deficit for the Mourne county. But Corey Bell and Pierce Mullan responded to ensure that Tyrone enjoyed a fully merited 2-6 to 0-10 interval advantage.

Down started on the resumption in determined fashion when a brace from Cathal Coleman brought the teams level. All seemed set for them to maintained that momentum, but Tyrone were in no mood to relinquish their control and a battling and committed performance ensured that they remained on top.

A third goal and a second for Shea Munroe was exactly the boost that the Red Hands required. Shea Munroe burst through the Down defence before unleashing a brilliant shot to the net. That extened Tyrone’s lead to 3-6 to 0-12 early in the second half.

Odhran McMurray pulled off another great save to deny Cathal Coleman. As the tension mounted, a great spurt put Tyrone on the verge of victory. Points from Shea Munroe,Corey Bell and Aidan Woods provided the prelude for Shea Munroe’s third goal. He fired home to leave Tyrone 4-9 to 0-15 ahead entering the closing stages.

Matters were really hotting up now and Odhran McMurray denied Luke McCabe with the save of the match. Further scores at the other end from Shea Munroe and Eunan Campbell kept them firmly on top and within sight of what would be a famous win.

But then Luke Pucci goaled for Down and the tension mounted. While Tyrone led by 4-11 to 1-17, a three point advantage that they worked really hard to secure was looking shaky.

The closing minutes proved to be the downfall of the Red Hands as Down registered five points to come from behind and win. Three from Cathal Coleman, and two others courtesy of Liam Blaney and Ben Taggart earned Down their 1-22 to 4-11 win, to break the Tyrone hearts after a top class performance.

Scorers

Tyrone: Shea Munroe 3-2 0-1f, Liam Griffiths 1-1, Aidan Woods 0-3, Corey Bell 0-2, Pierce Mullin 0-1, Francie Hurson 0-1, Eunan Campbell 0-1.

Down: Cathal Coleman 0-11 8f, 1 ’65, Noah Rogers 0-4, Shea Pucci 1-0, John Duggan 0-2, Luke McCabe 0-1, Ben Taggart 0-1.

Teams

Tyrone: Odhran McMurray, Michael Coyle, Cormac McCrystal, Cillian Kerr, Ronan Molloy, Francie Hurson, Ruairi O’Sullivan, Kevin Hughes, Fionn Corry, Liam Griffiths, Corey Bell, Eunan Campbell, Aidan Woods, Pierce Mullin, Shea Munroe. Subs – Conor Doherty for C Kerr, 41, Eoghan Mullin for E Campbell 57, Donncha Mor O’Neill for F Corry, 58.

Down: Cian Clarke, Daniel Cunningham, Ben Taggart, Sean McCollum, Patrick McGarry, Shea Pucci, Manus Gilmore, Odhran Birt, Rossa Byres, Sean O’Neill, Luke McCabe, John Duggan, Noah Rogers, Liam Blaney, Cathal Coleman. Subs – Eoin Browne for D Cunningham 34, Ruairi MacCamphill for S O’Neill 40, Ben Christie for M Gilmore, 57, Lorcan Cooney for N Rogers 33

Referee: Kevin Brady, Louth.