Dramatic injury time goal propels outstanding Coláiste Naomh Cormac to All Ireland glory

A 60th minute Alex Kavanagh goal propelled Coláiste Naomh Cormac to All Ireland PPS Senior Hurling C Hurling glory.

All Ireland PPS Senior “C” Hurling Championship final

Coláiste Naomh Cormac 2-11
CBS Ennistymon 1-12

The Offaly side looked set to miss out on the ultimate prize after Richard Bracken was sent off for two bookable offences. With the game tied at 1-10 apiece CBS Ennistymon looked set to power home.

The Clare outfit struck over the next two scores with MacDara O’Keeffe and Josh Guyler finding the target. This left Coláiste Naomh Cormac behind by 1-12 to 1-10 heading in to injury time.

However, Adam Screeney fielded the next puckout as he powered through on goal. His rasping effort was saved by Kieran Daniels in the CBS Ennistymon goal. Alex Kavanagh failed to make contact with the sliotar after the save.

In the same passage of play Coláiste Naomh Cormac’s Robert Boland managed to turnover possession and arrow a crossfield ball to the unmarked Kavanagh as he unleashed an unstoppable missile of an effort to the top corner of the net.

CBS Ennistymon poured forward in search of an injury time equaliser but Daniel Hand produced the score of the game when firing over a booming effort from inside his own half.

As the game ticked in to the fifth minute of injury time, both James Mahon and Oisin Kilmartin managed to storm out with possession as Coláiste Naomh Cormac sealed a deserved triumph.

The Joe Tully and Tony Gleeson managed outfit started slowly and when Niall Mullins found the net for the North Clare side after 10 minutes, it appeared Coláiste Naomh Cormac faced an uphill task.

They were against a strong breeze with shots outside the 45m line dropping short. Adam Screeney managed to find a pair of settling frees with Daniel Hand also seeing a placed ball go between the posts.

Screeney was instrumental in finding the breakthrough as he powered through for Alex Kavanagh to lash an effort to the net.

This tied the game at 1-4 apiece with a pair of Josh Guyler frees from CBS Ennistymon helping them lead by the minimum at the break as a Screeney point was the Offaly side’s sole response.

In a ferociously contested second half, Screeney managed to level the game at 1-6 apiece but a Guyler free and a Sean Rynne effort moved CBS Ennistymon 1-8 to 1-6 in front.

Three Screeney points helped to level the game with a MacDara O’Keeffe CBS Ennistymon’s response.

Then referee Brian Keon deemed that Richard Bracken, whose brother Charlie captained the side, illegally shouldered CBS Ennistymon centre back Ricky Wynne and did not hesitate to flash a second yellow card for the centre forward.

Coláiste Naomh Cormac felt hard done by as O’Keeffe and Guyler points moved the Clare men to the brink of victory.

However, CBS Ennistymon, who also lost the All Ireland Senior C Football Final a week previously, suffered further heartbreak as Alex Kavanagh’s sensational injury time goal and Hand’s late point secured a win that will live long in the memory for everyone involved with Coláiste Naomh Cormac.

Scorers for Coláiste Naomh Cormac: Adam Screeney (0-7, 0-4 frees), Alex Kavanagh (2-0), Daniel Hand (0-4, 0-1free).

Scorers for CBS Ennistymon: Josh Guyler (0-7, 0-5 frees), Niall Mullins (1-0), Sean Rynne and MacDara O’Keeffe (0-2 each), James Cullinan (0-1 each).

Coláiste Naomh Cormac: Harry Sweeney, Brecon Kavanagh, Charlie Bracken, James Mahon, Mark Mulrooney, Oisin Kilmartin, Patrick Carroll, Oisin Guinan, Colin Spain, Daniel Hand, Richard Bracken, Leigh Kavanagh, Alex Kavanagh, Aam Screeney, Robert Boland.

CBS Ennistymon: Kieran Daniels, Coleman Kelly, Marc O’Loughlin, Mark Callinan, Liam Cotter, Ricky Wynne, James Cullinan, Shane Woods, Keith Barry, Josh Vaughan, Niall Mullins, MacDara O’Keeffe, Josh Guyler, Sean Rynne, Jamie Wynne.

Referee: Brian Keon (Galway).