Kelly Scores Prove Vital For Tramore

Just under seven miles of road separate the G.A.A. Field of neighbouring clubs Tramore and Butlerstown, and like when any neighbouring sides meet, when the Camogie Clubs in the two Parishes clashed in last Sunday’s Intermediate ‘B’ County Final at the WIT Arena things were expected to be tight and this is how it worked out to be.

Things are on the way up in the Tramore area right now. Just a week before this game the town’s Junior Hurlers contested the County Final against a very good Ballinameela side at Fraher Field where they were to finish second best, but on this occasion the town’s ladies were determined not to finish in a similar position.

Player of the match in this game was Tramore Full Forward Sally Kelly who finished the game with 2-7 behind her name on the score sheet. The Tramore youngster is clearly a player to keep an eye on in the years to come and not just with a hurley in her hand as earlier this year she lined out with the counties senior ladies football team in the National League.

This win was the sea-siders second county final win in twelve months as they won the Junior title this time last year, showing that something right is being done within the club.

But they will not need any telling that maybe if there was more time played they could have found themselves in a different position as Butlerstown left it a little late to give their opponents a scare, as they netted two late goals.  

Tramore were quickest out of the traps in this one as Kate Marie Hearne forced Kate Walsh into an early save but the eventual winners did manage to get on the scoreboard moments later when Sally Kelly split the posts from a free.

Butlerstown who lost out to Dungarvan in the Junior League Final earlier in the year looked as if they would end the year with some silverware for the sideboard when on eight minutes Elizabeth McGrath one of a number of players involved in this game who have represented the county at different levels played in a long ball which Niamh Crowley got on the end of and finished past Shannon Acheson to give her side a 1-0 to 0-1 lead.

Two more scores off the stick of Sally Kelly levelled the game and while Butlerstown at the other end were creating chances they found it hard to get the sliotar past Shannon Acheson who made a double save first from Elizabeth McGrath and then from Clair Nolan on the follow up.

Goals from Tara Power and Kate Marie Hearne netted second quarter goals for Tramore in this game which proved to be the difference between the sides at the break as the eventual winners turned around holding a 2-5 to 1-2 lead at the break.

The first Tramore goal on 16 minutes was struck by Tara Power who beat Kate Walsh with a powerfully stuck shot to but her side three in front. Some brilliant defending by the Butlerstown defence managed to keep Tramore from hitting further major scores after this, but there were powerless at stopping Kate Marie Hearne from placing the ball in the net on twenty seven minutes after she raced through the Butlerstown defence.

Butlerstown however gave themselves hope going into the second half as both Elizabeth McGrath and Katie Browne had the umpire reaching for the white flag in added time at the end of the opening thirty minutes.

Niamh Crowley hit an early second half score for Butlerstown, but they would not score again for another twenty minutes and by this time they had left themselves with too much to do.

Sally Kelly followed up with a brace of scores before she stuck Tramore’s third goal of the game with thirteen minutes to go when with precision she placed the sliotar high into Kate Walsh’s net which put her side 3-7 to 1-3 in front.  

Points from Kate Marie Hearne and Sally Kelly had the winners well in front with just under 10 minutes of normal time to play, but credit to Butlerstown they never threw in the towel and their perseverance almost paid off.

Elizabeth McGrath and Sadie Mai Rowe caused the Tramore defence plenty of headaches in the closing minutes of the game and when with three minutes of the game remaining Elizabeth McGrath was picked out by Katie Browne she made no mistake in beating Shannon Acheson who was doing her best to narrow the angle which the Butlerstown player had to shoot at.

A minute later Katie Browne went from goal provider to goal scorer when she finished past Shannon Acheson in a goalmouth scramble to leave just four between the sides.

If Butlerstown were to get the next then a grandstand finish could well be on the cards as only the one score would separate the sides but it was not to be for them as at the other end of the field when Player of the Match Sally Kelly netted her second of the game and her sides fourth of the afternoon but not before she had to react quickest to a rebounding ball which came off the woodwork from a shot she had stuck herself in stoppage time at the end of the sixty allotted minutes.

Tramore: Shannon Acheson; Muireann Cuddihy, Leah Barry, Saoirse O'Brien; Clara Griffin, Abbie Dunphy, Hannah Leamy; Eimear Gallagher, Kristin Farrell; Tara Power, Kate-Marie Hearne, Alannah Jones; Jordan Scholtz, Sally Kelly, Sarah Power.

Subs: Saoirse English for Sarah Power, Majella Pollard for Tara Power, Donna Cowman for Jordan Scholtz.

Scorers: Sally Kelly 2-7 (3fs, 2 45s), Kate Marie Hearne 1-2, Tara Power 1-0.

Butlerstown: Kate Walsh; Emer Kearney, Tara Lacey, Jean Burns; Sadie Mai Rowe, Aoife Shanahan, Shauna Farrell; Nicola Collins, Caroline Farrelly; Claire Nolan, Sally Brown, Kate McMahon; Elizabeth McGrath, Katie Browne, Niamh Crowley.

Scorers: Niamh Crowley, Katie Browne 1-2 each, Elizabeth McGrath 1-1.

Referee: Anthony Fitzgerald

Intermediate County Title Number Four For Clonea

          No game is over till the final whistle blows. Just ask the victorious Clonea side that today captured the Waterford Intermediate Hurling Championship for the first time since 2006.

          The side from under the shadow of the Comeragh Mountains went into this game as the odds on favourite in the eyes of many to capture this year’s crown, but for long sections of this game it looked as if it would not be their day as they trailed a Clashmore side that won a first Intermediate Hurling title recently or if at worst they were going to have to do it all again.

          Twelve months ago in the county final played at Walsh Park Clonea were left disappointed going under to An Rinn on a 0-18 to 0-13 score line and today backed with a huge support amongst an attendance numbering around 2,500 on the day the side coached by former inter county hurler Brian Greene they were determined not to leave it behind them on the day.

          The stand at Fraher Field was well populated well before the 2-30pm start in this game and there was also a sizeable gathering on the bank on the opposite side of the field.

          Clonea will as a result of this win will now play Limerick champions Bruff or Garryspillane on October 28 most likely at the WIT Arena what with the County Senior Football Final expected to be played in Fraher Field on the same day while Ballygunner would be expected to play Cork representative (Imokilly won the County Final, but are a group side and so cannot play in the Munster Championship) at Walsh Park also on the same day.

           This game of hurling (in the eyes of yours truly anyway) was a much better game than the Senior and Junior County Finals played at the same venue last Sunday, and had the game gone to a replay as it looked with the game going into stoppage time at the end of the sixty few inside the ground would have complained and I have no doubt that having heard how good this game was those hurling supporters that opted to stay away from this game for whatever reason would have showed up for the replay, presumably next Saturday at the same venue.

          The sides were locked together on the score board on six different occasions in this game, including at the break where the scoreboard on the dressing rooms corner of the field showed the sides headed off in that direction locked at 1-6 each.

          With a goalkeeping place up for grabs on the county senior hurling panel up for grabs following the recent retirement of Ian O’Regan should there be any of the new look management team inside the ground to see this game they would have been impressed with the performance of Mark McGrath in the Clashmore goal.

          McGrath has impressed throughout the championship for the Still-Men and in this game Clonea’s margin of victory would be much bigger but for two wonder saves one made in each half.

Inter county player Tadhg Bourke again of the striking of placed balls from the Clonea 65 metre line back into his own half of the field opened the scoring with a free in the first minute of the game, a score that was cancelled out seconds later with a similar effort from Billy Power.

In a tight opening to this game Jason Gleeson and Edmond O’Halloran swapped scores before Ciaran Power from play and Tadhg Bourke with his second long range score from a free tied the scoring once more at the end of the first quarter.

Clashmore looked as if they were going to upset those that were making Clonea favourites on nineteen minutes when Brian O’Halloran picked out Brian Ramsey a valuable addition to this team in recent times netted the first goal of the game and when the same player followed up with a point moments later it was starting to look good for the Western Champions

Paul O’Connor another of Clashmore’s players who has impressed in his sides march to a first intermediate hurling county final appearance further stretched his sides lead, but it was then that Clonea’s hunger began to show as Billy Power twice split the post before Mark McGrath on twenty seven minutes made the first of his impressive saves tipping over a goal bound effort from Robbie Power who had come on for Aaron Gleeson seven minutes earlier.

Clonea refused to give up their fight to register a goal in this game and they were rewarded a minute later Ronan Cahill who was listed as a sub on the programme but was one of three changes to the selected team on the programme got on the end of a shot around the danger zone for a score that put his side one point up.

But Clashmore always made this a game and in first half added time at the end of the allotted thirty minutes Edmond O’Halloran fired over to level matters just before the sides made their way to the dressing rooms following the shrill of the half time whistle.

Clashmore came out for the second time continuing where they left off adding the first two scores of the second half, the first from the impressive Brian Ramsey three minutes after the restart and then from Edmond O’Halloran two minutes later. However their early lead was a short lived one as Michael Curry fired over a brace of scores in the two minute spell to lock the scoring 1-8 each with forty minutes played.

Mark McGrath made the second of his magnificent saves on forty one minutes when he went low and at full length to keep an effort out from a Ronan Cahill effort who shot at the far post coming in from the stand side of the field while attacking the town (road) goal. McGrath’s touch was strong enough to put the ball out for a ’65 but Tadhg Bourke saw his effort go wide of the uprights.

Aidan Trihy and Edmond O’Halloran edged Clashmore two points up by the end of the third quarter but this was as good as it got for their side on this occasion.

Billy Power and Brian O’Halloran swapped scores before a brace of scores from Billy Power with eight minutes remaining tied the scoring once more.

Scores were hard won for the remainder of the game. Ciaran Power pointed for Clonea with a minute of the hour to play and it looked as if that might be good enough to secure his side a fourth title from the eleven that they have appeared in, but on the hour mark Edmond O’Halloran tied things once more.

Few if any inside the ground were leaving this game early and when the fourth official Ciaran O’Toole indicated that there would be two added minutes added the question many were asking themselves will there be a winner or would the sides have to do it all again next weekend.

A winner was found and in dramatic fashion. Although Billy Power edged his side one in front in the first of the two added minutes nobody would have said it a degree of certainty that it would be the winner as if Clashmore could get the ball down the other end of the field you would have to fancy them to put the sliotar between the uprights.

Clonea created one more attack and with it they beat Mark McGrath, Robbie Power the player writing himself into the pages of history of the Clonea club and the parish when with the last puck of the game he saw his effort go past Mark McGrath and into the Clashmore net to seal a four point win.

There was no time for the restart. Clonea were a few minutes later were declared County champions by County Board Chairman presented the Tom Lannen Memorial Cup to the victorious Clonea captain Robbie Flynn.  

Clonea: Stephen Power; Paul Drohan, Jack Nugent, Willie Hahessy; Martin Power, Robert Flynn, Martin Scurry; Billy Power, Michael Curry; Ciaran Power, Ronan Cahill, Jason Gleeson; Conor Dalton, Sean Clancy, Aaron Gleeson.

Subs: Robbie Power for Aaron Gleeson (20), Michael Sexton for Sean Clancy (43), Martin Whelan for Jason Gleeson (47).

Scorers: Billy Power 0-7 (5f), Robbie Power 1-1, Ronan Cahill 1-0, Michael Curry, Ciaran Power 0-2 each, Jason Gleeson 0-1.

Clashmore: Mark McGrath; Ronan Fitzgerald, Jason Seaward, Ciaran Bourke; Brian Lynch, Tadhg Bourke, Adam O’Sullivan; Edmond O’Halloran, Declan Allen; Aidan Trihy, James O’Leary, Brian Ramsey; Brian O’Halloran, Paul O’Connor, Sean Fleming.

Subs: Cillian O’Keeffe for Sean Fleming (41).

Scorers: Edmond O’Halloran 0-5 (3F), Brian Ramsey 1-2, Tadhg Bourke 0-2 (2f), Paul O’Connor, Aidan Trihy, Brian O’Halloran 0-1 each.

Referee: Nicholas O’Toole.

Brianna and Ciara to Play Big Part in Destination of County Senior Camogie Title

Fresh from their semi final wins over Saint Anne’s and Lismore respectfully at the same venue on Saturday last, Gailltir and De La Salle return to the W.I.T. Arena this coming Sunday afternoon in the final of this year’s Hooper Dolan Insurances County Senior Camogie Final

This showpiece fixture on the Camogie scene locally is surly going to attract a large attendance to the Carriganore venue for what could well be a game that will go right to the wire.

This final will see Gailltir appear in the decider for the third year in a row and will be looking to win it for the second time in three season’s having gone from 2008 to 2016 without winning it previously in a time when Lismore and Saint Anne’s the two sides defeated in last weekend’s semi finals were the dominant teams within the county at this level.

While Gailltir will be no strangers to appearing in the County Final, the same cannot be said of their opponents this weekend De La Salle.

The Gracedieu based club were formed in fairly recent times and have only competed in the adult grade of competition with the past four or five years, but in that time they have won both league and championships at both Junior and Intermediate grades and in successive seasons and they contested the Senior League Final earlier this year at Ferrybank where their opponents that night back in the middle of May were Gailltir.

In their respective semi finals played last Saturday Gailltir recorded a narrow 1-10 to 0-11 win over Saint Anne’s while De La Salle had a much more clear cut 4-17 to 2-8 win over Lismore, but it must be pointed out that the 2017 champions were short a number of players that helped them to that title.

Neither of these two sides will need any introducing to each other. Many of the players will know the strengths and weaknesses of the opposition players from playing with each other in different inter county teams in the last few years, and from having played against each other in the different championships locally while a number of the younger members of the two sides have played together on the colleges scene, with a number of players from both sides helping Saint Angela’s Ursuline School to two Munster and All-Ireland Championships this year.

As pointed out this is the second time that the two sides have clashed in the final of competitions this year, having already clashed in the League Final in a game which Gailltir won 2-14 to 0-13 and they the outcome was the same when the two sides met earlier in the championship in a foggy evening at the Gaultier Grounds near Dunmore East.

Those that have any interest in Camogie will know all about Beth Carton and what she brings to any side she plays with. The De La Salle and Waterford star is nominated for an All-Star this year for her performance with Donal O’Rourke’s side, something she would richly reserve if she was to be picked on team of the best 15 players.

Gailltir will not need any telling here that they will have to keep a close eye on her, but she is not the only player that can cause Gailltir problems.

Abby Flynn is another player that could have a big future in the game going forward and if given the chance just like Beth Carton she will punish sides.

But there is others in different sectors of the field that could well have a big say in this game in the likes of Lucy Hogan, Taylor Healy, Niamh Murphy, Courtney Healy and Chloe Dempsey.

Gailltir welcomed back Áine Lyng into their team a few years back and her experience is going to be vital to the side, especially when they are without Trish Jackman all year. Áine Lyng is one of four Waterford players to get nominated for an All-Star this year and so shows the importance to any side which she features in. So too will the experience of Emma Hannon be vital to the side from the Barony.

But just like De La Salle they are not looking to just one or two players to see them over the line in the big games and in players of the ability of Annie and Aoife Fitzgerald, Clodagh Carroll, Leah Sheridan, Margo Heffernan and Kate Lynch to name but a few they have their potential match winners in different sectors of the field just like De La Salle.

Followers of the game will have noticed that I left two names out so far, something I have done on purpose up till now.

I have said elsewhere recently that I have a huge admiration for goalkeepers in either Hurling or Camogie. Someone once told me that you have to be either mad or brave to play between the posts. If this is true or not I don’t know but I know goalkeepers often do not get the recognition they deserve at times, as a good goalkeeper can win many games for their sides, but unfortunately for them, it is the attacking players and often the player which scores most that gets all the praise when a team wins.

 Both Gailltir and De La Salle have two goalkeepers that I really admire in Ciara Jackman and Brianna O’Regan.

The two are part of Donal O’Rourke’s Waterford Senior Panel this year and for much of the year the Waterford management team were not able to make a call on one over the other as to who would be their number one, so good are both keepers with little if anything between them, which resulted it in them rotating the number one shirt for much of the year.

Both of these players are going to have a big say in this game and the one that performs best on Sunday next could well be the one that has another senior medal in their collection in the case of Ciara or a first in the case of Brianna.

Gailltir will go into this game as the more experienced side as many of their players will be involved in the final for the third year in a row, winning it in 2016 and then going on to win the Munster Intermediate Championship and that experience you have to think will count for something.

De La Salle will have plenty of hunger going into this game and hunger can often outweigh experience.

Something that often happens in the women’s games is that when two sides meet for the second time in the same competition the result is often reversed. Gailltir have the upper hand of the two in recent games between the two and we also know that unbeaten runs also have to come to an end at some stage.

Who will win this game? I really wish I knew and maybe I might try and get a bookie to give me some odds. I think this could be a game that will be one that is too close to call one over the other. Maybe even the game might need more than 60 minutes to find a winner. For now I am going to sit on the fence.

The County Camogie Board deserve praise for having a curtain raiser before their showpiece game of the year locally. They have pencilled in the junior final between local rivals Butlerstown and Tramore as the curtain raiser with the game having a 2-30pm start at the W.I.T. Arena.

Local derbies can often go one way or the other and I have no doubt this one will be the same. Butlerstown on paper seem to have the more experienced team and they get the nod here to win.

Meanwhile there is another big game locally in the county on Sunday when Dungarvan, fresh from their recent County Intermediate Final win over Ferrybank are in the Munster Junior Club Championship action on Sunday afternoon at 2pm, but who they play is not known yet at their own club grounds as the Limerick Intermediate County Final between Ballyagran and Crecora will only take place on Saturday afternoon.

Dungarvan have an excellent side and they will be expected to advance to the next phase of the competition.


 

Fraher Field or Forget It

            Normally when I am walking I do not talk to anyone as I tend to have all my focus on the ground ahead of me. I am not looking straight ahead as most people would. I tend to look at the ground in front of me, watching for any wet leaves at this time of the year, or any small bits of plastic that might be on the ground or any oil from cars or other motor vehicles that might be on the ground, making sure not to put my crutch on them and risking an embarrassing fall in front of people.

            On Sunday afternoon last I like many others left Fraher Field on the stroke of full time in a bid to get ahead of the four thousand plus that would be streaming out of the ground and with many heading in the one direction.

            Those that know me will know that I don’t drive, the roads are possibly safer as a result, and knowing that there would be a large attendance at the two games I had agreed with my driver home that I would walk as far as ‘John Foleys’ to be collected and make my way home rather than for them to be trying to drive into hundreds and possibly thousands of people all coming out at or around the same time.

            For much of my walk after coming out of the stand on Sunday last the same people were behind me. They were behind me at least to the Council Yard located on the ‘Ring Road’ around the town of Dungarvan and the conversation that they were having was along the line’s that Fraher Field is one of the best venues for a game in the country.

            I did not turn to see who they were nor did i recognise any of the voices, but those talking behind me were adamant when it comes to big games in Waterford it should defiantly be a case of ‘Fraher Field or forget it’ something said recently by County Chairman Paddy Joe Ryan when talking about a possible venue for Waterford’s Munster Senior and Minor Championship games against Limerick and Clare next year.

            Those that were talking were adamant that if the field was turned around and run alongside the road then Waterford could have a venue that we could be very much proud of.

            This is something that many feel should be done. As things stand there is plenty of room at the site for the field to be turned as can be seen on a photo that I spotted on twitter on Sunday evening posted by @ BUDWYZER.

            After the County Board purchased land behind the bank side of the field some years back now, and which is currently used as a car park there is ample room for the field to be turned around and for the building of a new field for sides to warm up on, something that which if Walsh Park was to be developed as the County Ground will never have, meaning that teams playing at Walsh Park have to call upon the generosity of clubs in the area to make their facilities available to them to warm up if there is a double header at the venue.

            We all know that the County Board were recently given permission to develop Walsh Park into a stadium catering for between 15,000 and 18,000 people. There are a number of people reporting that objections have been made against the granting of permission by Waterford City and County Council and from what I have heard in the last few days there is no guarantee that the objectors will lose their appeal against the decision given by Waterford City and County Council.

            This time last year when the idea of developing a County Ground was first been mooted, we were being told that it was a case of Walsh Park or nowhere when it comes to a County Ground in Waterford, and I have no doubt that this is what the big noises in Croke Park were telling our officers, telling them that all the county grounds are in the areas where the population is at its biggest, something we know is not entirely true as there is at least five County Grounds that are not in the county town or city.

            For two long people are treating G.A.A. Officials in Croke Park like what Priest’s and Religious, Teachers and Guards were treated like in the past. What they said was taken as law and everyone rode in behind what they had to say.

            But we saw earlier this year that if you stand up to them and put your foot firmly down with them they will back down in the corridors of Croke Park. Kildare showed that with their Newbridge or nowhere when it came to playing Mayo in the All-Ireland qualifiers.

            Everyone that has anything between their ears knows that Walsh Park is not fit for purpose when it comes to a county ground.

            There is club grounds of some small clubs which have a better lay out that whatever can happen at Walsh Park, having parking facilities, have warm up areas for teams playing at the venue and have ample spectator spaces. This is something that cannot happen at Walsh Park and whether we want to admit it or not, there is no skirting around the truth.

            If those who are reporting there is objections gone into An Bord Pleanála about the development of Walsh Park and if the objectors were to win their appeal it could make the development of Walsh Park a non runner, but there is other options available to Waterford for a County Ground, one which might take a little longer to take than developing Walsh Park and maybe cost a little more, but in the longer term might be much better options.

            I wonder if we as a county were to stand up to Croke Park Officials like Kildare did with their fixture with Mayo earlier this year, it could be worth it. We know for example that at least one former President of the G.A.A. and that one former Director General have a very high view on Fraher Field and it’s suitability for big games.

            Maybe if we were to go to them telling them that Walsh Park is not a suitable location for a county ground and it is not just me that says it, and to tell them that it’s Fraher Field for development or Forget it, it might be a battle that can be won.

Gunner’s Complete Drive For Five

            The Drive for Five is completed for Ballygunner who became only the third Waterford club to win Five County Senior Hurling Finals in a row, following on from Erin’s Own and Mount Sion who went on to win nine each in a row in the past, and right now there is many within the Déise County who are suggesting that ‘The Gunner’s’ could go on and maybe better what their city rivals achieved in the past over the coming years.

             And the signs are looking good for Ballygunner. The Average age of the 15 players that started last Sunday was just over 26 years. The average age of the 20 players used on Sunday last was just under 26. Just two of the starting fifteen was over the age of 30.

            Last weekend did not see Ballygunner only the Senior County Final at Fraher Field. 24 hours earlier at Walsh Park they won the Minor County Final and on the same day in Fraher Field their under 14 team were beaten by Abbeyside in the County Final. And if that is not enough, The Gunners are in this weekend’s County Under 16 final against city rivals Roanmore in Fraher Field.

            If Ballygunner as a club can get the best of the young players on these underage teams to gel with the current senior panel, coming in over time to take the place of the clubs more established players, then there is no reason to think that the club founded by local school teacher Jimmy McGinn back in 1954 can replicate and maybe better what those before them have achieved.

            But for many how good this group of players and those coming after them will not be measured on winning five county finals in a row up to now, and potentially what they will win in the years to come, but what they achieve after winning the championship locally, and right now you have to feel that they are good enough to add to the single Munster Title that they have won, and to even go on and become the first Waterford Club to win at Croke Park on Saint Patrick’s Day.

            Played in front of a bumper attendance of 4,275 which was almost double what attended the final twelve months ago when Ballygunner beat De La Salle at Walsh Park, the winners were always the better side in this contest and the only questions that needed filling for many from the off was what tally Ballygunner would put on the score board and what the winning margin would be

            This final however never was as good as many would have hoped it would be, but for now the Ballygunner players, their mentors and supporters will not be bothered by that fact.

            They played into the strong wind which blew into the Town (road) end of Fraher Field in the first half and turned around holding a 0-9 to 0-6 lead on the score board.

            The Village side won the toss before this game and got off to a good start when top scorer Mark Ferncombe was picked out by John Hurney and he split the posts.

            They doubled their lead with a point from Patrick Hurney and in between could have scored a goal but Sean Whelan-Barrett shot wide from close range from a tight angle. Had that chance got past Stephen O’Keeffe in the Ballygunner goal we will never know if this game would have had a different end.

            Ballygunner opened their account on six minutes when Pauric Mahony put over a free and the same player repeated the act less than a minute later to draw the sides level.

            Barry O’Sullivan and Maurice Power swapped scores by the end of the first quarter at which the sides were level at three points each on the score board.

            Abbeyside with the wind at their backs hit the next two scores both from Mark Ferncombe frees but this was as good as it got for them.

            A brace of Pauric Mahony scores, one from a free the other from play levelled matters with five minutes of the first half remaining and when he followed up with another brace in the next two minutes his sides were getting very much into their strive.

            Brian O’Sullivan and Billy O’Keeffe helped extend their sides lead either side of the thirty minute mark to go four in front, but a John Hurney effort just before the short whistle cut the Ballygunner lead to three as the sides went to the dressing rooms.

            Mark Ferncombe started the second half as he started the first with a point inside a minute of the restart, put three points in a five minute spell had Ballygunner five points up after 37 minutes.

            The games first goal came on 40 minutes when Tim O’Sullivan picked out Brian O’Sullivan with a smart pass and from close range he made no mistake in putting the sliotar past Stephen Enright in the Abbeyside goal.

            Pauric Mahony and Mark Ferncombe swapped scores before Patrick Hurney was sent to the line on a straight red on 45 minutes after he was reported to referee Thomas Walsh by his officials for interfering with Philip Mahony’s helmet.

            Pauric Mahony put over the score of the game on 49 minutes while falling to the ground which Mark Ferncombe responded to just seconds later, but with the next attack Ballygunner put the icing on the victory cake when Conor Power broke free of the challenge of Darragh McGrath and placed the ball under Stephen Enright to put his side 2-14 to 0-9 in front.

            Mikey Mahony and Michael O’Halloran traded scores just before Stephen O’Keeffe made a brilliant save going low to deny Michael O’Halloran and from the resulting ’65 Mark Ferncombe split the Ballygunner posts.

            Brian O’Sullivan and Pauric Mahony extended the Ballygunner lead before Michael O’Halloran pulled a point back on the hour mark. 

            Brian O’Sullivan and Pauric Mahony added scores in stoppage time for the winners with Mark Ferncombe hitting one for the Village side in between leaving them wait for their first Senior Hurling title for another time, but judging on what we saw here, it could be some time off, not because of the way Abbeyside played here, but because of the way Ballygunner played and with what they seem to have coming through in the years ahead.

Ballygunner: Stephen O’Keeffe; Eddie Hayden, Barry Coughlan, Ian Kenny; Wayne Hutchinson, Philip Mahony, Harley Barnes; Shane O’Sullivan, Michael Mahony; Billy O’Keeffe, Pauric Mahony, Barry O’Sullivan; Tim O’Sullivan, Brian O’Sullivan, Conor Power.

Subs: JJ Hutchinson for Billy O’Keeffe (48), Conor Sheehan for Michael Mahony (59), Barry Power for Wayne Hutchinson (61), Paddy Cooke for Stephen O’Keeffe (63), Mark Mullally for Conor Power (64).

Scorers: Pauric Mahony 0-13 (8fs), Brian O’Sullivan 1-3, Conor Power 1-0, Billy O’Keeffe, Barry O’Sullivan, Michael Mahony 0-1 each.

            Abbeyside: Stephen Enright; John Elstead, Brian Looby, Darragh McGrath; James Beresford, David Collins, Sean O’Hare; Conor Prunty, Maurice Power; Patrick Hurney, Tiernan Murray, Neil Montgomery; John Hurney, Mark Ferncombe, Sean Whelan-Barrett.

Subs: Richie Foley for Tiernan Murray (H-T), Tom Looby for Sean O’Hare (H-T), Michael O’Halloran for Sean Whelan-Barrett (42), Mark Twomey for John Elstead (56), Eoin Kiely for Neil Montgomery (58).

Scorers: Mark Ferncombe 0-8 (3fs, 1 65), Michael O’Halloran 0-2, Maurice Power, John Hurney, Patrick Hurney 0-1 each.

Referee: Thomas Walsh

 

Ballinameela Bounce Back Up

            This was a final that Ballinameela were always expected to win and they duly obliged those that might have parted with some euro notes in the hope of recouping some more from their friendly bookmaker.

            Ballinameela were relegated from a very competitive Western Intermediate Hurling Championship at the end of the 2017 season and even playing in an even more competitive Western Junior Hurling Championship, they were always one of the favourites to move back up at the first time of asking, but nowhere along the line would they have taken for granted that they would move back up at that first time of asking.

            In this game like in some of their recent games in the Western Championship it is hard to tell how good this Ballinameela side are and it is only now that they will be playing the best sides at this level in other counties that we might find out.

            Without wanting to show any disrespect to other sides, the best game we can judge how good this Ballinameela side is was in their Western Semi Final win over a Saint Mary’s side that appeared in the three previous Western Final’s winning two of them.

            In the quarter final win over their fierce local rivals Geraldines they proved too strong. For much of their win in the Western Final over Colligan they again proved too strong. The Rockies did come back into that game late on in the game with some late goals, but they in truth put a gloss on the scoreboard, and it was the same on Sunday last as the recently crowned West and now County Champions raced into a nine point lead inside twenty minutes of this game starting and while they allowed their opponents last Sunday to get within a point of them at one stage in the second half, there was never any doubting that Ballinameela were going to win here and you can’t but feel that they could have upped their game a little more than they did if the need arose.

            As pointed out after twenty minutes of this game starting Ballinameela were nine points to the good playing with a stiff breeze at their backs into the town goal end of the ground, but they took their foot of the pedal a little after this and allowed their opponents to come back into the game, mainly through indiscipline which Brian Murray punished them for, and went in with their once impressive nine point lead cut to a much more manageable five (0-12 to 0-7).

            Had Tramore however gone man for man in marking the Ballinameela players they could have found themselves much closer at the break and would have the breeze at their backs for the second half but allowing the now Western Champions have an extra man in their own half of the field from any restart by Donagh Looby always gave them an edge in getting the ball into areas where they could hurt the seasider’s most.

            Tramore who finished the first half strong started the second half in the same way and they hit the game’s only game on 41 minutes when Murray played in Shane Rellis to be Looby in the Ballinameela goal, and in doing so leaving just a single score between the sides (0-13 to 1-9).

            But Tramore never pushed on after scoring that goal. In fact they hit just one further score after that and that score came in added time at the end of the hour.

            While Tramore registered the only goal of the game it was Ballinameela who created the games first real chance to have a green flag waved, that coming six minutes before Tramore raised a green flag at the other end of the ground, when Tom Curran cut in from the bank side of the field but he saw his effort go wide of the far post as he looked on, but had it gone in you can’t but feel that Ballinameela would have gone on by a considerably bigger margin than the eight points they won this game.

            Ballinameela after Tramore’s goal saw Brendan Phelan fire over five points which helped him to the Man of the Match Award from the Championship Sponsors JJ Kavanagh & Sons, while Jim Curran and Mikey Phelan who came on to join his four brothers on the field of play also raised white flags.

            Ballinameela will now go on and represent the county in the Munster Championship next month. For many year’s Waterford record in this competition was not the best, but thanks to the likes of Ballysaggart, Modeligo and Ardmore in recent years, Ballinameela will now go into the Munster Championship believing that they can do what other clubs in the West of the county have done, but they also will not need any telling that in Munster things will be somewhat tougher than in some of the games that they have played in of late.

Ballinameela: Donagh Looby; Rob Shine, Michael Shine, Kealan Looby; Kevin Phelan, David Phelan, Lorcan Looby; Paul Curran, Tom Curran; Cian Culloo, Brendan Phelan, Liam O’Brien; Conor Buckley, Brian Phelan, Jim Curran.

Subs: Mikey Phelan for Cian Culloo (42), Michael Culloo for Conor Buckley (53),

Scorers: Brendan Phelan 0-11 (6F, 1 ’65), Jim Curran 0-4, Tom Curran 0-2, Paul Curran, Brian Phelan, Kevin Phelan, Mikey Phelan 0-1 each.

Tramore: Shaun Hicks; Richard Hickey, Martin Whelan, Philip Griffin; John Clancy, Brendan Hogan, Michael Walsh; Matthew Thompson, William Cullinane; James Walsh, Craig Burke, Sam Lenihan; Shane Rellis, Brian Murray, Ian Thompson.

Subs: Ben Richards for William Cullinane (HT), Davis Acheson for Sam Lenihan (HT), Dan Morrissey for James Walsh (53), Ronan Walsh for Craig Burke (54), Adam Farrell for Matthew Thompson (62),

Scorers: Brian Murray 0-7 (6F), Shane Rellis 1-2 (0-1F), Matthew Thompson 0-1

Referee: Michael O’Brien

 

League and Championship Double For Old Boro

Munster Championship Camogie is set to come to the Old Boro this coming weekend after Dungarvan won this year’s Intermediate County Final at the WIT Arena at Carriganore on Saturday afternoon last beating Ferrybank in the decider.

The win secures a double for the Old Boro outfit as earlier this year without the services of a number of the players which featured in this latest win beat Butlerstown to take a league title at the Ballinameela Club Grounds.

Dungarvan had Kaiesha Tobin as their top scorer on the day landing five points’s four of which came from placed balls. While Sarah Lacey and Alix Fitzgerald were the side’s goal scorers on the day, but the accolade of the top scorer on the day went to Ferrybank’s Niamh Ahearne with the senior inter county panel member landing all 1-5 of her side’s scores.

Camogie is enjoying a revival in the Old Boro. They played in the adult grades for the first time in 2016 assisting the nearby Brickey Rangers Club having had competed in the different underage competitions on their own for some years and in doing so helped produce some players deemed good enough to represent the county at different age levels, and this win no doubt will do the game of Camogie in the Dungarvan area the world of good.

 For Ferrybank defeat to the Old Boro means that they have lost the last two finals at this level, but some great work is being done in the promotion of the game in the Ferrybank area and they have some quality players within their ranks and they will come back a stronger side and will be hoping that the old adage of ‘third time lucky’ will prove to be true in 2019.

Dungarvan played with the wind at their backs in the opening thirty minutes of this game and they made full use of it turning around with a 1-6 to 0-1 advantage at the break.

The winners had a tonic start to this game as Clodagh Tutty pointed inside the opening thirty seconds of the game, and they followed it up with another point this time from a Kaiesha Tobin free.

Ferrybank’s only score of the opening half came on five minutes when Niamh Ahearne put over a free, but Dungarvan by the end of the first quarter had extended their lead as Kaiesha Tobin landed two more points.

Twenty minutes into the game the first goal arrived. Orla Hickey another member of the Dungarvan Club that is part of the Waterford Senior Inter County set up dropped a free in around the Ferrybank goal and Alix Fitzgerald was on hand to poke the ball home to put her side 1-4 to 0-1 in front.

Further points from Kaiesha Tobin and Clodagh Tutty helped extend their sides lead before the Old Boro lost Orla Hickey with an injury in stoppage time at the end of the opening thirty minutes.

 Dungarvan began the second half with a point from Angela Tobin and while Ferrybank’s Niamh Ahearne with the wind at her back kept the scoreboard ticking over, all her hard work was to no avail as former Inter county player Dawn Power, Kaiesha Tobin and Sarah Lacey all helped Dungarvan to a ten point lead with a flurry of scores midway through the second half.

Dawn Power got her second score of the game when she was on hand to collect a Kaiesha Tobin free that fell just short of the target and on the hour mark if there was to be any disputing the outcome of this game, Dungarvan netted a second goal when Caoimhe Dwyer delivered a perfect ball to Sarah Lacey and the youngster whose grandfather won an All-Ireland medal with Waterford fired past Amy Boden.

Ferrybank did manage a goal with their next attack, Niamh Ahearne finishing to the Old Boro net, but it was to be a mere consolation score.

 Like with so many other clubs in the county, great progress is being made in the promotion of the game of Camogie within the Dungarvan Club thanks in no small part to a small but dedicated group of enthusiast, and they will be delighted to see all their hard work paid off with this win. For them a League and Championship double in the one calendar year makes 2018 a great year for the club and gives them plenty of hope going forward not just to 2019 but for the years that follow. 

Dungarvan: Catherine Murray; Kayleigh Veale, Taylor Murray, Ann Marie Tutty; Aisling Baumann, Orla Hickey, Niamh Curran; Sarah Lacey, Kaiesha Tobin; Clodagh Tutty, Caoimhe Dwyer, Angela Tobin; Alix Fitzgerald, Dawn Power, Caoimhe Denmead.

Subs: Hollie Keohan for Caoimhe Denmead, Mary Kate Prendergast for Orla Hickey, Amy O’Riordan for Angela Tobin, Shauna Harty for Alix Fitzgerald.

Scorers: Kaiesha Tobin 0-5 (4fs), Sarah Lacey 1-1, Alix Fitzgerald 1-0, Clodagh Tutty, Dawn Power 0-2 each, Angela Tobin 0-1.

Ferrybank: Amy Boden; Bronagh Power, Aisling Heffernan, Aisling Oates; Deirdre Heffernan, Iona Heffernan, Aine Prendergast; Orla O'Neill, Lydia Grant; Grainne Heffernan, Niamh Ahearne, Eimear Larkin; Roisin Oates, Siobhan Heffernan, Zoe Power.

Subs: Amber Cuddihy for Eimear Larkin, Helen McEvoy for Zoe Power, Clodagh Whelan for Siobhan Heffernan, Jane Myers for Bronagh Power, Laura Maley for Oates, Julie Sinnott for Deirdre Heffernan.

Scorers: Niamh Ahearne 1-5 (2fs).

Referee: Anthony Fitzgerald