Small parish takes huge step

Gaelic Games All-Ireland Club SHC final: Newtownshandrum 0-17 Cuchullains 1-6 Rarely has the winning and the losing of an All-Ireland club final been cut more divisively. For a small parish in the hurling outback of north Cork the winning takes on a new definition, and becomes a whole life story. Thus it goes for Newtownshandrum.

For the same set-up in Antrim the losing carries with it an added burden, the unbearable realisation that three All-Ireland defeats has now become four. And this with the knowledge that the true team spirit was left somewhere back down the road. Thus it goes for Dunloy.

So while there will surely be better hurling games played in Croke Park this year, few will have more tales to tell. On the surface of it Newtown become the first Cork club since Midleton in 1988 to claim the All-Ireland honour, but underneath lies proof that a small band of natural born hurlers with total self-belief and commitment can rise unbounded to the very top of their game.

About half of the Newtown team that started yesterday first played together in primary school, and have been together ever since. Players like Ben O'Connor, who collected 0-10 in total, seven being frees, to backbone this fully deserving victory. Others like Pat Mulcahy, a monument at centre back, and team captain John McCarthy, have been around a few more years and before now could only dream of success like this.

Contrasting that is the Dunloy team who are homeward bound with a fourth All-Ireland defeat from four attempts. But there can be no excuses, only regrets. With 14 wides and not one player hitting full flight they were never truly in with a shout.

It doesn't take much to unsettle the nerves in Croke Park with an All-Ireland at stake. Dunloy appeared to settle well when Colm McGuckian sent over the opening point but that was followed by three poor wides inside the first 10 minutes, and even then their nerves were visibly exploding. Liam Richmond and Gregory O'Kane had some unforgivable misses and with that Newtown were soon racing clear.

From midfield up Dunloy were uncharacteristically sluggish. Forward play was more wishful than decisive and Newtown's lead at half-time - 0-7 to 0-2 - was completely in sync with the run of play. The Cork champions weren't missing much, flowing with great understanding, whereas Dunloy looked aimless.

In fact the Newtown tactic of controlled hurling was working a treat. They won eight of Dunloy's 10 puck-outs in the first half and probably as many in the second. Never did they appear rattled at anything Dunloy could offer.

The heat pipes of the game did threaten to burst early in the second half when Dunloy were awarded a penalty, the result of goalkeeper Paul Morrissey's hold on Martin Curry. Up came Gareth McGhee from between the posts at the other end and he sent the ball low and straight into the Newtown net.

Immediately after Ben O'Connor hit a wide and on 36 minutes Richmond added a point and the gap was was at its lowest - 0-7 to 1-3.

Yet any Dunloy hopes that this was the turning of the tide were short lived. Ben O'Connor quickly restored his reliability from the placed ball and brother Jerry came even more into the game - despite suffering from a ankle injury towards the end.

Six points had Newtown playing off into the sunset. And as the final minutes ticked away the Newtown players on the sideline started replacing the red shirts - worn to avoid the clash of colours - with the green and yellow of the parish. Why not the perfect end to the perfect day.

NEWTOWNSHANDRUM: P Morrissey; J McCarthy (capt), B Mulcahy, G O'Mahony; I Kelleher (0-1), P Mulcahy, P Noonan; AT O'Brien (0-3), Jerry O'Connor (0-1); D Mulcahy, B O'Connor (0-10, seven frees), JP King; J Bowles (0-1), D O'Riordan, M Farrell. Subs: John O'Connor for Farrell (half-time), M Morrissey (0-1) for O'Riordan (51 mins), D Naughton for JP King (58 mins), A G O'Brien (60 mins).

CUCHULLAINS, DUNLOY: G McGhee (1-0, a penalty); S Mullan, Gary O'Kane, F McMullan; M Molloy (capt), M McClements, D McMullan; C Cunning, P McMullen; L Richmond (0-2), C McGuckian (0-1), P Richmond (0-2); M Curry, Gregory O'Kane, A Elliott (0-1). Subs: D Quinn for Curry (39 mins).