Thurles CBS completed a dream season when they claimed the All-Ireland Colleges SAHC [Croke Cup] with a 1-17 to 1-15 win over Good Counsel at Semple Stadium on Easter Monday.
In an early contender for match of the year, Thurles made up for the heartache of their loss to DLS Waterford last year.
Good Counsel, from New Ross, stormed into a 0-3 to 0-1 lead before Walter Walsh stole in for the opening goal for the Leinster side. His first strike was swept off the line by a defender but the full forward made no mistake with the rebound.
The Harty Cup champions hit back with three points and then struck for a fine goal from the stick of Michael O’Brien, who poked home after a booming defensive clearance had hit the crossbar.
Thurles led 1-11 to 1-8 at the interval and thanks, in the main,to some superb play by centre-back Denis Maher they managed to keep Good Counsel at arm’s length for the remainder of the second half.
However, New Ross did mount a superb comeback and hit three unanswered points and went looking for an equalising point as the game went into injury time. But it was not to be, as Kieran Morris fired over a late ’65 to hand the glory to Thurles CBC after a brilliant game of hurling.
Meanwhile today the GAA confirmed the venues and times for the Allianz League finals.
Derry will be looking for another upset against Kerry in the football decider, which stays at Croke Park. The NFL Division One and Division Two finals will be played on Sunday April 26th at this venue, with 2.00pm and 4.00pm starts.
Divisions Three and Four will be decided in Longford the previous evening at 6.30pm and 4.30pm respectively.
The hurling final between Kilkenny and Tipperary will go ahead at Semple Stadium Thurles at 4.00pm on Sunday May 3rd, thereby avoiding any clash the Heineken Cup semi-final between Munster and Leinster at GAA HQ that weekend.
The Division Two decider will act as a curtain-raiser from 2.00pm in Thurles, while Mullingar will host the Division 3A and Division Four Finals on Saturday May 2nd, and London go to Parnell Park in Dublin for the Division 3B Final on the same day at 3.00pm.
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