Thirty fifth County Final in a row for Ballymacarbry

A question to begin with.

What is the most successful club in any sport in the G.A.A.

I am sure a number of clubs will come to mind straight away from different counties. But I am sure when it all boils down, few if any can compare with the Ballymacarbry Ladies Football Club.

Formed in 1970, the club has won 35 of the last 35 County Senior Ladies Football Championships. That’s right, 35 out of 35. I am sure that few if any other clubs in any other county can compete with this record.

Yes, there may be times when the number of clubs playing senior from the number of available clubs within the county at the time might be small, but records show that over the past 35 years when it comes to the County Roll of Honour the name Ballymacarbry appears after the County Senior Football Championship in each of the last 35 years.

There most recent title was won on Sunday afternoon last when they overcame the challenge of near neighbours Comeragh Rangers at Kilmacthomas.

There was some, myself included that expected this game to be a close fought encounter. When the two sides had met in the championship earlier this year, both sides settled for a share of the spoils.

Comeragh Rangers are a much younger club than Ballymacarbry and in the last number of years they have invested a lot of time and energy in promoting the game under the southern slopes of the Comeragh Mountains. They have had players that played for the county at different levels with pride and distension. Players like Nora, Ann and Ciara Dunphy have worn the county jersey with pride over a number of years, and they also have some exciting young prospects, the likes of Keeley Corbett-Barry, Emma, Aoife and Katie Murray and Shauna Dunphy who are young and exciting prospects who already have achieved a great deal within the game.

They will feel that it is only a matter of time before that they can end the dominance of Ballymacarbry within the county at this level, and if they continue to believe it can happen, they can make it happen.

But it wont be easy.

This is a class Ballymacarbry act.

When they won their first final they had Michael Ryan, the former Waterford Ladies Football and Waterford Senior Hurling manager over the side. A Ryan link was also involved in the most recent win as Catherine Ryan, Michael’s wife, who herself was no mean footballer was a selector on the team and daughters, Michelle, Louise and Sinead who are also fine footballers were all playing on the team.

As pointed out already, this is a class Ballymacarbry team and this class can be found right throughout the side.

Lauren Fitzpatrick, Ballymacarbry’s net minder has played in the colours of Tipperary on the inter county scene. So too has corner back Treasa McGrath.

The side has also have players that worn the white and blue of Waterford. Karen and Michelle McGrath will need no introduction to supporters of Ladies Football. Neither do the Wall Sisters, Linda, Mairead who captained the side this year and their younger sister Aileen Wall who is one of the finest players to play on the intercounty scene in recent years.

At the break, Ballymacarbry were well up in this game as they turned around at a very wet Kilmacthomas venue leading 1-7 to 0-0).

Marian Ryan who finished top scorers for the winners with six points opened the scoring in this game on twenty seconds, and the side from the west of the county hit further points through Marian Ryan again, Sinead Ryan, Lauren Guiry and Michelle Ryan before Aileen Wall had the football in the Comeragh Rangers net for the first time on twenty four minutes, after a Marian Ryan free fell kindly to the crafty forward.

In the time that remained Michelle Ryan and Marian Ryan with her third of the game hit further points to give the winners ten point advantage at the break.

Both sides in the second half shared five scores each, but for the winners two of their five scores resulted in green flags.

Marian Ryan as she had in the first half began the half scoring two points, both from frees to stretch her sides lead to twelve.

Eibhlis Cooney hit her sides second goal of the game after some good work by Linda Wall and Michelle Ryan in the build up and they opened up an eighteen point lead (3-9 to 0-0) soon afterwards when Kelly Ann Hogan set up Sinead Ryan.

While the final score line to some suggests different, there is very little between these two great rivals.

The sign of a good team is not giving up no matter how far you are behind and in the final quarter of this game, Comeragh Rangers proved to be the better of the two sides on the score board as they hit points from Ruth Kirwan (two), while Geraldine Power, Shauna Dunphy and Aoife Dunne hit one each and Ann Dunphy was unlucky not to have hit a consolation goal for her side.

Ballymacarbry in this time hit just one score from Marion Ryan and her side now goes on to play Tipperary side Brian Borus, in the Munster B, semi final next month. The two sides met in the Munster B Final last year and the game resulted in a win for Ballymacarbry.

Ballymacarbry: Lauren Fitzpatrick; Teresa McGrath, Michelle McGrath, Becky Hogan; Mairead Wall, Karen McGrath, Laura Mulcahy; Louise Ryan, Michelle Ryan, Aileen Wall, Eibhlis Cooney, Linda Wall; Marian Ryan, Sinead Ryan, Lauren Guiry. Subs Used: Kelly Ann Hogan, Maeve Ryan, Brigita Valuntaite, Michelle O’Gorman, Sadhbh Hallinan.

Scorers: Marian Ryan 0-6, Sinead Ryan 1-1, Aileen Wall, Eibhlis Cooney 1-0 each, Michelle Ryan 0-2, Lauren Guiry 0-1.

Comeragh Rangers: Coleen Power; Nora Dunphy, Ciara Dunphy, Caroline Murphy; Mairead Power, Marie Power, Keeley Corbett-Barry; Emma Murray, Eibhlin Power; Aoife Murray, Katie Murray, Geraldine Power; Kate Hahessy, Ruth Kirwan, Shauna Dunphy. Subs Used: Ann Dunphy, Aoife Dunne, Cora Murray.

Scorers: Ruth Kirwan 0-2, Geraldine Power, Aoife Dunne, Shauna Dunphy 0-1 each.