Fitzgibbon Cup Review – March 2nd

The Fitzgibbon Cup resides this week with the Mary Immaculate College Limerick (Mary I) for the first time ever after an epic final was decided after double extra time on Saturday at the Cork Institute of Technology. For the record, Mary I won after 90 minutes of hurling on a score line of 1-30 to UL’s 3-22. Fifteen of the players on view in this final were from Tipperary, the largest contingent of any county involved. For Mary I, their starting line-up included Andrew Ryan (Toomevara), John Meagher (Loughmore-Castleiney), Thomas Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons), Ronan Maher (Thurles Sarsfields) and Niall O’Meara (Kilruane MacDonaghs) while Tadhg Gallagher (Kiladangan), Stephen Cahill (Thurles Sarsfields) and Seamus Kennedy (Clonmel Commercials) made appearances as substitutes. Meagher, Cahill and Gallagher all scored a point from play.

LITvULfitzgibbonCup27Feb15_large

For UL, their starting line-up included Paul Maher (Moyne-Templetuohy), Barry Heffernan (Nenagh Éire Óg), Jason Forde (Silvermines), Brian Stapleton (Templederry Kenyons) and John McGrath (Loughmore-Castleiney) while Tommy Heffernan (Nenagh Éire Óg) and Bill Maher (Kilsheelan-Kilcash) made substitute appearances. John McGrath scored 2-7 (0-6 frees) in the final while substitute Tommy Heffernan accounted for six points from play when introduced. Jason Forde also scored a point.

In the semi-finals played on Friday, UL defeated UCD by 3-14 to 0-16 with 3-9 of UL’s total coming courtesy of Tipperary players – John McGrath (2-5, 0-4 frees), Tommy Heffernan (1-1) and Jason Forde (0-3 frees). John Joe Ryan (Clonakenny) was part of the UCD panel managed by Nicky English (Lattin-Cullen) with Johnny Enright (Thurles Sarsfields) as selector. In the other semi-final Mary I defeated LIT by 0-11 to 0-9 with Ronan Maher and Niall O’Meara contributing a point each for the winners. Willie Ryan (Clonakenny) and Cathal Barrett (Holycross-Ballycahill) started for LIT with Willie Connors (Kiladangan) coming on as a substitute. Jason Ryan (Toomevara) was also part of the LIT panel.

The Ryan Cup was won by Trinity College Dublin. In the semi-final, David Waltzer (Mullinahone) was part of the IT Tralee panel which lost to Trinity College Dublin.  In the Fergal Maher Cup final, IT Sligo defeated GMIT Letterfrack by 4-12 to 0-13. John O’Brien (Burgess) was part of the IT Sligo panel while Colin Brosnan (Cashel King Cormacs) was part of the GMIT Letterfrack panel.