Limerick's St Kieran's reach Munster junior club hurling final after extra-time win

“OUTSTANDING work rate to pull off the win. Just one more step to go,” was manager Chris Madigan's reaction as Donie Nolan's 80th minute point swept St Kieran's into the Munster club junior hurling final with a dramatic 0-17 to 0-16 extra-time victory over Banner, of Clare, at Cusack Park, Ennis on Saturday.

St Kieran's will now play either Colligan, of Waterford, or Ballygiblin, of Cork, in the final on December 4 at 1pm. Those two sides meet in the second semi-final at Páir Uí Rinn tomorrow, Sunday.

But while St Kieran's semi-final victory over Clare representatives Banner in a sodden, windswept and miserable Cusack Park might have come from a last gasp reply in extra time, it was a result they deserved as the Ardagh side were never headed despite being pulled back to level terms on four occasions.

The sides had finished level, 0-12, each at the end of 60 minutes of normal time, sending the game to extra-time.

Key to the Limerick champions' victory was their range of finishers. While Banner relied on Clare senior hurler Shane Meehan for all but four of their scores, eight of the Kieran's lineup got their names on the scoresheet and none more spectacularly than Nolan who came on as a sub for injured free-taker Ian Mackessy nine minutes before the end of regulation time and then reeled off three spectacular scores from play that sealed the deal.

However, the West Limerick club were also helped by a defence led by ageless skipper Paudie McCarthy who did everything possible to minimise Meehan's influence on the game.

At times they were drawn into the foul, twice they were hit by his silken skills as he eluded their attentions to score and twice more as he opened the finishing space for a team-mate but never once was he given the opportunity to use his pace and his touch to rip open then path on goal.

Banner's best periods came at the end of normal time and again at the end of extra time when they hauled themselves back to level terms after St Kierans had put some distance into their advantage.

But while those comebacks may have been helped by their younger legs, they never looked as likely to snatch the result as their opponents whose years of competing at Limerick's top level of football gave them the edge in composure when it really mattered.

SCORERS: ST KIERAN'S: Ian Mackessy 0-6 (5 frees), Cillian Ambrose (2 frees, 1 '65'), Donie Nolan 0-3 each; Anthony Mullins, Cathal McEnery, Cormac Mann, James Muckell, Mike Flynn 0-1 each; BANNER: Shane Meehan 0-12 (10 frees), Danny O'Halloran 0-2, Fiachra Kelly, Matthew McGrath 0-1 each.