Lohans the key figures in Wolfe Tones' win

THAT this Munster club hurling final was fit to be played at all constituted something of a miracle given the relentless deluge that yesterday drenched the country. The indestructible pitch in Thurles has, however, accustomed us to such miracles.

That the match should have been such a marvellous spectacle was partly foreseen because of the teams' high reputations but the drama and intensity that sustained the second half were well beyond the hopes of even the most expectant in a small crowd of 5,345. Even the one sidedness of the first half could be put down to the strong wind blowing from the Killinan End.

Clare's Wolfe Tones, the Shannon club founded 29 years ago, prevailed in the end, but only after surviving a whirlwind response from a Ballygunner team that had, bereft of inspiration and morale, looked down and out by half time, at which stage the Waterford team trailed by nine points.

The hurling wasn't perfect. The surface, although in remarkable condition, was sufficiently slippery to hold up play around the middle of the field, but the commitment and skill of both sides was vividly obvious. Wolfe Tones won it in the end because their strength at the back just about counteracted Ballygunner's forwards.

Most preconceptions about the match didn't survive an hour's scrutiny, but at least one did. The primacy of the Lohan brothers was central to the periods of supremacy enjoyed by the winners defence. During the first half, particularly, the Shannon side not alone ground the opposing forwards to powder but, with their soaring clearances, they put Ballygunner's less composed backs under enormous - and at times unbearable - pressure.

What hadn't been expected was the incisiveness of the Wolfe Tones forwards. Paul O'Rourke led the way with 1-3 before the break and allowing for a few wides, it was a productive performance from the whole attack.

Wolfe Tones had been thought more likely to win a low scoring match, whereas Ballygunner's more polished forwards had been favoured to deliver if the scores were to come thick and fast. By half time, however, the Clare side were in total control limiting their opponents to three points and cracking in 2-6 - the goals coming in quick succession in the 17th and 18th minutes and finished with aplomb by O'Rourke and Finbarr Carrig.

Brian Lohan was the dominant figure in the first half hour. Darragh O'Sullivan suffered mightily at his hands, but he wasn't the only one. A perfect microcosm of the first half occurred in the 24th minute when Lohan took the apparent risk of abandoning his man to confront Tony Carroll on the sideline. Hounded and harried, Carroll was dispossessed and Lohan passed to his brother Frank whose big clearance ended in a point for O'Rourke.

Frank Loban was also playing powerfully - his clearing runs and long strikes frequently lifting the team and Gerry McIntyre did a fine job on Ballygunner's most influential forward, Paul Flynn.

Whereas the wind was expected to even up matters, it was hard to see how exactly the Waterford side could recover self respect let alone nine points. Their task was magnified within 40 seconds of the restart.

Paul Lee, a constant threat on the left wing, slipped in for a goal that Ray Whitty might have saved. Twelve points behind, Ballygunner commenced the long haul back which was to take them to within agonisingly close range of the winners by full time.

The story of how that happened reflects great credit on the Waterford team and Paul Flynn in particular. In the past, Flynn's temperament has come under the microscope and not always come out well, but yesterday, having endured a soul destroying first half, he moved up a few gears and presented a constant threat to Wolfe Tones, ending up with 2-4 for the afternoon.

He was assisted by the sniping runs of Billy O'Sullivan, and most obviously by the second half appearance of former Kilkenny All Ireland medallist Gordon Ryan.

When the goals started to fly in from the 35th minute, Ballygunner's more instinctive touch stood to them. First, though, they suffered another setback when Paul O'Rourke tipped in his second goal.

As Ballygunner began to take a grip at midfield, they harnessed the wind and Wolfe Tones's previously unflappable defence flapped. Goals from Paul Power lashing in the sliotar while it was pinballing around the goalmouth and Flynn, capitalising on an inadequate clearance, pushed the match into the realms of earnest competition.

The match oscilated between a four and five point margin for Wolfe Tones until the end when Flynn's incision down the left created an opening for Ryan who thrashed home the goal that closed the margin to a point.

The winners were impressive in the closing three minutes. It was the first time the match had been in doubt from their perspective but they hurled with composure through the fraught conclusion.