Banville holds nerve to hit late Shels leveller
ROSS BANVILLE’S 62nd-minute point gave Shelmaliers stalemate against Glynn-Barntown as they roared back from six points down in the 54th minute to snatch a draw in the Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship Group B in Taghmon on Saturday.
The teenager showed great resolve and confidence to nail the all-important free, after missing a potential leveller from a similar distance just 90 seconds earlier. For most of the second-half it appeared that he wouldn’t even have that opportunity.
The Killurin side weren’t overly impressive in building a four-point interval lead with the breeze, but after a slow start they came alive in the second-half to boss the middle part of the period as they opened their largest lead when Matt Doyle scored his side’s only point from play in the 53rd minute.
However, games last a little longer than that and Shelmaliers scored six unanswered in the time remaining to snatch a draw. For a few minutes, it didn’t seem like even their late rally would be enough.
Two separate errors aligned to make Glynn-Barntown believe they had won by a point when the full-time whistle went. Referee Dan Crosby had skipped ‘11’ on his scorecard, registering 14 scores but totalling 15.
On the other side of things, most people within the Killurin club, plus this reporter, allotted Gary Moore a converted second-minute free that it later emerged was wide after discussions with umpires and the referee.
These two created a perfect storm that left Glynn-Barntown feeling perplexed and Shelmaliers eventually relieved when the referee changed the final result to a draw. When the dust settles both sides will probably be reasonably content.
Glynn-Barntown led by 0-4 to nil after the opening quarter with a brace each from Moore and Mark Fanning.
However, Seán Keane-Carroll powered down the left wing, cut past two defenders, dodged Fanning and tapped home for a sensational goal.
Ross Banville knocked over his side’s only point in the first-half in the 20th minute. However, Moore registered a classy lin eball from 55 metres out on the right wing, and when Fanning pointed from inside his own ‘45, Glynn-Barntown led by 0-8 to 1-1 at the interval.
The big problem for Glynn-Barntown was the fact that they had just two shots at the posts from play in the half, missing both.
Within three minutes of the re-start their opponents had mustered four with the breeze, making a pair from Conor Hearne and Banville to narrow the deficit to two.
Yet they only added two more in the next 20 minutes, including one from play by Eoin Doyle, as their indiscipline continued to cost them points.
Fanning brought his tally to eight and Matt Doyle finally broke their duck from play to make
it 0-14 to 1-5.
However, the Hollymount side did have a late kick in their tails.
James Cash started it with a point, Simon Donohoe popped two over from play, and Banville notched a couple of dead-balls before his injury-time equaliser gave Shelmaliers a share of the spoils.
Glynn-Barntown: Mark Fanning (0-8, 7 frees, 1 ‘65); David Clarke, Pádraig Donnelly, Jack Fenlon; Barry Doyle, John Leacy, Ger Dempsey; Alan Cowman,
rankie Hynes; Matt Doyle (0-1), Gary Moore (0-5, 4 frees, 1 line ball), Conor Mahoney; Kevin Mahoney, Michael O’Regan, Brendan Doyle. Subs. - Shane Wilde for Dempsey (44), Fionn Cooney for K. Mahoney (51).
Shelmaliers: Brian Murphy; Andre O’Brien, Simon Donohoe (0-2), Craig Parker; Conor Walsh, Glen Malone, Benny Barron; Eoin Doyle (0-1), Aaron Murphy; Conor Hearne (0-1), James Cash (0-1), Brian Malone; Seán Keane-Carroll (1-0), Ciarán O’Shaughnessy, Ross Banville (0-6, 5 frees). Subs. - Eoghan Nolan for O’Shaughnessy (49), Aidan Cash for Barron (51).
Referee: Dan Crosby (Kilmore).