Historic day for Ballyea

Ballyea 2-15   Kilmaley 0-11

History was made at Cusack Park on Saturday when Ballyea were crowned county U-21A hurling champions for the first time in the club’s history.

 

Ballyea 2-15   Kilmaley 0-11

History was made at Cusack Park on Saturday when Ballyea were crowned county U-21A hurling champions for the first time in the club’s history.

Competing at this level in the championship for the first time, the mid-Clare outfit emerged as deserving winners of the title over competition favourites Kilmaley, who were playing their seventh game in a championship they entered at the quarter-final stage.

They needed two replays before accounting for Newmarket and then needed a replay in their semi-final with Sixmilebridge.

Ballyea were always the better team in Saturday’s replay and they led from the outset. Kilmaley fought back to be just two points adrift at the break and when they reduced the margin to the minimum early in the second half, their followers looked happy. However 2-3 without reply in a 15-minute spell saw Ballyea pull away to achieve a memorable success.

As they had done in the drawn game a few weeks earlier, Ballyea started at a blistering pace and raced into a 0-5 to 0-0 lead after just six minutes, four of those points coming from Tony Kelly.

They had two changes in personnel and a number of positional switches from the side which started the drawn final and looked the sharper and livelier outfit from the off. Joe Neylon and Martin O’Leary were in the starting side in place of Declan Keane and Eoin Donnellan.

Kilmaley also had two changes in personnel, both in attack, from the drawn tie with Daniel Clohessy and Paul Kennedy replacing Cillian McNamara and Cian Moloney.

The new champions clearly learned more from the drawn game. They positional switches they made for this outing caused a lot of problems for their opponents.

The game was eight minutes old before John Cabey opened Kilmaley’s account. It was 0-8 to 0-3 for the winners with eight minutes remaining in the half. Three-in-a-row, including their first from play by Michael O’Neill in the 23rd minute, helped Kilmaley to cut Ballyea’s lead to two with five minutes to go to the short whistle.

Two minutes later Daire Keane, who was well-policed by Jack Browne throughout, got inside his marker but his effort for goal was blocked leaving the half time score 0-8 to 0-6.

John Cabey had the opening score of the second half to cut the margin to one but a brace from Tony Kelly, the second a superb solo effort put Ballyea three clear, 0-10 to 0-7 by the third minute. Kilmaley brought it back to one again and signs of another cliffhanger looked good.

However, it wasn’t to be as Ballyea held the upperhand in most areas and points from Niall Deasy, now operating at full-forward, James Murphy and Gearóid O’Connell had them four clear, 0-13 to 0-9, by the end of the third quarter.

Two minutes into the final quarter Niall Deasy grabbed a high delivery and burst through for the game’s opening goal. Tony Kelly followed with a long range free and Ballyea were on their way to the crown. Kilmaley had a goal chance a few minutes later but failed to capitalise. Ballyea sealed victory when substitute Eanna McInerney scored their second goal when he reacted fastest after the ball rebounded off the upright.

Paul Flanagan was outstanding in the winners’ defence throughout as were Jack Browne and team captain Cathal Doohan. Elsewhere Tony Kelly again showed his huge range of skills with another powerful performance that yielded 0-9 of the team’s tally. Gearóid O’Connell, Stan Lineen and Niall Deasy were others to play huge parts in a famous day for the club.

Kilmaley failed to produce any of the form they had shown on their way to the final. Martin O’Connor, Aidan McGuane, when he was moved outfield from corner-forward, Conor Cleary and Michael O’Neill were their best players on the day.

After the game Clare GAA chairman, Michael O’Neill, presented the trophy to winning captain Cathal Doohan. Having congratulated both teams and the match officials, O’Neill admitted that he was particularly proud as a Ballyea clubman to have the honour of presenting the trophy to his own club, on the occasion of their first championship success at A level.

Ballyea: Shane Harkin; Joe Neylon, Paul Flanagan, Cormac Ryan; David Sheehan, Jack Browne, Cathal Doohan (capt); Stan Lineen, Brian Murphy; Gearóid O’Connell, Niall Deasy, Tony Kelly; Martin O’Leary, James Murphy, Mark Coughlan.
Subs: Eanna McInerney for Neylon (43 minutes); Tadhg Lynch for Deasy (59 minutes); Eoin Donlon for Ryan (inj, 60 minutes).
Scorers: Tony Kelly (0-9, 6f, 1 65); Niall Deasy (1-2); Eanna McInerney (1-0); Gearóid O’Connell (0-2); James Murphy, Martin O’Leary (0-1 each).

Kilmaley: Bryan O’Loughlin; Stephen Griffey, Martin O’Connor, Niall McGuane; Kevin McNamara, Colin McGuane, Enda Finnucane; Eoin Enright, Conor Cleary; Daire Keane, Daniel Clohessy, John Cabey; Aidan McGuane, Michael O’Neill, Paul Kennedy.
Subs: Cillian McNamara for Clohessy (41 minutes); Cian Moloney for Kennedy (50 minutes).
Scorers: John Cabey (0-4f); Michael O’Neill (0-3, 2f); Eoin Enright, Aidan McGuane, Paul Kennedy, Cian Moloney (0-1 each).

Referee: Rory Hickey, Éire Óg.