Pres Athenry denied first title
Tipperary side score 12 of game’s closing 15 points
PRES ATHENRY came out the wrong side in a St. Patrick’s Day thriller at Croke Park as Thurles CBS produced an incredible driving finish to overhaul an eight-point deficit and capture a second All-Ireland Post Primary Senior (U-19) A Hurling Championship in their history.
When Frank Burke finished the Galway school's second goal to open a 2-14 to 0-12 lead on 40 minutes, a first ever Croke Cup looked theirs for the taking in front a 5,976 attendance at GAA HQ.
However, with midfielder Kieran Rossiter delivering in a man of the match performance and Cormac Fitzpatrick top scoring, Thurles CBS gradually chipped away at the deficit and outscored their opponents by 12 points to three from there to the finish for a famous victory.
In a competition dominated by St. Kieran’s, Kilkenny (25 titles) and to a lesser extent St. Flannan’s, Ennis (14), it would mark a fifth success for Tipperary schools after Thurles CBS last won in 2009, with two victories for Our Lady’s Templemore (formerly Templemore CBS) and one for Nenagh CBS. Sadly, from a Galway perspective, the class of ‘95 from St. Raphael’s, Loughrea remain the county’s only winners in the competition.
Read our extensive coverage in this week's edition of The Tuam Herald, on sale in shops and online here