Cashel edge Drom in point-scoring bonanza

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Group 3

Cashel King Cormacs 0-32

Drom & Inch 0-28

Report: Michael Heverin in Littleton

Cashel King Cormacs got off to the best possible start in the race for the Dan Breen Cup with a thrilling win over Drom & Inch in the County Senior Hurling Championship Group 3 clash on Sunday.

In a high-scoring encounter – sixty points over the 63 minutes played – the West side put in a strong finish to edge out Drom who will feel that they deserved something from the game.

On a good day for red & green colours, Cashel were the better side in the first half, and after playing with the breeze, led by six at the break, 0-18 to 0-12.

Drom came more into it in the second, with big displays from Cormac Fitzpatrick, John Campion, and Johnny Ryan, and twice in the final quarter reduced the margin to a single point.

But with huge games from 2025 All-Ireland heroes Eoghan Connolly and Oisin O’Donoghue, and a sparkling performance from Devon Ryan, Cashel pulled away again.

The hard and dry surface suited Cashel’s brand of crisp hurling and their 21 points from play reflected their intensity.

O’Donoghue, Ryan, Conor O’Dwyer, Ross Bonnar, and Ger Browne all knocked over three points each, with a brace from Shane Neville, and Connolly and Ryan were also accurate from placed balls.

Drom’s Cormac Fitzpatrick was the game’s highest scorer from play with six, with John Campion and Tony Cahill hitting four each and Johnny Ryan with three. Seamus Callanan pointed nine frees but missed a couple of long distance efforts in the first half.

Oisin O’Donoghue from play and a sideline cut, and two from play from Devon Ryan, to a Drom reply from a Callanan free gave Cashel a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after six minutes.

They extended the led to four by the thirteenth minute with two Eoghan Connolly frees and a long range score from Conor O’Dwyer.

Cormac Fitzpatrick was proving to be Drom’s main threat, scoring his first after a great run and then finished a flowing move involving Johnny Ryan and David Collins.

John Campion and Fitzpatrick again brought it back to a two point game, and then a superb cross-field pass from Maidhc Fitzpatrick set up Tony Cahill to reduce the margin to a single point.

The Cashel response was impressive and within six minutes had gone five clear, Browne, James Cummins, Ryan with two frees and O’Dwyer on target to a Drom reply from Cahill.

As Cashel continued to dominate, with their lead extending to seven points on two occasions, it was back to six at the break, 0-18 to 0-12, with Callanan frees helping to keep Drom in touch.

The score-every-minute trend continued into the second half when the breeze aided Drom’s fightback and by the 35th minute the Cashel lead was reduced to two points – John Campion (2), Cahill, Lorcan Campion and Cormac Fitzpatrick for the Mid side to a solitary Cashel response from Ger Browne.

That was still the margin by the end of the third quarter, 0-24 to 0-22, as two evenly matched sides traded scores. But when John Campion pointed to leave just a single score between them, the game was in the melting pot.

Devon Ryan and Seamus Callanan then pointed frees, but when Ryan pointed again with ten minutes to go, Drom never got that close again, and the Cashel management team will be delighted with how they contained their revival and then pushed on for a deserved victory.

Substitutes Denis O’Callaghan and Daniel Moloney combined for the latter to extend the lead and Callanan replied from a free to make it a two point game with six minutes to go.

Then Cashel hit a purple patch with four points without reply to seal the victory. Oisin O’Donoghue hit an immediate reply to Callanan’s point, Ross Bonnar latched onto a loose ball to shoot over, and then Eoghan Connolly pointed a free before converting a sideline cut.

And still Drom & Inch never threw in the towel, with three points on the bounce from two Callanan frees and Cormac Fitzpatrick from play deep into injury time, but it too late and Conor O’Dwyer wrapped up the scoring for Cashel.

Drom maintained the pressure and a late Callanan goal-bound shot was deflected for a 65 that failed to reap dividends.

Player of the Match: Devon Ryan (Cashel King Cormacs)

Cashel King Cormacs: Aaron Browne (7); Conn Bonnar (7), Nathan Ryan (8), Kieran O’Dwyer (7); James Cummins (0-1, 7), Oisin O’Donoghue (0-4, 1 s-cut, 8), Conor O’Dwyer (0-3, 7); Eoghan Connolly (0-6, 4f, 1 s-cut) 8), Ronan Connolly (7); Ross Bonnar (0-3, 8), Shane Neville (0-2, 7), Cathal Quinn (0-1, 7); David McGrath (7), Devon Ryan (0-8, 5f, 9), Ger Browne (0-3, 8).

Subs: Denis O’Callaghan (7) for McGrath (49), Daniel Moloney (0-1 7) for Quinn (49).

Drom & Inch: Eoin Collins (7); Eoghan Kennedy (7), Kevin Hassett (8), Robbie Long (7); Mark Conroy (7), Podge Campion (8), Fintan Purcell (7); David Collins (0-1, 7), Lorcan Campion (0-1, 7); Maidhc Fitzpatrick (7), Seamus Callanan (0-9f, 8), John Campion (0-4, 8); Cormac Fitzpatrick (0-6, 8), Tony Cahill (0-4, 8), Johnny Ryan (0-3, 8).

Subs: Stevie Nolan (6) for M Fitzpatrick (48), Cormac Cahill (6) for Ryan (53), David Butler (NR) for Cahill (60).

Referee: Alan Tierney (Shannon Rovers).