Roscrea head into relegation battle after third defeat to impressive Cashel

GAA: FBD Insurance Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship Group 4

Cashel King Cormacs 1-30

Roscrea 2-21

Report: John O’Shea at Páirc Shíleáin, Templemore

A spirited rally late on came up short for Roscrea as they went down to Cashel King Cormacs in this County Senior Hurling Championship round 3 game on Saturday evening.

The destiny of both teams was known beforehand with Cashel heading to the quarter finals while Roscrea were preparing for a relegation semi-final, however, any thoughts that this being a dead-rubber and be a tame affair was quickly refused.

Cashel were quickly out of the blocks when midfielder Conor O’Dwyer split the posts after just seven seconds. Devon Ryan doubled the advantage inside forty seconds before O’Dwyer was again on target inside two minutes. Devon Ryan doubled his tally before Luke Cashin got Roscrea moving from a placed ball. Evan Fitzpatrick cut the deficit after five minutes with a well-taken point from the right wing.

Roscrea were probably caught with the swiftness of the Cashel start, failing to reach the required intensity early on. Ger Browne fired over the first of five points from play and Eoghan Connolly added a long range effort from a placed ball.

Roscrea were finding it difficult to get through the Cashel half back line of the Connolly brothers, Eoghan & Ronan, and Kieran O’Dwyer, opting to shoot from a distance, with limited success. Evan Fitzpatrick hit his second point before Ryan and Cashin traded placed balls.

Browne put four between the sides before Cashel had a let-off when a blistering shot from Luke Cashin on twelve minutes came back off the crossbar and was scrambled away to safety.

Leigh Loughnane was one of the few Roscrea forwards to find the target from a distance and hit three minors in a seven minute spell from the wing.

Cathal Quinn found the target before Devon Ryan hit three on the bounce, including two from placed balls. Conor Dooley pulled one back for the North side, before Browne fired over his third, following a turnover out near the stand side.

Oisin O’Donoghue and Darragh Tynan traded minors before Devon Ryan set up Ross Bonnar, while Alan Tynan kept Roscrea in touch after an interchange with Fitzpatrick. During this period, the wides were also building up for Roscrea, as their shooting from distance let them down.

The opening goal came six minutes before the interval when Cashel’s Davy McGrath was first to react to a save by Enda Moloney, and blasted low from close range.

Leigh Loughnane found the target for a fourth time, before Ger Browne cancelled it out as Cashel stretched their lead out to nine. With four minutes of the half remaining, Shane Fletcher took advantage of a hopping ball on the hard surface to beat Aaron Browne and late points from Luke Cashin left six between the sides at the break, 1-19 to 1-13 in favour of Cashel.

After the restart, Roscrea had the better of the opening exchanges with Darragh Tynan, Cashin (free), and Dan Ryan all finding the target. Cathal Quinn eased Cashel’s advantage back out to four before Conor Dooley’s low goal-bound shot was saved by Aaron Browne at the expense of a 65, which yielded nothing. Eoghan Connolly then got what was the score of the game, when he put over from a sideline cut from around midfield.

Roscrea hit back with four unanswered points in a seven-minute spell from Loughnane, Fletcher, and two placed balls from Cashin, cutting the deficit to three with six minutes remaining.

Cashel’s reply was swift and lethal, with six points in five minutes before Roscrea struck with two late goals, from a Luke Cashin twenty-metre free and a second from Shane Fletcher.

Player of the Match: Leigh Loughnane (Roscrea)

Cashel King Cormacs: Aaron Browne (7); Conn Bonnar (7) Nathan Ryan (7), Colm Ryan (6); Ronan Connolly (0-1, 7), Eoghan Connolly (Capt 0-3, 1f, 1 ’65, 1 s-cut) 8), Kieran O’Dwyer (7); Conor O’Dwyer (0-2, 8), Ross Bonnar (0-1, 7), Ger Browne (0-4, 8), Oisin O’Donoghue (0-4, 8), Devon Ryan (0-7, 4f, 7), Davy McGrath (1-1, 7), Cathal Quinn (0-4, 8), Shane Neville (0-2, 6).

Sub: Denis O’Callaghan (0-1, 7) for Neville (40).

Roscrea: Enda Moloney (7); Conor Booth (7), Michael Campion (6), Aidan Booth (6); Darragh Tynan (Capt, 0-2, 7), Conor Phelan (6), Conor Sheedy (7), Alan Tynan (0-1, 7), Dan Ryan (0-1, 7), Leigh Loughnane (0-5, 9), Evan Fitzpatrick (0-2, 7), Luke Cashin (1-7, 1-6f, 0-1 ’65) 7), Shane Fletcher (2-2, 0-1f, 8), Conor Dooley (0-1, 6), Jack Lee (6).

Subs: Kenny Lee (6) for Lee (35); Owen Tynan (6) for Phelan (47); Glenn Loughnane (NR) for D Ryan (55).

Referee: John Dooley (Thurles Gaels).