Galway lost out to Tipperary in the Electric Ireland Celtic Challenge Cup finals which took place across three venues recently.
The two sides were the last in action in Abbottstown, and after a contest of intensity and physicality, the Premier County eventually showed their class to lift the Corn Michael Hogan.
Robbie Ryan top-scored for the winners with a haul of 1-10, while Simon Blackmore, Daniel Rossiter and Bill Flanagan helped set the tone to Tipperary but it was Jim Ryan, playing as a sweeper, that thwarted the Galway side, despite some excellent hurling from players such as Niall Feeney and David Mannion.
At 0-9 to 0-4 at half-time, Galway were just about hanging in, but they were rocked back when a barnstorming run from Blackmore set up Rossiter for the game’s first goal in the opening minute of the second half.Darragh Kelly fired in a second with his very first touch, also laid on by Blackmore, and Tipperary were well on their way to their 3-16 to 0-9 victory by the time Ryan whipped in the third goal with roughly ten minutes to play.
Over the weekend there were wins also for Sligo, Kildare Lily Whites, North Cork, and Offaly.