Heineken Munster Junior Plate Final

HEINEKEN MUNSTER JUNIOR PLATE FINAL

Cashel 23 Muskerry 0

Cashel celebrated on Sunday after a convincing 23-0 victory over Muskerry in the final of the Munster Junior Plate in Thomond Park. Cashel dominated from the outset, and despite some good results in the preceding rounds, Muskerry were not able to respond to the determined Tipperary side.

Cashel centre Pat O Connor opened the scoring with a try in the first ten minutes of the game, with out half Trevor Breen converting to give Cashel a 7-0 lead very early on. Kicker Trevor Breen put in another crucial performance for his side, adding two more penalties before half time to stretch the lead to 13-0. Cashel added two more tries in the opening quarter of the second half, with the first coming from a powerful forward drive with wing forward Evan Lonergan getting the touch down. Breen hit the upright on this occasion, but Cashel rubber stamped their dominance with a superb try from full back Jack Maher. The score remained locked for the rest of the game, with Muskerry defence holding solid, despite Cashel coming close to scoring on a number of occasions. For Muskerry, scrum half Ian O Sullivan was sharp throughout with DJ O Leary at full back threatening on a number of occasions. In the pack, Shane O Connor at No. 8 and prop Liam O Sullivan put in brave performances, but it wasn t enough to make any headway into Cashel s dominance of the game. For Cashel, there were heroes all over the pitch, with winger James Hannigan having a great day and full back Jack Maher causing untold problems for the Cork side. In the pack, stalwart Pat O Donoghue lent plenty of experience for the side.

Cashel have added another piece of silverware to the cabinet after winning their first ever provincial title by beating Nenagh Ormond in the final of the Munster Junior Clubs Cup earlier this year. In the Plate, they beat Thurles on a 25-15 margin in the first round, and went on to dispose of St. Senan s in the second round by 35-14. In the quarter final, they had a comprehensive 24-5 win over Bruff, and put an end to Cobh Pirates aspirations in the Plate with an 8-6 win in the semi final. Having won the Munster Junior Plate, Cashel haven t finished their season just yet, with the Garryowen Cup and the Mansergh Cup still to play for.

Cashel Team: 15. Jack Maher, 14. James Hannigan, 13. Patrick O Connor, 12. Eamonn Foley, 11. Diarmuid O Connor, 10. Trevor Breen, 9. Oliver McLinchey, 1. Timmy Moloney, 2. Edward Thompson, 3. Paddy Kelly, 4. Pat Donoghue, 5. Philip Ryan, 6. Evan Lonergan, 7. Edmond Leamy (captain), 8. Eoin O Connor Subs: Florien for Eoin O Connor

Muskerry Team: 15. DJ O Leary, 14. JJ Hurley, 13. Cormac O Donoghue, 12. Edward Long, 11. Eoin Mitchell, 10. Damien Curran, 9. Ian O Sulllivan, 1. Liam O Sullivan, 2. John Tiernan, 3. Alan Browne, 4. Martin Moriarty, 5. Liam O Connor, 6. Shane Murphy, 7. Willie Healy, 8. Shane O Connor Subs: Aodh McGinn for Liam O Connor, John Horgan for Alan Browne, for Edward Long

PATH TO THE FINAL

MUSKERRY SF: Muskerry 6 Ennis 3 QF: Clonmel 7 Muskerry 16 R2: Sunday s Well 12 Muskerry 13 R1: Muskerry 16 Killarney 0 Munster Junior Cup: beaten by Crosshaven 10-0

CASHEL SF: Cashel 8 Cobh Pirates 6 QF: Cashel 26 Bruff 5 R2: Cashel 35 St. Senan s 14 R1: Cashel 25 Thurles 15 Munster Junior Cup: beaten by Garryowen 18-5