Kilkenny cause major upset

FROM THE ARCHIVES - 1963 All-Ireland SHC Final: Paddy Downey reports on Kilkenny's 4-17 to 6-8 victory over Waterford in September, 1963 - the last time the counties met in an All-Ireland final.

KILKENNY HURLING teams have often confounded public opinion, professional critics and even their own supporters in big games down the years, but never in more than half a century have they upset calculations more decisively or more ruthlessly than in yesterday's All-Ireland final at Croke Park.

Playing with all the classical skill for which Kilkenny hurling is renowned, they made a mockery of every word written about their prospects before the game, and their three points victory over Waterford was as decisive as if the margin had been three times that number.

The more cautious forecasters had said that Kilkenny would, perhaps, make a good fight for it. But only a good fight. Waterford were the hottest favourites since Tulyar won the Derby. Their vast experience, their proven skill, their teamwork and cool craft on the big occasion could not be beaten. Those were the pre-match calculations.

And how utterly wrong they were! Yet, indeed, Waterford made a gallant bid to capture their third All-Ireland title. They rallied several times against crushing odds. Down seven points at half-time - 3-6 to 1-5, and 11 - 4-7 to 1-5 - immediately after the restart, they hit back with two goals early in the second half to reduce the arrears to five points, and on two occasions subsequently, when the Leinster champions had raced away into commanding leads, they crashed their way through for scores that cut Kilkenny's advantage to a couple of points.

ALL IN VAIN

But it was all in vain. For this was a battle between youth and age - and the vigour and speed of the younger Kilkenny men finally proved too much for a Waterford team, who, though game to the last, lacked the stamina to keep abreast of the blistering pace.

Kilkennys form was a revelation. Calling, as it were, on the inspiration of a great heritage, they set to show all those who had doubted their ability that a Kilkenny team cannot be underestimated in a final.

From first to last of this magnificent game, they hurled with a determination, a daring, dashing will to win that must have astonished even the most optimistic of their own followers among the 73,123 crowd.

Kilkenny dominated all the areas where they were supposed to have been weakest. The corner forwards, Tom Walsh and Tom Murphy, had two goals apiece, to prove to the sceptics that their performances in the Leinster semi-final against Wexford were no ephemeral flash in the pan; their full-back line was solid as a rock under the severest pressure and their half backs, where the captain, Séamus Cleere, played the game of his life, tied down the dangerous Waterford half forwards through the entire 60 minutes.

BASIS OF VICTORY

But it was at midfield that Kilkenny really laid the basis of victory. This had been the selectors' problem spot through league and championship, and with more desperation than design, one felt, Seán Clohosey was withdrawn from the forwards to partner Paddy Moran before the final.

The gamble paid off handsomely yesterday. Clohosey, whose beautiful, wrist striking was one of the most pleasurable features of the game, played his best hurling in two years and with wholehearted support from Moran, the Tullaroan man gave his forwards a steady service, which, as their tally of only nine wides demonstrates, they used to the fullest advantage.

Thus Waterford's midfield was a shambles from the start and the potential scoring power of their full-forward line was lost because the selectors made no attempt to repair the weakness before half time. When they did bestir themselves, switching Flannelly and Condon and later introducing John Meaney, Kilkenny had their 15th title as good as won.

The dominance of Clohosey and Moran, backed up by the superb hurling of Séamus Cleere at right-half back, gave the Kilkenny attack at least 60 per cent of the play - a burden which even the stout Waterford defence could not possibly handle.

It may seem unfair to say - yet it is true - that if Waterford's midfield had matched Kilkenny from the beginning they would now be All-Ireland champions. Even Kilkenny men will now admit that they were fortunate that Séamus Power and Phil Grimes didn't handle more of the ball.

Although John Barron was held by Whelan - in fact if the referee had kept a closer eye on that tussle, Waterford might have had three or four badly needed points from frees - the corner forwards were often too elusive for their opponents, but their opportunities were too few to balance Kilkenny's steady stream of scores at the other end.

And then, to add to the Munster champions' troubles, Tom Cheasty never got going against Ted Carroll and Frankie Walsh was hopelessly outclassed by Cleere.

Only once through the hour did Waterford get a real hold on the game. And then it looked, briefly, as if they would turn on the steam which would eventually evaporate Kilkenny's challenge.

That was between the ninth and 13th minutes of the first half.

Kilkenny were in front, two points to one, when suddenly the Munster men took control through the field and put on a goal and three points in the space of four minutes. They led 1-4 to 0-2 entering the second quarter, but Kilkenny recovered quickly and, in a series of devastating forays before the interval, scored 3-4 to which Waterford replied with only a single point.

FIGHTING HEART

It is a measure of Waterford's great fighting heart, however, that even though they were led by seven points at the interval and 11 within three minutes of the resumption, when Eddie Keher had a point and Tom Walsh his second goal, they battled back for goals by Power and Flannelly, to haul down the big lead to what then seemed a manageable five points.

After eight minutes, Kilkenny had again stretched their lead to eight points - 4-I0 to 3-5 - but although still labouring around the centre, Waterford kept pegging away and goals by Flannelly and Grimes (a searing shot from a free) left them only two points behind, and well in the hunt, with nine minutes of the game to go.

Kilkenny could not be caught. However, Keher continued to pick off points from frees of all distances and angles, and though Ollie Walsh was again beaten by Séamus Power, who bagged three good goals in the game, Kilkenny held on for one of their greatest and most brilliantly accomplished victories in an All-Ireland final.

One of the paradoxes of this tremendously; exciting match, which yielded the highest combined score - 55 points - ever recorded in a final, was the fact that Ollie Walsh was beaten six times during the hour.

Yet, the Thomastown keeper brought off many fantastic saves, four of them in quick succession in the opening minutes and the last, and certainly the most valuable, when he stopped a downward drive from Power, when Waterford were only two points in arrears, with only four minutes of the hour remaining.

MAJOR HONOURS

Since this was essentially a triumph of beautifully dovetailed teamwork, it may seem invidious to pick out a few Kilkenny men for special praise. Nevertheless, none of their colleagues will begrudge it if the major honours of victory are accorded to Séamus Cleere, Tom Walsh, Eddie Keher, Tom Murphy, Seán Clohessy and Paddy Moran.

Cleere was immense at right-half back, clearing his lines time and again with magnificent stickwork and raining long drives, some of them of 70 and 80 yards length, into the heart of Waterford territory.

Tom Walsh was a will of the wisp whose lightning speed and continuous foraging had Jim Byrne completely at sea until he was replaced by the former Kilkenny All-Ireland player, Mick Walsh, in the second half. Walsh took both his goals with the aplomb of a veteran, as did young Murphy in the other corner.

What a beautiful striker of a ball Keher is. This lanky 21-year-old from The Rower scored 14 points of his side's total - nine of them from frees at distances and angles so acute that to score them, one felt the ball should be electronically controlled!

The contribution of Clohessy and Moran was incalculable, because were it not for their unexpected dominance at midfield, Waterford would surely repeated their 1959 replay victory over the Noresiders.

While Waterford's midfield let them down with a bang, their goalkeeper, Ned Power, and their usually reliable full-back line must also shoulder a portion of the blame for defeat. The full line was unexpectedly shaky and Power was badly at fault for at least two of Kilkenny's goals.

At half time he was replaced by Percy Flynn, who conceded only one goal, even though tested severely many times by the probing Kilkenny forwards in the second half.

Austin Flynn, at full back, Martin Morrissey, left centre half, and Larry Guinan on the right wing were the pick of the losers defence, while only Séamus Power and Grimes, and to a lesser extent Mick Flannelly, functioned with the penetration which we had come to expect from the home League champions forward division.

KILKENNY: O Walsh; P Larkin.; J Whelan; M Treacy; S Cleere (0-2); T Carroll; M Coogan; P Moran; S Clohessy; D Heaslip; J McGovern; E Keher (0-14, 0-9 from frees); T Walsh (2-0); W Dwyer, T Murphy (2-1). Sub: Goucb for McGovern.

WATERFORD: E Power, T Cunningham, A Flynn, J Byrne; L Guinan , M Óg Morrissey; J Irish; M Dempsey (0-1), J Condon (0-1 from free); M Flanelly (2-0), T Cheasty, F Walsh (0-2): S Power (3-0), J Barron. P Grimes (1-4, 1-1 from frees). Subs: P Flynn for E Power, M Walsh for Byrne, J Meaney For Condon.