As Ballyhale run riot
were shared, with Joe Coleman obliging twice from frees for St. Martin’s, but they shipped two more goals in 50 seconds near the end of the third quarter.
T.J. Reid put a neat ball in front of Colin Fennelly who turned and beat Conor Firman before setting up Eoin Reid for their third of the afternoon.
And number four followed swiftly, with Fennelly batting home after a long delivery by his brother, Michael, was misread in the air by Daithí Waters (4-14 to 0-9).
Harry O’Connor had a point before another Michael Fennelly clearance was held up long enough on the ground by Colin for T.J. to dart on to the ball, round Luke White, and direct it into the far corner of the net.
Even the scoreboard operator started to lose interest at that stage, with Reid’s next point from a free not recorded, and the Ballyhale tally given as 5-18 rather than 5-19 at the finish.
Rory O’Connor sought a consolation goal in the 51st minute, only to be denied by a timely Darragh Corcoran tackle, and he finally picked off a late point to make it 5-16 to 0-16, after earlier scores from play by his brother, Harry, and substitute Darren Codd.
The class act that is T.J. Reid brought his own haul to 2-14 on his 32nd birthday with Ballyhale’s last three points, including two from frees, before that Martin’s goal did arrive in the 69th minute.
Rory and Jack O’Connor tried to work an opening, and they succeeded as Michael Codd fired to the net, but the crowd had long since lost interest in proceedings by that stage.
St. Martin’s: Luke White; Joe O’Connor, Conor Firman, Eoin O’Leary; Daithí Waters (capt.), Aaron Maddock, Patrick O’Connor; Michael Codd (1-0), Harry O’Connor (0-2); Jake Firman (0-1), Jack O’Connor (0-2), Joe Coleman (0-9, 8 frees, 1 ’65); Ciarán Lyng, Rory O’Connor (0-1), Mikey Coleman. Subs. - Darren Codd (0-1) for M. Coleman (36), Mark Maloney for J. Firman (46), Jack Devereux for P. O’Connor (58).
Ballyhale Shamrocks: Dean Mason; Darragh Corcoran, Joey Holden, Darren Mullen; Evan Shefflin, Michael Fennelly (capt.), Richie Reid (0-2); Ronan Corcoran, Conor Phelan; Adrian Mullen (0-1), T.J. Reid (2-14, 0-11 frees, 1-0 pen., 0-1 line ball), Brian Cody (1-0); Eoin Reid (1-0), Eoin Cody (0-2), Colin Fennelly (10). Subs. - Joey Cuddihy for A. Mullen, inj. (36), Conor Walsh for R. Corcoran (46), Gavin Butler for R. Reid (50), Eoin Kenneally for E. Reid (51), Mark Aylward for E. Cody (53).
Referee: Patrick Murphy (Carlow).