Paddy Leevy of Waterford gathers possession ahead of team-mate Rory Furlong, 3, and Tipperary players Dara Stakelum, left, and John Campion during the Munster GAA Hurling U20 Championship Quarter-Final match between Tipperary and Waterford at Semple Stadium in Thurles, Tipperary.
Bord Gáis Energy Munster U-20 Hurling Championship Quarter-Finals
TIPPERARY 3-24 WATERFORD 2-21 (AET)
CLARE 2-20 KERRY 0-15
Super-subs Devon Ryan and Jack Leamy were Tipperary’s heroes in Monday evening’s thrilling Bord Gáis Energy Munster U-20 Hurling Championship Quarter-Final victory over Waterford.
The duo hit a combined total of 1-6 and were especially effective in extra-time as the Waterford defence flagged.
It was a thrilling match that swung this way and that and in the final analysis it was Tipperary’s greater depth of talent that proved decisive on a warm night that tested the legs and lungs of every player.
Tipperary started the match strongly and goals from Paddy Creedon and Sean Hayes helped them into a five-point half-time lead.
They still led by three points deep into injury-time in normal time, but then up stepped Waterford substitute, Sean Walsh, to smash the ball to the net to force extra-time.
Waterford looked like the team with all the momentum when they scored the first four points of extra-time, but Tipperary hit back with a goal from Leamy and a point by Ryan to draw level by half-time in extra-time.
The Premier County then took complete control in the second period of extra-time to run out six point winners in the end.
In Monday’s second Munster U-20 Quarter-Final, Clare defeated Kerry by 11 points.
The Banner did most of the damage in the first-half when goals by Oisin O’Donnell and Shane Punch helped them into a 2-15 to 0-5 half-time lead.
Credit to Kerry, they kept battling and actually outscored Clare by 0-10 to 0-5 in the second-half to salvage a lot of pride in defeat.
