Ballygunner Make it Six Titles in a Row and Edge Closer to the Record

Ballygunner became only the third different senior hurling club within the county to win six county finals in a row at Walsh Park this afternoon when they comprehensively beat De La Salle, and in doing so moved a step closer to the record nine titles won in a row by Erin’s Own and Mount Sion in the past.

It would be a brave person now that would bet against them equalling and even bettering what their city rivals have done in the past such are the numbers and talent that they have at their disposal. In fact the club could have two teams playing in the senior grade next year as they have a very fancied second string intermediate side competing in the County Final next Saturday where they take on Ballysaggart and on the same afternoon their Minor team are also in the county final where they will take on Saint Carthage’s at the same venue.

And having won a considerable amount of underage titles in recent years with some excellent up and coming players coming through from these teams and making their way onto Ballygunner’s first string side, the chances of them staying where they are at present look extremely good for the club.

Ballygunner had a great start to this game racing into a 1-7 to 0-1 lead with just under a quarter of the game played, but credit De La Salle who came back and at the break they trailed 1-11 to 1-6 and even at one stage in the second half managed to bring the newly crowned champions lead down to just two, but eight unanswered scores in the final quarter of the game secured Ballygunner an 18^th title since winning their first at this level back in 1966 something that no other club in the county has achieved in this time span.

Former Brighton and Hove Albion player Dessie Hutchinson in his first final at this level with ‘The Gunners’ hit 1-3 from play in a Man of the Match performance as his side stretched their unbeaten run within the county in Senior Championship Hurling to 33 games from when they were last beaten against Passage in the 2013 decider at the same venue.

After Pauric Mahony had given his side a good start to this game with a brace of scores, his side grabbed the first goal of the game on five minutes when Mahony’s younger brother Michael found Dessie Hutchinson who finished to the net putting his side 1-2 to 0-1 in front. And when Conor Sheahan, Mahony and Hutchinson followed up with points giving their side a nine point cushion things were looking bleak for De La Salle who last won the title in 2012, beating Dungarvan at Fraher Field.

De La Salle are year were considered the side that were expected to challenge Ballygunner hardest and they showed why as they began to find the scores to draw closer to Ballygunner which along the way included a goal from Eddie Meaney on 20 minutes.

Mahony followed up with a point for Ballygunner but it was followed with scores from Eddie Meaney and Jake Dillon with a huge score to leave just four between the sides and giving the Gracedieu based club plenty of hope.

Tim O’Sullivan and Jack Fagan swapped scores and Meaney added another for De La Salle to make it a three point game, but a brace of scores before the half time whistle by Pauric Mahony gave The Gunners a 1-11 to 1-6 lead at the break.

Peter Hogan pointed for the winners just after the restart, but De La Salle enjoyed a bit of a purple patch after this as points from Jack Fagan, Adam Farrell and Cormac McCann moved them to within four of the eventual winners, who would respond with efforts from Conor Sheahan and Pauric Mahony.

De La Salle got the margin down to two but the Champions refused to bow to the pressure being put on by the challengers and five points, two from Peter Hogan and one each from Paddy Leavy, Barry O’Sullivan and Pauric Mahony in a two minute spell showed why Ballygunner are champions for each year past six years as they went 1-20 to 1-13 in front, going into the last ten minutes of the game.

Late points from Pauric Mahony, Dessie Hutchinson and Conor Power introduced as a sub mid way through the second half for Tim O’Sullivan ensured that the title was returning to Ballygunner who now play Clare champions Sixmilebridge on November 3 in Ennis after they beat Cratloe in the Clare County Final today in Ennis.

Ballygunner: Stephen O’Keeffe; Ian Kenny, Eddie Hayden, Barry Coughlan; Shane O’Sullivan, Philip Mahony, Billy O’Keeffe; Conor Sheahan, Paddy Leavy; Barry O’Sullivan, Pauric Mahony, Michael Mahony; Peter Hogan, Tim O’Sullivan, Dessie Hutchinson

Subs: Conor Power for Tim O’Sullivan (45), Wayne Hutchinson for Conor Sheahan (60), JJ Hutchinson for Leavy (60), Barry Power for Billy O’Keeffe (62).

Scorers: Pauric Mahony 0-12 (0-6f), Dessie Hutchinson 1-3, Peter Hogan 0-3, Conor Sheahan 0-2, Barry O’Sullivan, Tim O’Sullivan, Paddy Leavy, Conor Power 0-1 each.

De La Salle: Shaun O’Brien; Ryan Duke, Conor Giles Doran, Michael Doherty; Shane McNulty, Kevin Moran, Tom Moran; Eddie Barrett, Adam Farrell; Jake Dillon, Jack Fagan, Paidi Nevin; Cormac McCann, Thomas Douglas, Eddie Meaney.

Subs: Shane Ryan for Nevin (45), Dean Twomey for Farrell (51)

Scorers: Eddie Meaney 1-3, Jack Fagan, Cormac McCann, Jake Dillon 0-3 each, Shane McNulty (65), Adam Farrell, Eddie Meaney 0-1 each.

Referee: Michael O’Brien