Wins for the big 3 in opening round of game in the Senior Football Championship

Five games were played in the opening round of games of this year’s J.J. Kavanagh and Sons Waterford County Senior Football Championship, with all games finishing on a predicted pattern.

Ballinacourty and An Rinn got this years competition under way at Fraher Field on Friday evening.

An Rinn in this game had a first quarter to forget in this game as they fell five point to no score down after fifteen minutes.

However they recovered in the second quarter and went in at the break trailing on a 0-6 to 0-3 scoreline.

Ballinacourty began the second quarter as brightly as they did the first. Gary Hurney picked out Michael O’Halloran who did well to pick out Patrick Hurney with a long pass who once in control of the ball he registered the games only goal.

An Rinn again recovered well after this but in the closing minutes when four points separated the sides, they kicked three bad wide’s in a row, which was followed by a point from Shane Ó Ceallaigh, but the wide’s could have proved to be the difference between the sides as Ballinacourty won 1-9 to 0-9.

On Saturday evening, reigning champions Stradbally proved too strong for Gaultier at Walsh Park.

The champions were always in control and held a 1-7 to 0-1 advantage at the break, inter county player Shane Ahearne striking for goal after ten minutes.

The Cove-men continued to dominate in the second half and ran out easy winners on a 2-16 to 1-2 scoreline. Ger Power hit Stradbally’s second goal with Gary Molloy hitting a late consolation score just with time ticking down fast.

At Fraher Field on Saturday evening, it was Clashmore that came out on top in their local derby clash with Ardmore.

Played out in driving wind and rain, Ardmore having played against the wind in the first half looked good to take the victory at the break as they held a 1-1 to 0-2 advantage, the goal coming on fourteen minutes when Declan Hickey failed to deal with a Wayne Hennessy free properly and Alan North was quickest to react bungling the ball over the line from close range.

Clashmore introduced Karl O’Keeffe into the game early in the second half and quickly made his presence felt putting over a point within a minute of coming on. This was the score that helped Clashmore settle, as they ran out winners 0-7 to 1-3.

The third game fixed for Saturday evening was called off shortly before the game was due to begin.

The game between Ballinameela and Rathgormack was moved from Lemybrien to Stradbally earlier in the week, but when referee Dessie O’Leary arrived at the venue the rain that fell over the course of the day left surface waterlogged in patches while a heavy fog in the area also made conditions unsafe for the player so the match referee was left with no option but to call the game off.

Two games were played on Sunday.

As expected, Kilrossanty proved too strong for Saint Saviours in Walsh Park on Sunday afternoon. They were always on top and ran out winners on a 1-13 to 0-2 scoreline, Michael Walsh getting the goal for the Comeragh Men in the first half, at the end of which the Comeragh Men held a 1-5 to -1 advantage.  

The final game of the weekend saw The Nire take on Brickeys at Fraher Field.

This game like much of the games over the weekend was played in horrendous conditions. The fact that The Nire did win out did not come as a surprize but the fact that they did labour for much of the game was a bit of a shock and with six minutes of the first half still to play Brickeys who were going to have the elements at their backs in the second half, but two goals from Liam Lawlor and Brian Wall inside a minute of each other but the game to bed.

At the break the winners held a 2-5 to 0-1 advantage, and while Brickeys did better in the second half, they were powerless to stop The Nire recording a 2-10 to 0-6 victory.