No Lady Luck for Ballinacourty in Ennis.

A first Senior Championship defeat in 2013 for Ballinacourty means that their hopes of playing in Croke Park on Saint Patrick’s Day in 2014 are over, after they went under to Clare Champions Cratloe on Sunday afternoon last.

Hopes were high for Ballinacourty heading into this game. The Clare County Final was only played twenty four hours before this game, but Cratloe who had won their first ever senior football championship showed that what was taken out of them by a Doonbeg on Saturday afternoon sometimes does not matter too much as momentum and a strong finish saw them through to a meeting with Kerry champions Dr Croke’s in the coming weeks.

This was a game that ebbed and flowed, and had it required extra time or even a replay few would have complained as many would have seen a tied result as possibly a fair result.

At the end of the first half, Ballinacourty held a one point advantage, but so evenly matched were the two sides that they were tied together on five occasions over the course of thirty plus minutes.

James O’Mahony opened the scoring for Ballinacourty only to have his effort cancelled out by Cathal McInerney.

Patrick Hurney put Ballinacourty back in front, but on ten minutes the sides were as they began once more after Cathal McInerney hit his second of the game.

Sean Collins put Cratloe in front for the first time on the quarter of an hour mark, but points from John Hurney and then Michael O’Halloran had Ballinacourty back in front with ten minutes of the half still to play.

Conor McGrath levelled matters for the fourth time when he pointed with five minutes to go.

However before the break, Ballinacourty hit two more points, the first from Mark Ferncombe, the latter from Patrick Hurney just before the break, but sandwiched in between was an effort from Liam Markham which had the sides locked together for the fifth time.

So close were these two sides matched, the feeling was the first goal, should one go in was always important.

Unfortunately for Ballinacourty, the opening and only goal went to the home side, two minutes after the restart. Fergal Lynch and Cathal McInerney were responsible for setting up Conor McGrath whose low shot passed Stephen Enright.

The measure of a good team is how they respond after leaving in a goal, and Ballinacourty’s response could not be faulted.

Points from Patrick Hurney, John Hurney and Patrick Hurney again had Ballinacourty back in front six minutes into the second half.

It was Cratloe’s turn to show what kind of side they were, and they too responded well. Cathal McInerney pointed on forty minutes. Patrick Collins edged the Clare side back in front on forty four minutes and five minutes later Cathal McInerney had his sides lead stretched to two.

Points from Shane Briggs and Gary Hurney had the sides level for the eight time with six minutes to go, and it was looking as though extra time was going to be on the cards.

However, Cratloe came back with a storming finish, as Liam Markham and then Conor McGrath had the umpires reaching for a while flag in the fifty-seventh and fifty-ninth minutes.

In stoppage time, both sides had their numbers cut as Richie Foley and Conor McGrath were flashed a straight red card by Ardfinnan Club man Derek O’Mahony.

While Ballinacourty will be disappointed with the defeat, they can take great heart in what they achieved this past year.

They played eight games in the county championship winning all eight, had a good win over Limerick champions Dromcollogher-Broadford, and put up a good display against the newly crowned Clare Champions.

They have over the past year or two brought some new blood into their team. while the championship next year locally is once again expected to be fought out by the big three (Ballinacourty, The Nire and Stradbally), with the likes of Clashmore, Kilrossanty and An Rinn also expected to make a major impact, you cant but feel that of the clubs most likely to challenge, that Ballinacourty are likely to begin as the favourites and are possibly best equipped going forward to try and secure a first ever Munster Championship win for Waterford in Senior Football.

Ballinacourty: Stephen Enright; Brian Looby, Shane Briggs, David Collins; Richie Foley, Sean O’Hare, Conor Moloney, John Hurney, Gary Hurney; James O’Mahony, Mark Fives, Mark Ferncombe; Michael O’Halloran, Jason O’Brien, Patrick Hurney. Subs: Shane O’Donovan for Jason O’Brien, John Power for Michael O’Halloran.

Scorers: Patrick Hurney 0-4, John Hurney 0-2, James O’Mahony, Mark Ferncombe, Michael O’Halloran, Gary Hurney, Shane Briggs 0-1 each.

Cratloe: Pierce De Loughrey; Sean Chaplin, Barry Duggan, David Ryan; Martin Óg Murphy, Michael Hawes, Enda Boyce; Fergal Lynch, Cillian Duggan; Liam Markham, Podge Collins, Conor Ryan; Cathal McInerney, Sean Collins, Conor McGrath. Subs: Sean Hynan for Enda Boyce, Brendan Bugler for Martin Óg Murphy.

Scorers: Conor McGrath 1-2, Cathal McInerney 0-4, L Markham 0-2, S Collins, P Collins 0-1 each.

Referee: Derek O’Mahony (Tipperary).