APPROXIMATELY 10,000 people gathered in Netwatch Cullen Park in Carlow on Monday evening to watch a star-studded renewal of the Hurling for Cancer Research match in aid of the Irish Cancer Society.

Heading into the match, you’d have likely had your money on a draw looking at the past form and with an each-way bet, certain bookmakers might have paid out with Jim Bolger’s Stars scraping by with a one-point victory over Davy Russell’s Best. Jim Bolger’s team scored 9-15 (42 points) to Davy’s 8-17 (41 points).

The players certainly didn’t miss the break with points flying over the crossbar at each end of the field within minutes of the throw-in.

Despite the rapid speed of their ping-pong point-scoring, the players themselves only moved at a leisurely pace, a far cry from the speeds that competitors Davy Russell and Jamie Codd would have clocked up on the racecourse.

With the racing world stars on the field such as Ian McCarthy, Johnny and Mikey Fogarty and Mark Enright clearly out of their comfort zone, the GAA celebs did most of the matches heavy lifting.

On the ball

The first point of the game was scored by Adam Screeney for Jim Bolger’s team, a rising star in Offaly’s hurling squad. It wasn’t long before the goals started rolling in, with Brian Carroll, another Offaly hurler, opening his account also for Jim Bolger’s Stars.

From here, things only got better for the Coolcullen-based trainer’s team. You could excuse Davy Russell’s team for the slow start bearing in mind that the low-lying sun would have been in their eyes at this point. Willie Mullins, among those on umpire duty, wasn’t giving anything away!

The half-time score was 5-07 1-11 to Jim Bolger’s Stars. The players were barely off the field as fans poured out of the stands and onto the pitch for a puck around of their own.

Davy Russell’s Best bainisteoir, Brian Cody, must have whipped the team into shape in the changing room and they came back onto the field all guns blazing, taking the opening goal in the second half.

As the clock was ticking and the match was coming to a close, the bainisteoirí were considering their sub options and firing all of their ammunition onto the pitch.

Regardless of the score, it was a great game and a testament to Una Bolger for her planning and execution of the event.

Coverage

TG4 provided live coverage of the evening with many excellent live interviews as the match progressed. It began with a particularly poignant one with Dermot Flaherty, who had helped out with camera filming at the match last year.

Just weeks later, he was also diagnosed with cancer and is still receiving treatment.

Dermot said: “Little did I think that this would ever happen. The most important thing is that it’s diagnosed as soon as possible, to give you the best chance. When you are on this journey with cancer you need the best treatment.

“It’s important that there’s research done into it that when you get to that stage it’s important that there’s a plan that will give you a good chance of survival. It’s the best way of fighting this terrible disease.

On the day, I went down to work as a volunteer but I didn’t realise that I would depend on it.”

FRESH from his RTÉ Olympic duties, Bernard Dunne was learning the ropes as an umpire. Interviewed, he again stressed the feel-good factor of sports participation. “What Jim, Una and Davy are doing is just amazing. Sport is about participation, enjoying yourself, having fun.”

AVERIL Power, CEO of the Irish Cancer Society, was also interviewed saying: “Every three minutes, someone in Ireland hears the words, ‘You have cancer.’ This event just means so much to so many people and gives hope to people.”

Joanne O’Riordan

@JoanneOR_Ox

What an honour to attend @Hurling4cancer tonight. I had the pleasure of monitoring Benjie throw in the ball to TJ Reid and Hoggie. Benjie told me he was undergoing chemotherapy every week and today he lived his dream. That’s what it’s all about!

Damien Fitzhenry (Wexford)

Mikey Butler (Kilkenny)

Dan Morrissey (Limerick)

Barry Nash (Limerick)

Richie Reid (Kilkenny)

Declan Hannon (Limerick)

Kyle Hayes (Limerick)

Darragh O’Donovan (Limerick)

Paddy Deegan (Kilkenny)

Gearóid Hegarty (Limerick)

Con O’Callaghan (Dublin)

Adam Screeney (Offaly).

Subs

Graeme Mulcahy (Limerick)

Richie Hogan (Kilkenny)

Padraig Walsh (Kilkenny)

Paul Murphy (Kilkenny)

Stephen Hunt (Waterford)

Tommy Walsh (Kilkenny)

Eddie Brennan (Kilkenny)

Jackie Tyrrell (Kilkenny)

Brian Carroll (Offaly)

Shane Dowling (Limerick)

Grace Walsh (Kilkenny)

Shane Long (Tipperary)

Ollie Canning (Galway)

Laura Murphy (Kilkenny)

Paudie Clifford (Kerry)

Adrian Mullen (Kilkenny)

Shane O’Donnell (Clare)

Martin Storey (Wexford)

Larry O’Gorman (Wexford)

Brian Cadigan (Kilkenny)

Dave Clarke (Limerick)

John McKeon (Kildare)

Michael Fennelly (Kilkenny)

James Dowling (Kilkenny)

Liam Hoare (Offaly)

Davy Russell (Cork)

Eoin Downey (Cork)

Michael Fitzsimons (Dublin)

David Fitzgerald (Clare)

Robert Downey (Cork)

Chris Crummey (Dublin)

Ryan Taylor (Clare)

Mark Rodgers (Clare)

Brian Duignan (Offaly)

Lee Chin (Wexford)

Peter Duggan (Clare)

Marty Kavanagh (Carlow)

Patrick Horgan (Cork)

Ian Galvin (Clare)

Subs

Conor McDonald (Wexford)

Liam Óg McGovern (Wexford)

James Doyle (Carlow)

Chris Nolan (Carlow)

Euan Murray (Tipperary)

Cathal O’Reilly (Tipperary)

Aoife Norris (Kilkenny)

Michelle Tiernan (Kilkenny)

Jack O’Connor (Wexford)

Rory O’Connor (Wexford)

Mikey Fogarty (Wexford)

Cian Galvin (Clare)

Jamie Codd (Wexford)

Gavin Dowling (Kildare)

Kevin Foley (Wexford)

Sean Carroll (Kilkenny)

Ian McCarthy (Galway)

Mark Enright (Limerick)

Neil Ryan (Tipperary)

David Doyle (Tipperary)

Barry O’Neill (Cork)

Jack Regan (Meath)

Cian Quirke (Tipperary)

Liz Lawless (Meath)

Johnny Fogarty (Wexford)