Ballygunner completed a treble of county hurling titles this afternoon.
Without star forward Patrick Fitzgerald, Fergal Hartley's side fought back from five points down to defeat Abbeyside 0-17 to 0-15 in the Under 20 A final at Walsh Park. The Gunners have claimed senior, Under 20 and minor championships in 2023.
Man of the match Eoin Cuddihy shot five points (three from play) while Tom Spain chipped in with four. Charlie Treen sent over eight points for Abbeyside. Seanie Callaghan also stood out with four including a sideline cut and a point off his knees.
Abbeyside led by five early in the second period and still enjoyed a four point advantage with nine minutes left (0-14 to 0-10). The wind assisted Gunners finished strongly with six unanswered singles. Cuddihy and Spain got two apiece while Tom Fitzgerald and Eoin McSweeney also raised white flags. Treen nailed another free to narrow the gap to one. As the game ticked into injury time, Cuddihy converted a pressure free into the City End to seal victory for the Gunners.
Ballygunner decided to rest Patrick Fitzgerald ahead of Saturday's All Ireland senior semi final against St Thomas'. Manager Fergal Hartley explained the situation to WLR Sport. "This county has won one senior All Ireland title since 1959. These are opportunities that don't come around too often. When they come around, you have to go at them and leave absolutely nothing to chance. We looked for a postponement, that wasn't granted. The club made the difficult decision to leave Patrick off. We're full square behind that decision and thankfully, it worked out for us."
