Eoghan Doughan held his nerve in the fifth minute of added time to catapult Nenagh CBS into the Dr Harty Cup final, as the 2024 champions edged out holders Thurles CBS in a pulsating all-Tipperary semi-final at Kenyon Park, Templederry.
Sean Griffin(Upperchurch Drombane, Thurles) chased by Joe O’Dwyer(Burgess, Nenagh), and Billy O’Brien (Nenagh Éire Óg, Nenagh). Pic:John O’Loughlin(Photographer Thurles).
In front of a packed, sold-out crowd, the sides produced a contest of rare quality and intensity, swapping the lead repeatedly and drawing level on some ten different occasions during normal time.
Alas; Final score: Nenagh CBS 1-18 (21pts) Thurles CBS 0-20 (20pts).
Thurles looked to have rescued it late, when Jack Cahill landed a huge pressure free in stoppage time to square matters, ratcheting the tension around the ground. However just moments later, a frantic ruck inside the Nenagh half threatened to tip the game towards extra time, but Nenagh managed to break with purpose, delivering a long ball that allowed Patrick Hackett to win the decisive free with the clock all but red.
Up stepped Doughan, already the standout scorer on the day, and the Moneygall sharpshooter calmly floated over the match-winning placed ball to spark wild celebrations among the Nenagh support and book a return to a Harty Cup final.
The opening half set the tone: hard, fast and relentlessly accurate. Thurles, with Cahill’s frees and Tony Ryan’s excellent work from play, repeatedly pegged Nenagh back after the North Tipp side threatened to pull away. Nenagh’s crucial first-half breakthrough arrived when Eanna Tucker finished in the net, a goal that proved vital in a match where margins were microscopic.
At half-time, Thurles the defending champions shaded it, with score 0-11 (11pts) to Nenagh1-7 (10pts), and carried that momentum early in the second period to open a three-point advantage as Tiarnan Ryan and James Butler got into their stride.
Nenagh, however, showed serious composure under pressure. A decisive spell from the 38th to the 51st minute saw them surge with a run of scores, driven by Doughan’s unerring shooting and important contributions from Hugo Healy and Paul Cahalan.
Even then, Thurles refused to yield. Cahill struck two superb sideline cuts and, with Cillian Minogue keeping the scoreboard ticking, they dragged it back to the knife-edge before the dramatic finale unfolded.
For Thurles CBS, it was indeed a heartbreaking end to a truly brave title defence, playing their full part in a semi-final that will be talked about for a long time as a fitting future showcase for schools hurling in the Premier County.
Teams:
Thurles CBS: Rory Crosse (Boherlahan Dualla); Toby Corbett (Upperchurch Drombane), Darragh Hickey (Emeralds, Urlingford), Conor Kennedy (Boherlahan Dualla); Danny Barry (Fethard), Ryne Bargary (Boherlahan Dualla), Sean Griffin (Upperchurch Drombane); Jack Cahill (Ballingarry), Euan Murray (Thurles Sarsfields); Tony Ryan (Killenaule), James Butler (Sean Treacys) Tiarnán Ryan (Holycross Ballycahill); Eoghan Hickey (Holycross Ballycahill), Cillian Minogue (Thurles Sarsfields), Chris Dunne (Gortnahoe Glengoole).
Partaking Subs:- Conor Kennedy (Clonoulty Rossmore) for Chris Dunne; Zach O’Keeffe (Holycross Ballycahill) for Hickey Darragh.
Nenagh CBS: Paddy McCormack (Moneygall); Diarmuid Fogarty (Kiladangan), Dara O’Dwyer (Kiladangan), Cormac Kennedy (Kilruane MacDonaghs); Johnny Grace (Burgess), Shane Cleary (Kilruane MacDonaghs), Emmet Jones (Nenagh Éire Óg); Austin Duff (Toomevara), Billy O’Brien (Nenagh Éire Óg); Patrick Ryan (Borris-Ileigh), Paul Cahalan (Burgess), Eoghan Doughan (Moneygall); Joe O’Dwyer (Burgess), Patrick Hackett (Toomevara), Eanna Tucker (Nenagh Éire Óg).
Partaking Subs:- Hugo Healy (Kilruane MacDonaghs) for Emmet Jones; Rian McGrath (Kiladangan) for Paul Cahalan; Luke McKeogh (Ballina) for Joe O’Dwyer; Tom Boland (Kiladangan) for Eanna Tucker.
Tipperary’s senior footballers will play their four Allianz Football League Division 4 home fixtures at FBD Semple Stadium, Thurles, following an end-of-season review of last year’s performances and underlying match indicators.
The move marks a return to Thurles as the primary home venue after last season, when Tipperary staged the majority of home league and championship fixtures away from Semple Stadium, including a run of inter-county games at Clonmel Sportsfield.
The decision was informed by an assessment of performance trends, such as territory, turnover counts (forced and unforced), and kick-out outcomes, which collectively indicated stronger overall outputs in Thurles.
Tipperary’s Division 4 campaign begins away to London on Sunday, 25 January(2.00pm) at McGovern Park, Ruislip, before the first home fixture against Antrim takes place on Sunday, 1 February(2.00pm) in Semple Stadium.
2026 Allianz Football League Division 4 — Tipperary Home Fixtures (Semple Stadium, Thurles)
Tipperary v Antrim — Sunday, 1 February, 2.00pm. Tipperary v Carlow — Sunday, 15 February, 2.00pm. Tipperary v Leitrim — Sunday, 1 March, 2.00pm. Tipperary v Waterford — Sunday, 22 March, 1.00pm.
The league programme is viewed as central to Tipperary’s season objectives, with Division 4 expected to be highly competitive and promotion contested throughout the group.
Sporting world salutes Josef (Joe) Veselsky – Holocaust survivor, pioneer of Irish table tennis and lifelong learner – following His death, aged 107.
European Table Tennis Union and Table Tennis Ireland pay tribute to a man whose courage, community spirit and love of the game inspired generations.
Josef (Joe) Veselsky and poster ‘For Democracy – For Czechoslovakia’
Tributes are being paid across Ireland and the international sporting community following the death of Josef (Joe) Veselsky, Holocaust survivor, former International Table Tennis Captain and a towering figure in Irish Table Tennis, who died on January 3rd, aged 107.
In a statement, the European Table Tennis Union(ETTU) said the European and International table tennis community is mourning Mr Veselsky’s passing, describing a life that reflected the “unifying power of sport” and the endurance of the human spirit. Born in Trnava in 1918 in what was then Czechoslovakia, Mr Veselsky joined the Resistance as a young man after Nazi forces invaded. He survived the war in the Carpathian Mountains, while his parents and older brother were murdered in Auschwitz Concentration Camp, a loss that remained with him throughout his life. He was later decorated with the Order of the Slovak National Uprising for bravery.
After the Second World War, Mr Veselsky rose to the highest levels of his sport, captaining the Czechoslovak national table tennis team. In 1949, he and his wife Katarina (Kathy) fled the post-war political regime, emigrating to Ireland, where he built a successful jewellery business, despite arriving with limited English and no formal business background.
In Ireland, his impact went far beyond the table. Mr Veselsky became a key driving force in the development of the sport here, and later served as Life President of the Irish Table Tennis Association (now Table Tennis Ireland). Table Tennis Ireland said his contribution was recognised with multiple honours, including an ETTU Badge of Honour, and noted he was officially recognised last year as Ireland’s oldest man.
To mark his lasting legacy, the Joe Veselsky Award, introduced by the Association in 1986, continues to honour outstanding achievement in table tennis administration in Ireland.
Away from sport, Mr Veselsky also became celebrated as Trinity College Dublin’s oldest student, attending extra-mural courses for years and receiving an honorary Master of Arts in 2016, an acknowledgement of his remarkable commitment to lifelong learning.
Mr Veselsky is survived by his children Peter and Kate, and by a legacy that continues to inspire players, volunteers and supporters across Europe and beyond.
Clonmel, Co. Tipperary first win remembered as jockey Mr Paul Kavanagh is to be laid to rest on Saturday next
Jockey Paul Kavanagh, who recorded his first winner for Enda Bolger at Clonmel, Co. Tipperary, is to be laid to rest this weekend following his tragic death in a road traffic collision on Christmas Eve last. The 20-year-old, of College Green, Tuam; Athlacca, Co. Limerick and formerly of Ballybrone, Corofin, Co. Galway, died after a collision involving a car and a lorry on the N20 in the Bruree area, between 1:40am and 2:15am on Wednesday, December 24th 2025.
In a notice, his family have said their “treasured” son will be “forever loved and missed” by his parents Kevin and Alison, sister Grace and brother Ryan, as well as his wider family, friends, colleagues at Enda Bolger’s yard and the wider racing community.
Funeral arrangements. Mr Kavanagh will be reposing at Grogan’s Funeral Home, Barrack Street, Tuam, on Friday from 5:00pm to 8:00pm, followed by removal to his home. Requiem Mass will take place at 11:30am on Saturday in the Cathedral of the Assumption, Tuam, with burial afterwards in Tuam Cemetery.
The family has requested house private, family flowers only, with donations in lieu, if desired, to the Injured Jockeys Fund.
As stated, Mr Kavanagh had been riding out with Mr Bolger in Co. Limerick for the past two years and notched his first winner for the trainer at Clonmel last June, partnering ‘Gimme A Buzz’.
Gardaí confirm that the driver of the car was pronounced dead at the scene, while the lorry driver, a man in his 20s was taken to University Hospital Limerick with non-life-threatening injuries. Anyone who travelled on the N20 in the Bruree area between 1:40am and 2:15am is asked to contact investigating gardaí. Road users with camera footage, including dash-cam, are also asked to make it available. Gardaí can be contacted at Newcastle West Garda Station TEL: 069 20650, the Garda Confidential Line TEL: 1800 666 111, or indeed any garda station.
Tipperary’s senior hurlers will launch their 2026 Allianz Hurling League campaign with a high-profile opening-night clash at home to Galway on Saturday, January 24th, with a 7:00pm throw-in at FBD Semple Stadium, Thurles. The Round 1 fixture provides an early benchmark against one of Division 1A’s established contenders.
The Premier County will have three home league outings in Thurles, with Limerick and Kilkenny also due to visit Semple Stadium during the spring. Away trips to Offaly, Cork and Waterford complete a balanced schedule of home and travel assignments.
In football, Tipperary’s senior side begin their Allianz Football League Division 4 programme on the road, travelling to McGovern Park, Ruislip, to face London on Sunday, January 25th(throw-in 2:00pm). The division schedule includes three further away ties, against Longford and Wicklow, alongside the opening trip to London, while four home fixtures at FBD Semple Stadium see Antrim, Carlow, Leitrim and Waterford all set to visit Thurles.
Tipperary — Allianz Hurling League Division 1A Fixtures (2026).
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