St. Thomas are the All-Ireland Club Hurling Champions for the first time in their history, after defeating Kilcormac-Killoughey by two points at Croke Park on St. Patrick’s Day.
St. Thomas 1-11 Kilcormac-Killoughey 1-9
The Galway champions dug deep to gain victory, having trailed 1-9 to 1-7 with just over 20 minutes to go. They hit the final four points of the game, while the sending off of both Kilcormac-Killoughey midfielders in the final 10 minutes, Killian Leonard and Damien Kilmartin, left the Offaly side with a mountain to climb in the closing stages.
St Thomas’ became the seventh Galway side to win the All-Ireland club hurling title.
The experience of full-forward Richie Murray was key to St Thomas’ success in the final quarter while teenager Eanna Burke, the youngest of manager John Burke’s six sons, was also very impressive when introduced.
The game was tight and the sendings off had a monstrous affect on the Offaly side when it mattered most.
Scorers for Kilcormac-Killoughey: C Slevin 0-8 (5f, 1 ’65, 1 sl), T Fletcher 1-1,
Scorers for St. Thomas: R Murray 1-2, C Cooney 0-5 (2f, 1 ’65), J Regan 0-1, A Kelly 0-1, B Burke 0-1, K Burke 0-1
