*Crusheen/Tubber players celebrate. Photograph: Ruth Griffin
Crusheen/Tubber are celebrating this Christmas week after being crowned under 21 B hurling champions at Cusack Park this Sunday afternoon.
Crusheen/Tubber 2-16
Bodyke/O’Callaghans Mills Mills 0-22
(AET)
Crusheen/Tubber won 3-2 on penalties
In summer like conditions just six days before Christmas they emerged with the title following a thrilling contest which produced some excellent displays.
A penalty shoot out was required to determine a winner with Crusheen/Tubber capturing the honours on a 3-2 score. It is the first time a Clare club hurling championship has been decided following a penalty shootout.
Two evenly matched sides gave their all in this hugely exciting contest which saw them level on ten occasions. Points were swapped in the opening minute before Crusheen/Tubber opened a two point lead only for their opponents to be back on level terms by the fifth minute.
They were level at 0-4 each after ten minutes before Bodyke/O’Callaghans Mills opened a four point gap bu the mid point of the half.
Crusheen/Tubber finished the half strongly and they landed the last three points to trail by the minumum at the break, 0-9 to 0-10.
When play resumed they continued where they had left off and after a brace of points from one of their star performers on the day, Oisin O’Donnell to edge one ahead, they struck for the game’s opening goal from Senan Dunford.
Bodyke/O’Callaghans Mills came storming back and another of the stars of this tie, Seanie Doyle landed four in a row to level the contest (1-11 to 0-14) at the second waterbreak.
A minute into the final quarter the new champions struck for the game’s second goal and again it was Senan Dunford who found the net. Inside the final ten minutes they were four clear but Seanie Doyle was in sparkling form and he landed another four unanswered points to level the contest.
In the final minute of normal time Oisin O’Dlnnell put Crusheen/Tubber ahead but Bodyke/O’Callaghans Mills centre back Sean Wiley burst from defence to fire over a great point and send the game to extra time, Wiley was a standout player over the course of the final.
Freetakers Seanie Doyle and Murrough McMahon exchanged points from placed balls before a Fionn Hickey effort had the East Clare combination ahead by the minimum at the mid point in extra time.
The second period of exttra time was seven minutes old when Murrough McMahon converted a 20m free to level for Crusheen/Tubber. Straight from the puckout Bodyke Mills won a free which Doyle converted bringing his tally for the afternoon to 0-17 but Crusheen/Tubber weren’t to be denied and one minute into added time Oisin O’Donnell tie up the contest for the tenth and final time.
The excitement wasn’t over yet and the penalty shoot out saw more twists as both teams gave everything in search of victory.
Seanie Doyle was first up and his effort was saved by Tommy Fahy only for the match officials to order that it be re-taken and this time the game’s top scorer made no mistake. Crusheen/Tubber’s first two penalties from Murrough McMahon and Oisin O’Donnell were saved by Jack Minogue but in between those efforts he saw his own effort go wide of the target.
Colm Cleary and Cormac Murphy missed for Bodyke-O’Callaghans Mills while Pappy Taaffe and Diarmuid Mullins converted for the eventual winners leaving them one ahead after both sides had taken four penalties each.
Tiernan Slattery levelled when he converted for the East Clare combo but the title went to Crusheen/Tubber when Eanna McMahon converted his effort.
Oisin O’Donnell, Senan Dunford, Diarmuid Mullins, Eanna McMahon and Pappy Taaffe were promiinent for the winners while Sean Wiley, Keith Donnellan, Jack Minogue and Seanie Doyle stood out for the beaten finalists.
Newly elected Clare GAA vice chairman Michael O’Connor who is the current Crusheen club chairman, presented the trophy to the winning captain Ian O’Brien.
Crusheen/Tubber; Tommy Fahy; Ronan Kearney, Pappy Taaffe, Joey Droney; Cathal Droney, Eanna McMahon, Tadhg Dean; Liam Clancy (0-1), Diarmuid Mullins (0-2); Ian O’Brien (captain), Murrough McMahon (0-5, 4 f, 1 ‘65), Luke Ketelaar; Dylan Lyons, Senan Dunford (2-3), Oisin O’Donnell (0-5);
Sub: John O’Sullivan for Lyons (35)
Bodyke/O’Calllaghans Mills; Jack Minogue; Ronan Kelly, Keith Donnellan (captain), Cormac Treacy; Mikery McMahon, Sean Wiley (0-1), Stephen Donnellan; Fionn Hickey (0-2), Cormac Murphy (0-1); Fionn Slattery(0-1), Seanie Doyle (0-17, 0-14 f), Jamie O’Donnell; Thomas Minogue, Colm Cleary, Tiernan Slattery;
Sub: Thomas Wiley for T. Minogue (34);
Referee: Gus Callaghan (Feakle)
