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It was not a big surprise to see Drom Inch and Loughmore Castleiney qualifying for this years decider, if you had been following the form in recent years. Back in 2004 both clubs qualified for the Co quarter finals, where Drom lost to The Combo’ 1-15 to 1-14 and Loughmore lost to Toomevara I -12 to 0-13.The following year both clubs again madę it to the last eight. This time Drom reached the finał, where they lost an all Mid decider by I -17 to 0-15. Loughmore lost to Thurles Sarsfields in the Co Semi finał by 2-19 to 2-14. In 2006 Drom lost the Co Semi finał to Nenagh Eire Óg 2-14 to 1-13 having beaten them at the same stage a year earlier. Loughmore scored 2-15 and still lost to Toomevara, who scored 2-18, in the Co quarter finał. So in 2007, for the fourth year in a row, the two clubs quał-ified for the last eight and this time both have madę it to the finał. The form’ was there and the pairing is not the ‘shock’ some people have claimed.

LOW NUMBERS

Prior to this years Co finał, supporters had been wondering when the combined number of titles, held between the finalists, was only one.The last time was in 1967, when Carrick Davins (1966 champions) beat Roscrea, who didn’t

Seamus 0’Doherty

win their first tide until 1968. It also happened in 1950, when Borrislleigh with one title (1949) beat Carrick Swan. The 1997 decider between Clonoulty Rossmore (1989 champions) and Mullinahone is also worthy of mention, because the previ-ous Co title win by the West-erners, was in the name of Clonoulty and dated back to 1888!

However, ‘the carry forward’ was even lower in 1987, when Cappawhite (winners) and Loughmore Castleiney came face to face, without a title between them. Other blank years included 1975, when Moneygall (winners in a replay) and Kilru-ane MacDon-    ił

aghs met in an all North decider. In the past sixty years, a ‘no previous title’ scenario also arose in 1947 -Carrick Swan v Borrislleigh; 1948 - Holycross Ballycahill v Lorrha; 1949, - Borrisileigh v Kickhams and 1966 - Carrick Davins v Lorrha.

BEST TEAM

The unusual scenario which has arisen this year - an all Mid Co finał which doesn’t include the Divisional champions - has raised some eyebrows. It is a regular enough occurrence to have winner, loser, or both, from the same division in the finał, but this years situation has occurred previously. The last time was in 1976, when Moneygall beat Roscrea in the Co Finał on September 12 and Borrislleigh (holders) beat Lorrha in the Divisional finał, on October 24.

NOT

UNUSUAL

Today is not the first occasion that three consecu-tive Co finals have been contest-ed by two clubs from the same division. Back in the 1970s there were four consecutive deciders contested by teams from the same division - the North - in each case. Moneygall beat Kil-ruane Mac Donaghs in 1975 (replay), Moneygall beat

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