Ballygunner record third three in a row of titles

Ballygunner won a fifteenth County Senior Hurling Championship in fifty years on Sunday afternoon when they accounted for near neighbour’s Passage on a 4-20 to 1-12 score line at Walsh Park.

The neighbouring clubs had reached the final against each other previously as close as 2013 and on that occasion Passage came from seven points down with as many minutes to play to win the game by three points.

On that occasion ‘The Gunner’s’ were the fancied time and it came as a shock to many that they lost the game, especially when you consider the lead they had going into the final game.

Ballygunner were again fancied to win here with some bookies making them an almost un-backable side. But while most were fancying Ballygunner to move closer to the record number of titles in the county won by Mount Sion, nobody was ruling out the chances of Passage.

In front of an attendance of 3,811 inter county player Pauric Mahony produced a Man of the Match performance hitting 1-11 of his sides tally to help the club to win a third three in a row of titles in the clubs history.

Passage had first use of the strong wind and opened the brighter of the two sides with All-Star Nominee Noel Connors opening the scoring on six minutes.

By the tenth minutes they were five points up after Adam Roche, Owen and Thomas Connors and Jason Roche had further white flags waved and some would have been asking if Passage could secure only a second senior hurling county crown, and for both to come against their neighbours.

Man of the Match Pauric Mahony with a free opened Ballygunner’s account and when Peter Hogan followed up with another point they soon got into their stride.

The Gunners would go to the dressing rooms in front (2-5 to 0-10), the two goals coming in a three minute spell between the 18 and 21 minutes.

Tim O’Sullivan hit the first of his sides goals, slipping a shot past Eddie Lynch after Peter Hogan had done well to apply pressure on Darragh Lynch in the build-up and the second went to Billy O’Keeffe ho fired into the corner of the net again after some good work by Hogan in the build-up.

With the wind at their backs in the second half, the champions in the second thirty minutes upped their game considerable, hitting 2-15 to their first half tally while at the other end of the field just 1-2 went past inter county goalkeeper Stephen O’Keeffe.

Passage found themselves with a good chance of producing a green flag on 43 minutes when Conor Carey shot at the Ballygunner goal but Stephen O’Keeffe was equal to the effort, producing a spectacular save from close range.

If there was any doubting the final outcome of this game, things were done and dusted on 51 minutes when Stephen Power blasted to the roof of the net and in the next attack the champions hit a fourth goal, this time through Pauric Mahony with Peter Hogan not for the first time on the day playing an important role once mire.

Passage did raise a green flag six minutes from time but it proved to be a mere consolation score for the side.

Having secured their 15^th title it is on to the Munster Championship now for Ballygunner and next Sunday they make the trip to Semple Stadium in Thurles to play what will be a strong Thurles Sarsfields side who recently won the Tipperary Senior Hurling Championship.

Ballygunner; Stephen O’Keeffe; Eddie Hayden, Barry Coughlan, Ian Kenny; Harley Barnes, Philip Mahony, Shane Walsh; David O’Sullivan, Billy O’Keeffe; Shane O’Sullivan, Pauric Mahony, Conor Power; Tim O’Sullivan, Brian O’Sullivan, Peter Hogan, Subs: Wayne Hutchinson for Billy O’Keeffe (43), Stephen Power for Harley Barnes (48), Michael Mahony for Conor Power (52), JJ Hutchinson for Tim O’Sullivan (54), Johnny McCarthy for Peter Hogan (55)

Scorers: Pauric Mahony 1-11 (0-7f), Stephen Power 1-1, Brian O’Sullivan 0-4, Tim O’Sullivan, Billy O’Keeffe 1-0 each, Peter Hogan 0-3, David O’Sullivan 0-1.

Passage: Eddie Lynch; Darragh Lynch, Noel Connors, Jason Flood; Adam Roche, Jason Roche, Stephen Mason; Pa Walsh, Gary Cullinane; Owen Connors, Conor Carey, Sean Hogan; Thomas Connors, Eoin Kelly, Killian Fitzgerald. Subs: John Whitty for Gary Cullinane (H-T), Richard Hurley for Conor Carey (54), Calum O’Neill for Stephen Mason (60), Paul Donnellan for Adam Roche (60).

Scorers: Thomas Connors 1-1, Killian Fitzgerald 0-4 (0-3f), Owen Connors, Eoin Kelly 0-2 (0-1f) each, Adam Roche, Noel Connors, Jason Roche 0-1 each.

Referee: Michael O’Brien (Portlaw)