Wexford 3-11 Tipperary
1-12
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| Wexford Junior Hurlers win the second junior A title for the club. |
Wexford put their name back on the junior hurling trophy after
a one year hiatus with a 5 point victory in a well contested final. It was all square with 10 minutes to go when
Wexford tipped the balance with a goal and 2 points. Tipp had a couple of frees near the end and had
no choice but to go for goal, but each time the Wexford back line held and
cleared to preserve the victory.
About half way through the first period the sides were level
on an unusual score of 2-1 to 1-4.
Wexford had netted twice, the first from Tommy Walsh, and the second from
ace corner forward Colm Kerins. Tipp had
got off to a nice start with 3 points, 2 from John Pender and one from Sean
Delaney. Wexford leveled with the first
goal, but it was answered by Tipp with a 3 pointer from a 21-yard free taken by
Pender. Pender was the main man in the
middle for Tipperary ,
and taking the frees. Dave Power,
however, was a match for his counterpart from the dead ball and apart from a
couple of efforts that went awry was largely on the mark. Other scores in the Wexford column came from
Greg Lundy, Johnny Callen, and a point from Kerins. Tipp's John Roche got on the scoresheet along
with Bernie O'Regan and at the break it was Wexford ahead by a point, 2-6 to
1-8.
Gearoid O'Connor made it all 5 Wexford forwards with scores
shortly after the restart. Wexford hit a
couple of wides and looked like they were putting the pressure on their
opponents. Tipp battled back. John Kindregan at center back led the effort,
with Pat Moriarty in the middle of the field also doing well. After Wexford went up by 3, points from
Roche, and Pender (2) hauled them back in.
With the sides level and entering the final 10 minutes, Tipp missed a
couple of back to back chances to take the lead, with the ball drifting wide on
each occasion. Wexford on the other hand
took their opportunites when they came down the stretch. Power put the Brighton
side up by a point with a long range free and with the game on the line there
was a heightened sense of urgency. Tom
Elward, who played well throughout the game in the Wexford back line, made a
charge up the field and cleared into the Tipp box where Kerins gathered and
drove the ball home with style. Tipp had
their chances near the end that were well dealt with by Wexford's defensive wall,
and Kerins tallied a lovely score to cap off the victory. Wexford off the Cleveland to try and capture
the second North American Cup for the club.
Man of the Match:
Colm Kerins (Wexford)
Referee: Pat Casey (Waterford )
Wexford: C. Neville,
P. Nolan, T. Dunne, T. Elward, D. Magill, JJ O'Neill, N. Freeman, G. Lundy
(0-1), J. Callen (0-1), G. O'Connor (0-1), T. Walsh (0-1), C. Kerins (2-3), D.
Power (0-6). Tipp: M. McCormick, J. McGrath, S.
Sinnott , M. Moriarty, J. Kindregan, P. Jordan, A. McRedmond, P.
Moriarty, B. O'Regan (0-1), J. Pender (1-8), S. Delaney (0-1), B. Bennett, J.
Roche (0-2).
By Rory O'Donnell
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