FOR THE FIRST time in the 106-year history of the TUS Dr Harty Cup, two Tipperary schools will meet in the final.
“It’s something we’ve been dreaming of for years, playing Harty and getting to the knockout stage of it,” says Cashel manager Brendan Ryan. For all their tradition, none of this Thurles team has experienced the build-up to a final in their time in the school but the links are there, with ’05 finalist Pádraic Maher double-jobbing on the sideline: Tipperary selector for their League opener on Saturday, Thurles CBS selector on Sunday.
“He was going to club matches over the summer, watching these lads playing under 17, under 19. He wanted to know their names for when he came in, in September. In knockout hurling this year, they’ve conceded just 0-27 in two games, including a semi-final clean sheet against All-Ireland champions Ardscoil Rís.