Holycross Ballycahill strike late injury time score to down Nenagh and book county final place

FBD Insurance Junior A Hurling Championship semi-final

Holycross Ballycahill 1-16

Nenagh Éire Óg 1-15

Holycross Ballycahill had to dig into every inch of their reserves to stave off Nenagh Éire Óg and seal a county final place after a titanic battle in Saturday’s FBD Insurance Junior A Hurling Championship semi-final in Borris-Ileigh that was decided late on.

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Played in challenging conditions at the North Tipperary venue, Holycross Ballycahill struck late through a Jack Dwan free to snatch a victory against a Nenagh team who had done so much right throughout the game, but ultimately failed to make the most of their opportunities.

The strong wind played its part in the game but it was counterintuitive to what you would expect, as both teams actually played better against it than with it.

Holycross had the use of it in the first half but it was Nenagh who worked the ball very well and by the 15th minute had taken a 0-7 to 0-4 lead with a good spread of contributors as Sean Geaney, Aodhan O’Connor, Jamie Cottrell, Niall Madden, and goalkeeper Mark Tuite all on target in a strong start from the North runner-ups.

A Niall Madden free in the 19th minute temporarily gave Nenagh a four-point lead but the remainder of the half seen Holycross reel in the deficit with Jack Dwan nailing three placed balls and a point from play while their were some fine scores from range hit by Tony Leahy and Jamie Lee Dwan as Nenagh took a slender 0-11 to 0-10 lead in at the break, but considering conditions, they would have been more than satisfied with their lot as it looked like Holycross had it all to do in the second half.

However, despite the use of the wind in the second half, Nenagh fell into their shell to a large degree and invited the Mid champions onto them.

It became a cagey contest and was low scoring after the restart as the sides were deadlocked at 0-13 apiece by the halfway point of the second half, with Holycross taking the lead for the first time through a Jack Dwan free in the 45th minute to put the pressure on Éire Óg.

However, the introduction of Tipperary minor hurler from 2024, Billy O’Brien, paid immediate dividends as the youngster produced a brilliant assist to set up Filip McIntyre to goal a minute later; a huge score in the context of the game.

A blow for Holycross it must be said, but they produced an emphatic response, first hitting a point from play in response before Jamie Woods produced a class flick on Mark Tuite as he cleared a ball to send the ball into the back of the net.

Still, there was no separating the sides as extra time looked inevitable with Éire Óg levelling the game with points from Aodhan O’Connor and a long range Mark Tuite free squaring things up again.

However, the Holycross experience eventually won the day with Jack Dwan again proving to be the match winner a minute into added time with a sweetly finished point to give them the lead, and with the slender advantage, they just held out in the final minutes to clinch a county final place.

There, they will face Kiladangan and will be one step away from plying their trade at the Intermediate grade in 2026 and raise the tide further in a club hitting all the right notes in recent years.

Holycross Ballycahill: Tomas Comerford; Sean McGrath, Conor Ryan, Pa Dwyer; Daire Ryan, Eoin Morris, Shane Ryan; Jamie Lee Dwan (0-2), Mikey Joe Doyle (0-1); Jack Dwan (0-8, 0-6f), Tony Leahy (0-3), Ben Hennessy (0-2); Jamie Woods (1-0), Stevie Flanagan, Audie Lohan.

No subs used

Nenagh Éire Óg: Mark Tuite (0-2f); Keelan Rice, Mark O'Farrell, Gavin Dooley; Cian Connolly, Conor McCarthy, Emmet Jones; Sean Geaney (0-1), Stevie Hallinan; Darragh Walsh (0-2), Jamie Cottrell (0-3), Aodhan O'Connor (0-2); Niall Madden (0-5, 0-4f), Gary Howard, Filip McIntyre (1-0).

Subs used: Billy O'Brien for Madden (44); Zac Keller for Howard (45); Conor Bonar for Jones (58).

Referee: Shane O'Neill (St Mary's)

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