Oulart goals vital
Nolan, Murphy down Ballygarrett
SECOND-HALF goals from Darren Nolan and Eamon Murphy were the difference as Oulart-The Ballagh got their second win on the board in the Top Oil Intermediate ‘A’ hurling championship Group A in Páirc Uí Shíocháin on Saturday.
Despite trailing for most of the first quarter, the Enniscorthy District side were full value for their victory.
They always had that little extra cutting edge in attack, and they missed more chances but took enough to keep their opponents at arm’s length.
They did fall behind after after swatting four wides in ten minutes as points by Patrick Naughter, Eoin Corcoran and Jimmy Murphy pushed Ballygarrett 0-3 to 0-1 up.
However, after Cormac Finn opened his account in the 14th minute, Oulart-The Ballagh went on a run of seven straight points in ten minutes.
Ben O’Connor notched four of those and Darren Nolan finished the run as they moved into a 0-8 to 0-3 lead.
Still, Ballygarrett ended the half a little stronger, as Naughter registered a pair of points and Cormac Moore-Kavanagh scored from distance to keep his side in touch (0-10 to 0-7) at the break.
It took Oulart-The Ballagh just three second-half minutes to grab their opening goal. Gary Murphy played the long ball into a dangerous area, and Nolan scooped it up, took his time to make a yard of space, and drilled home a classy finish.
Despite trailing by 1-12 to 0-7, Ballygarrett came right back with four quick points to halve the eightpoint deficit.
Oulart-The Ballagh had a couple of aces up their sleeves, and the cameos of Tommy Storey and Eamon Murphy went a long way to wrapping up victory.
Storey got a couple of points on the board, including one moments after he arrived, and his run set up the clinching goal for Murphy in the 43rd minute.
Ballygarrett chipped away, mainly with Jack Hobbs frees, but Corcoran did score a pair of excellent points as his side fell by six.
The only blot on the copybook for the victors was an injury-time red card received by Ben O’Connor for a tug on a facemask. It’s impossible not to feel for Oulart-The Ballagh’s top score-getter, having watched two lads get away with yellows after using their hurls as weapons two minutes earlier.
Oulart-The Ballagh: Darragh Hayes; Seán Murphy, Kevin Nimmo, Kevin Sinnott; Jack Roche, Dennis Morton (capt.), Niall Redmond; Pad Mythen, Michael Jacob (0-1); Gary Murphy (0-1), Ben O’Connor (0-9, 7 frees), Cormac Finn (0-2); Darryl Gray, Darren Nolan (1-2), Adam McRedmond. Subs. - Tommy Storey (0-2) for McRedmond (40), Eamon Murphy (1-0) for Gray (40).
Ballygarrett: Mark Doyle, Eddie Redmond, Seamus Doyle, Johnny Sinnott; Tom Sinnott, Darren Morris, John Doyle; Cormac Moore-Kavanagh (0-1), Colm Kennelly; Patrick Naughter (0-3), Stephen Redmond (capt., 0-1 free), Seán O’Brien; Eoin Corcoran (0-3), Jack Hobbs (0-7, 6 frees, 1 ‘65), Jimmy Murphy (0-1). Subs. - Brian O’Connor for Moore-Kavanagh, temp. (18-22), O’Connor (0-1) for O’Brien (35), Killian Doyle for Murphy (44), Harry Byrne for E. Redmond (50), Adam Fleming for T. Sinnott (50).
Referee: Joe Kelly (Naomh Eanna).