Hurlers get in gear for Fitzgibbon defence | Stephen Barry
Tipperary 3-23UCC 2-15The second semester of college had yet to start as the UCC senior hurlers lined out in West Tipperary for a pre-season challenge against Tipperary on Sunday the 6th of January in Emly.In their first game under new management, Tipperary only togged out fifteen players for the contest while UCC were without the services of Conor Lehane and Seamus Harnedy who were in county action, with Harnedy scoring six points in Cork’s win over CIT.Ultimately UCC weren’t able to cope with the sharp-shooting of the hosts, who stormed into an eight point lead by the twenty-fifth minute, 1-11 to 0-6. Timmy Hammersley, who ended with 2-5, got the opportunistic but deserved goal for Tipperary as all of their midfielders and forwards, bar one, registered a score. Indeed it almost seemed to be that only Premier county natives were hurling well with James Barry and Dan McCormack the leading lights for the college.It was Barry who kept Sean Curran and later Michael Heffernan both scoreless while on his wing, while in attack McCormack profited from Seamus Hennessy’s loose marking with two points and two frees to his credit. But the accuracy of McCormack and Paul Haughney wasn’t replicated across the board with Brendan Cummins claiming three short point-attempts from close in.That was until the dying embers of the half when Tipperary began to take their foot off of the throttle in anticipation of the half-time whistle. In this time UCC shot a quickfire 2-2 with Johnny Ryan’s point maintaining the minimum lead for Tipperary at the break. The hard-working Mark Sugrue started this run with two points before Brian O’Sullivan blasted to the net. Then in first-half stoppage time Haughney picked out a superb pass to the blindside run of Adrian Breen who found the far corner of the net.But the game wouldn’t remain in the balance for long as Tipperary re-emerged keen to impress their dominance on the scoreboard. Hammersley, who seemed to score with his every touch, goaled almost straight away from a rebound as Tipperary took it up a notch.However UCC could have stayed in the game but for their poor free-taking; Willie Griffin missed a pair in the first half before his replacement Jack Ahern missed his chance to respond to Hammersley’s goal. McCormack subsequently shot both sides of the goal with his attempts and by the time Ahern retook the responsibilities, the college were 3-19 to 2-11 behind after Shane Bourke’s goal. Ahern’s four successes kept the margin at eleven, as Tipperary opened their year in style.However UCC bounced back from that loss with a hard-fought 3-18 to 1-23 win over Waterford on Sunday. This positive no doubt added to by UCC’s pre-Christmas Fresher League win over Limerick IT, with Alan Cadogan (0-5 from play) starring.The path that UCC’s year will take was also finalised in December. In the Fitzgibbon group stages UCC will be favourites to emerge from a group containing two Galway opponents, NUIG and finals weekend hosts GMIT, as well as newcomers Mary Immaculate. In the Cork County championship, the college will have a chance for revenge against the side that knocked them out of last year’s competition, Avondhu.Meanwhile the footballers will face Carbery in Cork this summer, but of more immediate concern will be their Sigerson first round tie against UUJ, which will be played at a neutral venue. Win, and they will be expected to face League runners-up St. Marys of Belfast, who must overcome IT Tralee to reach the last eight. UCC began their preparations on Sunday with an eight-point loss to Kerry in Killarney with Conor Cox top-scoring for the students.Meanwhile the UCC ladies footballers will open their O’Connor Cup defence against Queens. The final of the O’Connor Cup will be televised live on TG4 for the first time in the tournament’s history.
