Claremorris were in celebration mode after they defeated Cushendall 3-1 in the final to win their AIG Pierce Purcell Shield All Ireland title at Athlone.
The Mayo club edged out Munster East representatives Tramore 2.5–1.5 in the semi-finals as Cushendall went to 19th to beat Newcastle West.
Claremorris carried their momentum into the final as Enda Gurren and Brian Burke delivered the first point with a 5&4 win in the top match.
While Rossa Higgins and John Finn followed up with a 4&3 victory in the anchor match to put Claremorris on the brink, Michael Lohan and Martin Murphy held their nerve to secure the title, leaving the Mayo club to celebrate their first success in the Pierce Purcell Shield.
“We started this campaign five months ago and we did give it a good fist, but we never thought we’d be standing here, winning this pennant,” said Claremorris team captain Derek Reilly. “It’s the best feeling in the world because there’s a lot of work and a lot of effort gone into this.
“We played in one 12 years ago, and we lost it, and we haven’t been in the final since. It’s great to come up this year and get to it and win it and tick that box.
“It is huge for such a small club. We’re surrounded by clubs like Ballinrobe and Castlebar who have won this before and we kind of felt a bit left out, but we’ve proven this year that we are a club to be reckoned with and let’s hope this can drive the club on now for the future and we can win more at All-Ireland level.”
