MOSTLY HURLING:Verses in jest on the championship to date The rest do their best but the Cats look great

THE HURLING season got under way

with Galway creating a Laois doomsday.

Then in Wexford Park at the end of May

The local warriors did win the day

With the fighter Banville to the fore

The Offaly boys they did outscore.

On the following day in Thurles town

with election fever all around

(Kelly Seán sought a different crown),

the men from Cork and Tipp did meet

to play their game in the searing heat

The game itself did hit the heights

Séamus Callinan’s goal won the bragging rights

For Sheedy’s men and Sliabh na mBan.

The boys from Tipp went marching on

Then on the seventh day of June

The hurling Dubs they were in tune

But just about, for Daly’s men,

were pushed to the wire by the boys from the Glens.

And with a score to settle for a certain boss

to Thurles town we set our course

The rumour mill was running on

with tales of the demise of Mullane John.

His string of ham was rather taut

but back to fitness this hero fought.

By the half time bell he had pillaged four

But subsequently there was no more.

The weather was bad, the game was worse

and no Biddy Early or her renowned curse

to blame for this awful fare.

But the Limerick men did up the pace

and believe it or not dead-heated the race.

So back again we all did go to hurling’s home for a repeat show.

With finer weather and a better sod

The men from the Deise they got the nod

Eoin Kelly of the mullet head

Hit them for eleven with placed balls dead

And Mullane increased last week’s score by two

To send poor Limerick on the qualifier rou’.

At a later time up in Tullamore

The teams were greeted with a powerful roar

The champions were stung with a mighty start

from Joseph Canning and a lot of heart.

Tenacious, frenetic, frenzied, wild

The men from Galway earnestly toiled.

But Kilkenny with cards of yellow galore

they soon stood up and levelled the score.

With Henry Shefflin, oh goodness gracious

Firing over a point Ger Canning described as audacious

Then Larkin, he stepped to the plate

And soon had Galway at the gate

So the champs they did march away

to await the winners from the very next day.

The boys from Wexford and Dublin town,

went to Nowlan Park for their own showdown.

The prize itself oh alas, alack

was a final tilt with the amber and black

The Dubs made hard work that day

Of putting Bonnar’s men away

(But they, of course, were very glad)

Even though they faced a poison thistle

But then games aren’t over till the final whistle ’cause where there’s life there’s hope, of course

even against Kilkenny and their awesome force.

So back to Munster our course did veer

And on the longest day in all of the year

Clare did their best to raise some cheer

At the Treaty town they did their best

putting Sheedy’s men unto the test

with Colin Ryan in form that day

they almost stole the game away

but Tipp, again survived the storm

So for Thurles town again the fans would swarm.

But on July the fourth we set our sight

For Tullamore and a real dogfight

And when Dickie blew at thirty-five

the game was still very much alive

but Offaly for the second half didn’t show

so it’s the relegation route for them you know

So the Rebels from the banks of the Lee

Were headed for the championship round phase three.

Meanwhile over in O’Moore’s Park

for Antrim the mood became rather dark

’cause Laois they came and won the right

to stay with the big boys for the next fortnight.

Then on to Croker we had to go

full of hope that the Dubs would show.

With a game plan off right down to a tee

they almost took the Cat’s life number three.

Alan McCrabbe he led the way

But Gorta’s goals stole the day.

So the Blues to the quarters now had to go

While the Cats headed on for four in a row.

It was knock-out time in earnest, boy

As we headed for the eleventh of July

To Wexford town we went again

where the locals faced the Limerick men.

Andrew stole a fortunate goal

which wounded Colm’s men to the soul.

With new boy Paudie fighting might and mane,

Limerick snuck the lead and won the game

Later over in Cusack’s sward

Clare and Galway sought their own reward

Jean Byrne and John Mac got the forecast right.

The Tribesmen won on a very bad night.

John Lee cleaned up and stopped the flow

leaving poor old Clare with nowhere to go

but back to that damned drawing board you know

On the glorious twelfth we hit Thurles town

Where Tipp would defend their provincial crown

On Munster’s greatest hurling hour

We remembered Ring, Mackey and the great Ned Power

and the great Jimmy Doyle he carried the torch

while Artane’s latest led the start of the march.

The Deise did well with Eoin Kelly raising the team

but Tipp by half-time had three flags of green.

A Lar Corbett goal then put the game out of reach

but for Waterford, Mullane and Brick kept manning the breech.

But Tipp won by four and earned the right

to a place in the semi with a final in sight.

That’s the story so far about Liam, you know

and the effort to halt that (damned) unique four in a row.