Ballycommon captured the North Tipperary junior hurling title in 1941. They opened their campaign on 11 May with a victory
over Kilruane MacDonaghs at Starr's field in Loughourna. Loughourna also played there that Sunday afternoon against their
parishioners, Cloghprior. (Cloghprior was a short lived junior team formed by a break away group from Carney). Ballycommon
and Loughourna met in the next round at Kilruane on 29 June. Ballycommon won by 4-5 to 2-2. The Nenagh Guardian reported
that Paddy and Timmy Devaney did most of the scoring for the winners, with Jim Joe Grace also helping to add to the total.
The Loughourna goals came from jack and John Harty of Ballinware and the points from Dinny Griffin of Ballyvillane, who was
afterwards prominent on the Kildangan senior team. Ballycommon went onto defeat MacDonagh by 7-3 to 2-0 at Carney, and Redwood
by 10-2 to 2-4 at Ballinderry. Victory over Templederry at Dolla on 2 November ensured them a place in the North Tipperary
junior final.
The final against Boher at the Showgrounds, Nenagh, on Sunday 15 November 1941 was played in terrible conditions. Rain
pelted down all the forenoon, the field was sodden, and the darkening sky made it almost impossible to see the ball. Yet
despite the conditions there was a fine display of fast and vigorous hurling, reported the Nenagh Guardian on 21 November
1941. Boher led by 2-0 to 1-1 at half time despite playing against a stiff breeze. The Ballycommon goal came from John Gleeson
and the point from Joe Cleary.
Both teams were evenly matched for the first quarter of the second half; then the Boher defence collapsed and Ballycommon
began scoring at will. Goals from Edmund Devaney, Dave Morrissey and Joe Cleary put the issue beyond doubt and Ballycommon
won comfortably by 6-3 to 2-3. The stars were in the sky when Mr. Dinny O'Brien sounded the whistle for full time, remarked
the Nenagh Guardian wryly. It was a unique achievement: the only championship success for a club, which had first fielded
a team almost half a century previously.
One Ballycommon player, Paddy Joe Collins of Ballyartella, recalls an incident that happened during the match. He and
his Boher opponent were niggling and swearing loudly at each other when referee Dinny O'Brien of Grange dramatically stopped
the match and ordered them both before him. Dinny threatened in language even louder and stronger that he would send them
both to the line if heard any more of that bad language. The tension between the two evaporated amid the general outburst
of laughter.
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Ballycommon Hurling Team 1925 |
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Ballycommon, 1941:
John Gleeson (Ballycommon),Capt. Matt Gleeson (Ballydrennan),Ned Gleeson (Ballydrennan),Bill Gleeson (Ballycommon),Paddy
Devaney (Crannagh),Edmund Devaney (Crannagh),Jim Joe Grace (Carhue),Willie Moloney (Crannagh),Tim Moloney (Crannagh),Timmy
Devaney (Ballycommon),Paddy Joe Collins (Ballyartella),Joe Cleary (Kildangan),Dave Morrissey (Prospect),Mick Egan (Johnstown),Martin
Hogan (Urra),Paddy Flannery (Castlesheela),Bart Flannery (Castelsheela).
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