All-Ireland Glory for Dungarvan Colleges.

Dungarvan Colleges for their first and for now only All-Ireland Colleges Senior Hurling Title on Saturday afternoon last at Semple Stadium following a hard fought victory over Kilkenny CBS.

Colaiste na nDéise as they were known until last year were the first Waterford team to take part in the prestigious Dr Harty Cup in a number of years when a number of colleges from West Waterford as well as St Declan’s in Kilmacthomas were admitted into the competition.

Admitting the group side showed great foresight by provincial council’s colleges committee as over the years doing so has helped promote hurling within the county and especially in the west of the county which is seen by some as predominately a football area.

Within a short while of been admitted into the competition Colaiste na nDéise reached the final but were beaten by Saint Flannan’s from Ennis on the day.

Within a short time of this happening, De La Salle became a bit of a force on the colleges scene and it was no major surprise when they won back to back Dr Harty and Dr Croke cups in 2007 and 2008.

Over the years the original make up of Coláiste na nDéise began to break up. St Declan’s and Mean Scoil Nicholas in Ring left the make up and Blackwater Community School in Lismore began to make strides on their own and in the last few years have competed in the competition on their own having worked their way up through the ranks over a number of years since the school first opened a decade ago.

This left Dungarvan CBS and Saint Augustine’s left on their own. Having two colleges in such close proximity playing together made things that little bit easier. In recent years, the two sides have brought new blood into the management set up. Darragh Duggan who competed in the competition in the recent past with Thurles CBS was a good move as was bringing Peter Power into the setup through Dungarvan CBS.

In the last few years the colleges have achieved their fair share of success. Dungarvan Colleges appeared in the last four Munster Senior ‘B’ Hurling finals, winning two of them and Saint Augustine’s have also done well in the competitions in which they played in.

Winning a first Dr Harty Cup in 2012 was a massive boost to hurling in Waterford, and the side were unlucky not to have advanced passed the next phase of the competition, loosing out to Kilkenny CBS in the All-Ireland quarter finals at Walsh Park after extra time.

A great deal of that team was still eligible for this year’s competition, and from the outset it was very obvious that the side were intent on going a few steps further than they did in 2012.

They had just one blip in the group stages of the Dr Harty Cup competition loosing to Saint Flannan’s by a single point at Tipperary Town. Since then it was onwards and upwards, recording impressive wins over Blackwater Community School and Thurles CBS in the knockout stages of the competition before beating Our Lady’s from Templemore in the final at Tipperary town.

A comprehensive victory over Saint Kieran’s College from Kilkenny at the semi final stages of the competition to set up last Saturday’s final against another of Kilkenny’s leading college’s sides.

Dungarvan Colleges opened the game the brighter of the two sides, but for much of the opening half they were unable to switch their supremacy on the field to reflect it on the score board.

Colin Dunford opened the scoring inside a minute for Dungarvan Colleges following some good work by Cormac Curran to set him up.  Patrick Curran doubles his sides advantage moments later when he put over a free but a point from J.P. Tracey on six minutes meant that despite Dungarvan Colleges creating much more chances just a point separated the sides on the score board.

Dungarvan Colleges were unlucky not to have extended their lead on nine minutes when Christy Breathnach saw his effort put out for a sixty-five and from the resulting strike at goal Tadhg Bourke saw his effort go wide of the uprights.

The West Waterford side however did manage to steal a march on their opponents on the quarter of an hour mark when Tom Devine who played the captains roll to a tee sent in a long high ball in front of the Kilkenny CBS goal. Full forward Ryan Donnelly did manage to get a touch on the ball as it dropped but it ran to Darragh Holohan in the Kilkenny goal but he was under pressure as the Dungarvan man continued his run like all good forwards should to put pressure on Holohan.

The Dicksboro club man under pressure did manage to get a touch on the ball to Cathal McGrath who took the ball away from goal, but as he attempted a clearance Michael Harney was able to block him down and then find Ryan Donnelly who twice touched the ball along the ground before planting it in the Kilkenny net for the games first major score.

Good work from Michael Harney once more helped set up Patrick Curran for a delightful point on sixteen minutes to extend Dungarvan Colleges lead, but from the restart potential disaster came Dungarvan College’s way.

Darragh Holohan found Kevin Kenny with a lengthy puck out and in turn he attempted to shoot over the cross bar but his effort fell short and Laurence Power between the posts was able to catch comfortably, but as he came out of goal and attempted to hand pass to Tadhg Bourke or Kevin Daly, Paddy Cahill was able to intercede before the ball got to them and shot into the net to leave two between the sides.

We now were going to see what Dungarvan College’s were made of. To concede next would be disastrous while if they were to score themselves it would help settle the ship.

Dungarvan College’s did manage to get the next three scores in a row which well and truly did settle the ship.

Patrick Curran was first to score putting over a free before Colin Dunford having been found by Cormac Curran hit another delightful point from play to extend his sides lead to four before Patrick Curran put over a ’65 after Robbie Fitzpatrick had denied Ryan Donnelly a second goal of the game.

Patrick Curran put over another point from the middle of the field from open play to give Dungarvan Colleges a six point advantage but a brace of Paddy Cahill frees brought Kilkenny CBS to within four of Dungarvan Colleges.

However, Dungarvan College’s went in at the break with a five point advantage as with the last strike of the opening half, Ryan Donnelly picked out Patrick Curran with a kicked ball and the Dungarvan Club man coming out from goal turned on the forty-five metre line before shooting over his left shoulder while on the turn to send over another delightful score.

 Kilkenny CBS at the start of the second half were expected to begin well, but it was Dungarvan Colleges that were involved in the most crucial movement in the early exchanges of the second half.

For minutes after the restart, Patrick Curran collected the ball on the forty five metre line and ran at the Kilkenny backs. Expecting him to let fly fourteen metres from goal Evan Cody put in a challenge expecting to hook or block the Dungarvan Club mans effort, but he out foxed the full back and failed to strike for goal and as a result was struck on the hand by Cody who was sent off on a straight red card by limerick referee Shane Hourigan.

TV pictures would appear to indicate that the challenge happened about sixteen metres from goal but the officials indicated that it happened inside the fourteen metre lines and awarded a penalty.

Patrick Curran took responsibility for striking it himself but his effort was saved by Paddy Deegan guarding his right hand post.

Patrick Curran and Paddy Cahill exchanged scores from frees to keep five between the sides before Laurence Power made an excellent save from Kevin Kenny on forty one minutes.

Playing with a numerical disadvantage Kilkenny CBS in the early part of the second half played their best hurling as often happens as Dungarvan Colleges took time to work out where best to deploy their extra man.

Points from J.P. Tracey and Kevin Kenny followed in a two minute spell to bring their side to within three of Dungarvan Colleges and it looked as if we were going to be set for a battle to the finish.

However, it was Dungarvan Colleges that finished the stronger of the two sides. Patrick Curran put over a free on fifty minutes, and five minutes later he picked out Cormac Curran with a lovely pass but the Brickeys man saw his effort saved by Holohan in the Kilkenny CBS goals.

An unmarked Michael Harney put over a point from play from forty-five metres with three minutes to play, but substitute Robbie Buckley quickly cancelled it out with a point for the side from the marble city.

Dungarvan Colleges however were able to put some further daylight between the sides in the last minute of play when Patrick Curran put over a free which was won by Seamus Keating.

DUNGARVAN COLLEGES: Laurence Power (Abbeyside); Michael Cronin (Ardmore), Brian Looby (Abbeyside), Keelan Looby (St Olivers); Tom Devine (Modeligo), Kevin Daly (Dungarvan), Tadhg Burke (Clashmore/Kinsalebeg); Cormac Curran (Brickeys), Colin Dunford (Colligan); Christy Breathnach (An Rinn), Michael Harney (Bunmahon), Seamus Keating (Ardmore); Darragh Lyons (Dungarvan), Ryan Donnelly (Dungarvan), Patrick Curran (Dungarvan).

Scorers: Patrick Curran 0-9 (5f, 1 65), Ryan Donnelly 1-0, Colin Dunford 0-2, Michael Harney 0-1.

KILKENNY CBS: Darragh Holohan (Dicksboro); Robbie Fitzpatrick (Dicksboro), Evan Cody (Dicksboro), Cathal McGrath (John Lockes); Cory Cahill (Dicksboro), Paddy Deegan (O’Loughlin Gaels), Dylan Scott (Dicksboro); Niall Mullins (James Stephens), Gary Kelly (O’Loughlin Gaels); Luke Scanlon (James Stephens), Kevin Kenny (Dicksboro), JP Treacy (Young Irelands); Paul Delahunty (Young Irelands), Shane Cuddihy (Tullaroan), Paddy Cahill (Dicksboro).

Subs: Robbie Buckley (O’Loughlin Gaels) for Delahunty, Matthew McWey (James Stephens) for Cahill, James Byrne (James Stephens) for Kenny.

Scorers: Paddy Cahill 1-3 (0-3f), JP Treacy 0-2 (1 65), Kevin Kenny & Robbie Buckley 0-1 each.

Referee: Shane Hourigan (Limerick).