Sean Treacy’s suffered a heartbreaking one point defeat to Brothers Pearse in Sunday’s London Senior Hurling Championship Final at McGovern Park, Ruislip, narrowly missing out on our first senior title since 2002.

Having reached the final for the first time since 2014, the team came agonisingly close to ending our 24 year wait for the title, following a massive effort in difficult conditions.

The day began with a well observed minute’s silence in memory of our former clubman Brian Kavanagh.

The opening 10 minutes were fiercely contested as we had a strong wind behind us with Adam Jordan landing our first score. As the game settled into a hard fought, stop start contest, Treacy’s began to find their rhythm.

Jack Fagan restored our lead with a superb effort from his own half before Danny Buckley added two points. Further scores from Jordan and Michael Roche stretched our advantage to five points, with Roche adding another shortly afterwards.

Brothers Pearse fought their way back into the contest and found the net to reduce the deficit to a single point as half-time approached. A quick puck out from Liam Galway found Kevin Desmond, who landed a superb point, before another Jordan score left Treacy’s ahead by 0-11 to 1-6 at the break.

Treacy’s could have held a greater advantage, but a Roche free was saved and Eoin McGrath was unlucky to see his follow up volley come back off the crossbar.

Playing against a strong wind after the restart, Treacy’s continued to battle hard and soaked up pressure in defence and midfield, with Desmond and Roche keeping the scoreboard ticking over. Hopes of ending our long wait for the title grew when Jordan battled to win possession before setting up Roche for a goal, putting Treacy’s five points clear at 1-14 to 1-9.

Roche added another point before Liam Hanley restored our four point advantage as the game entered its closing stages, leaving Treacy’s ahead by 1-16 to 1-12.

Unfortunately, that would prove to be our final score.

A frantic finish followed as Brothers Pearse piled on the pressure. Treacy’s had opportunities to protect their lead, but some key decisions went against us at crucial moments, adding to the frustration of an increasingly tense finish.

With just seconds of additional time remaining, Brothers Pearse landed a long range point from deep inside their own half to take the lead for the first time in the final. Our lads battled until the very end in search of an equaliser, but it wasn’t to be, as our opponents secured a one point victory to break Treacy’s hearts.

After a 24-year wait, the title had come within touching distance, making the devastation at the final whistle all the more difficult to take. Nevertheless, the players and management can be immensely proud of their efforts and of a season that brought the club back to the brink of winning the London Senior Hurling title.

Liam Galway, Paddy O’Toole, Michael Moran, Barry Morrissey, Darragh O’Connor, Jack Fagan (0-2), Michael Doyle, Cillian Daveron, Oige Murphy, Danny Buckley (0-2), Kevin Desmond (0-2), Liam Hanley (0-1), Michael Roche (1-6, 4 f), Adam Jordan (0-3), Eoin McGrath.

Subs: Kevin Bergin for Eoin McGrath (half-time), Tiernan Morgan for Danny Buckley (39’), Liam Quinn for Barry Morrissey (54’), Conor Goggin for Oige Murphy (55’).

Panel: Cian Cashman, Conall O’Ceallaigh, Paul O’Rourke, Mark O’Donovan, Padraig McGrath, Jamie Kenneally, Ronan Fahy, Kealan Condon, Bernard Kennedy, James Kelly, Gerard Murphy, Owen Wigglesworth, Killian Hogan, James Mangan, Dylan St. John, and Sean Adamson.

We congratulate Brothers Pearse on winning their 13th London Senior Hurling title after a fiercely contested final.

A huge thank you to every player on the panel and to our management team of Alan Tobin, Conor Glynn, Matt Barlow, John Bermingham and Shane Stapleton, alongside our physio Meabh Broderick, for their incredible commitment, hard work and dedication throughout the season.

We would also like to thank our committee members for their efforts throughout the year, along with all our sponsors and those who made donations for their continued generosity. In particular, we thank our main sponsors this year, Total Fire Smoke Ventilation, Cilantro and The Hop Pole. A special word of thanks also goes to The Rattlin Bog for sponsoring meals after training sessions.

Thank you to The Hop Pole, The Ramble Inn and The Rattlin Bog for their hospitality on Sunday and Monday.

Finally, a massive thank you to all our supporters who turned out in red and white to back the team, including the many who travelled from Ireland to be part of the occasion. We also appreciate those who tuned in to watch the game on Clubber. Your support means a lot to the club.

While the disappointment of Sunday will take time to fade, the club can be immensely proud of what we have achieved this year and the progress made over recent seasons. We have shown that we can compete at the highest level, and we will continue to work hard towards our ultimate goal of bringing the London Senior Hurling title back to South London.

We hope everyone enjoys some well earned rest and downtime over the coming weeks, and we look forward to seeing you all again at our end of year get together.