Tipperary storm home

Tipperary 3-13; Derry 1-14: Battling Tipperary put in a storming finish to beat Derry by five points in Division two at Thurles yesterday.

In a lively contest, played in blustery weather, they hit Derry with three first-half goals. Declan Browne got the first in the eighth minute when his free from 60 metres ended in the Derry net after a defensive cock-up. Four minutes later Damian O'Brien slipped home a second and Tipperary were ahead 2-3 to 0-2.

Derry were boosted by Paul Bradley's 17th-minute penalty but in the 35th minute Aidan Fitzgerald pounced for Tipperary's third goal and an interval lead of 3-4 to 1-6.

With the wind behind them Derry piled on the pressure in the second half. They cut the lead to a point by the seventh minute of the period but Tipperary pulled five points clear after 13 minutes. Derry rallied to once more be only one point adrift with 10 minutes to play.

However, the closing stages belonged to Tipperary with Browne scoring three points as they pulled away for a deserved win in which Kevin Mulryan, O'Brien, Seán Collum, Aidan Fitzgerald and Declan Browne had key roles

Derry's poor league run continued though Seán Murty Lockhart, Francis McEldowney, Paddy Bradley, James Donaghy and Kevin McGuckin all tried hard.

TIPPERARY: B Enright; B Hahessy, S Collum, N Curran (0-1); P Hally, Damian Byrne, R Costigan; L England, K Mulryan (0-2); M Webster, A Fitzgerald (1-0), JP Looby; A Walsh, D Browne (1-7), D O'Brien (1-3). Subs: G Burke for Hally, David Byrne for Webster, P Cahill for England, N Sheehan for Looby.

DERRY: M Conlon; JM Lockhart, D Scullion, K McClory; R Lynch, K McGuckian, Francis McEldowney; Patsy Bradley, E Muldoon (0-1); Fergal McEldowney, C Gilligan (0-1), P O'Kane (0-1); J Donaghy (0-2), Paddy Bradley (1-5), P McFlynn (0-2). Subs: P Wilson for Scullion, C Moran (0-2) for Gilligan, G Donaghy for Fergal McEldowney.

Referee: E Whelan, Laois.