Leinster leave it late

ONE FROM THE ARCHIVES/DES FOLEY WINS TWO RAILWAY CUP MEDALS: Leinster 1-11 Munster 1-9:LEINSTER CAPTURED the Railway Cup hurling title at Croke Park on Saturday when beating Munster 1-11 to 1-9 and so made it a field day for the metropolitans.

Their two-point win over Munster in the hurling game was even more dramatic than the three-point win over Ulster in the football that followed because after over three-quarters of an hour of thrilling point-for-point drama there was an astounding climax. Munster, a minute before the end, had the game in their hands, though the run of the play did not exactly justify their sudden success.

In that same last minute came the most dramatic score of the game, a goal from a sudden burst by a second-half substitute, Denis Heaslip of Kilkenny, giving Leinster the narrowest of margins; and then on Mick Cashman's puck-out, a snap collection by Achille Boothman, who clinched the issue with another point, just before the final whistle.

Leinster had most of the play due to the superiority at midfield of Des Foley and Mick Kennedy.

Liam Devanney, there for Munster, was obviously unfit. In a quick changeover by Munster, Des Foley also proved master of the fabulous Theo English.

Although there were many Munster rallies and hard-luck efforts for goals there was always the ever so alert Ollie Walsh to save the day for Leinster.

Munster had really no outstanding line except its full-back trio, and their Jimmy Brohan was, in my opinion, the best hurler in the field. He consistently baulked the Leinstermen Jackson, Dwyer and McGrath, swiftly moving across the goal at any sign of danger.

Christy Ring had not a happy game, though the old sparkle was evident when he began to rove out from the square for a while.

The great Munster burst in the last quarter may have been due to the deployment of fresh men. Tony Wall, Frank Walsh and Pat Keane (replacing Terry Kelly, Devanney and English).

Level scoring was reached almost every minute up to the last sequences of sharpshooting, when Heaslip's goal unbalanced Munster. Both sides had, nevertheless, some splendid phases involving magnificent hurlers and there was no lull in this keenly fought match.

LEINSTER:Ollie Walsh (Kilkenny); Des Ferguson (Dublin), Noel Drumgoole (capt, Dublin), Lar Foley (Dublin); Jim English (Wexford), Billy Rackard (Wexford), Ollie Fennell (Laois); Des Foley (Dublin, 0-2), Mick Kennedy (Dublin, 0-2); Achille Boothman (Dublin, 0-3), Christy O'Brien (Laois), Fran Whelan (Dublin, 0-3); Oliver McGrath (Wexford), Billy Dwyer (Kilkenny, 0-1), Billy Jackson (Dublin). Sub: Denis Heaslip (Kilkenny, 1-0) for Jackson.

MUNSTER:Mick Cashman (Cork); Jimmy Brohan (Cork), Michael Maher (Tipperary), Kieran Carey (Tipperary); J Sullivan (Cork), Martin "Óg" Morrissey (Waterford), Mick Burns (Tipperary); Theo English (Tipperary), Liam Devanney (Tipperary, 0-5); Jimmy Doyle (capt, Tipperary 0-3), Terry Kelly (Cork), Donie Nealon (Tipperary 1-1); Jimmy Smyth (Clare), Christy Ring (Cork), Séamus Power (Waterford). Subs: PJ Keane (Limerick) for Kelly, Tony Wall (Tipperary) for English, Frankie Walsh (Waterford) for Devaney.