Another step in a golden era as the holders march on

QUICK glance at the updated Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship roll of honour after Sunday’s final reveals all there is to know and admire about Oulart-The Ballagh’s golden era. When Cloughbawn won the last of their three titles in 1993, they were following in the immediate footsteps of the Buffers Alley side which shared supremacy with Rathnure for so long.

The two super-powers of the 1970s and 1980s had broken Oulart-The Ballagh’s hearts more than once, and that 1992 victory was a twelfth for the Alley.

Yet, when the final whistle brought Sunday’s proceedings to a close, it saw the red and blacks leapfrog their neighbours from just up the coast road to Gorey as it was their 13th title in the course of the last 23 campaigns.

This is a quite phenomenal record, and the only club above them on the roll of honour now on 20 is Rathnure who, as a matter of interest, are experiencing their longest barren spell since making the breakthrough in 1948.

When the 2017 campaign begins they will be searching for a first crown in eleven years, but in the past they never had to wait any longer than six championships before upping their overall tally.

Returning to Oulart-The Ballagh, it should also be factored in to the equation that they have lost finals in 2000, 2006 and 2008 since their initial breakthrough in what was the first year for Pettitt’s to back the competition as sponsors in 1994.

Therefore, 16 of the last 23 county finals have featured the club’s presence, and while that may be getting boring for neutrals, Oulart-The Ballagh don’t have to make any apologies for the consistent excellence which has seen them emerge as one of the most formidable outfits in the history of club hurling in Wexford.

They have proven their worth by beating no fewer than seven outfits to claim the Dr. Bob Bowe Cup on final day, with Cloughbawn the latest team to be added to the list.

St. Martin’s have suffered more than most with four final defeats, and that’s why they cherish 2008 so much when they managed to turn the tables.

Glynn-Barntown, Rathnure and Buffers Alley all succumbed to the masters twice, while Faythe Harriers and Ferns St. Aidan’s came up short in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

No matter what way one looks at it, this record of consistency is one of the finest ever managed in the annals of Wexford sporting history.

And yet, a slight warning note must be sounded, because I think even the most partisan of Oulart-The Ballagh supporters would have to accept that the overall performance produced on Sunday wouldn’t be enough to see them go at least one step further than earlier this year when they brought Na Piarsaigh of Limerick all the way to extra-time in the All-Ireland Club semi-final in Thurles.

Frank Flannery is certainly shrewd enough to realise that, but he’s probably delighted as a result because he can show his charges the DVD from this final and point out to them, if they didn’t realise it already, that they are far from the finished article. Coaches just love winning a game without playing to full potential. Sunday’s game was very close until the last ten minutes, and to give the titleholders their due, when the outcome hung in the balance they were able to step it up to another level.

Cloughbawn deserve immense credit for the part they played in a first final for the club since 2002. Only Noel and Alan Carton, plus M.J. and Tomás Furlong, had playing experience from that game, so for most of their charges it was a new experience and they should be proud of their efforts.

The next goal will be to build on that which is never easy, although the more immediate aim will be to gain something tangible from 2016 first in Friday’s Intermediate ‘A’ football final.

Sometimes a close game can be confused with a good one, as it’s an easy trap to fall into.

In my own opinion, while it was tight for over three-quarters of Sunday’s clash, the standard was mediocre at best. That is the conundrum now facing Davy Fitzgerald, because fresh talent for inter-county duty is thin on the ground in my view. IT TOOK a run of six points without reply between the 51st and 59th minutes for Oulart-The Ballagh to eventually shake off the persistent challenge posed by Cloughbawn and clinch a magnificent 13th Pettitt’s Senior hurling championship crown since 1994 in Innovate Wexford Park on Sunday.

The complete outsiders offered brave resistance for three-quarters of the game and ensured that the holders didn’t have matters their own way, but ultimately the favourites showed the true hallmark of winners as they somehow dug out another victory despite playing poorly for long spells.

Of course, that was due in large part to the battling qualities displayed by Cloughbawn who showed from the outset that they weren’t there simply to make up the numbers. Indeed, they played so well in the first-half that they led by 0-7 to 0-6 at the break after playing against the wind, with the much-vaunted Oulart-The Ballagh forward line malfunctioning.

Colm Kehoe came into this final with a growing reputation and absolutely lorded it in the air in particular, while the experienced M.J. Furlong plus the tenacious Davin Murphy were winning their personal battles with Garrett Sinnott and Rory Jacob respectively.

However, true champions simply don’t do panic, and there was no sense that Oulart-The Ballagh might completely disintegrate. Their strong panel has been mentioned more than once this season, and once again they were able to shake things up with the introduction of five substitutes.

The fresh legs alone made a telling impact, whereas the majority of Cloughbawn’s bench had featured in Saturday’s Junior ‘A’ final loss to Monageer-Boolavogue. And with Johnny Cullen and Corey Bolger hampered by injuries, it meant that Billy Wickham was the sole viable option among their replacements and he was only introduced when the game was lost.

Oulart-The Ballagh tweaked their attacking formation endlessly in a bid to come up with the best formula, and they eventually clicked near the end when team captain Garrett Sinnott was deployed at right half-forward and suddenly the space started to open up.

They also looked to the wise head of full-back Keith Rossiter to restore calm at a key juncture. His display was understated but completely effective, making a series of telling interceptions and clever clearances which left him as a deserved winner of the man of the match accolade.

If that award had been based on first-half performance alone, then Colm Kehoe would have been a unanimous choice no doubt for the judges, but Oulart-The Ballagh must be praised too for the manner in which they curtailed his influence after the interval. The ploy of landing high balls on top of him was axed, and replaced by a crisper, more thoughtful approach featuring an array of their trademark crossfield passes into space.

The reigning champions had opened brightly as Rory Jacob shortened the hurl to scoop over the bar from an outfield Garrett Sinnott pass following an Eoin Moore free after 54 seconds.

Tommy Storey and Paul Foley (line ball) swapped wides before Barry Kehoe blocked Peter Murphy and the ball spun out to county Minor Connal Flood who duly delivered the equaliser in the fourth minute.

Conor O’Leary had to be alert to prevent what would have been the huge tonic of a Cloughbawn goal, darting off his line to get there just ahead of Bob Whitty after Martin Kehoe sent a dangerous ball in from an M.J. Furlong clearance.

Shaun Murphy darted out of his own square with possession after a Barry Carton line ball briefly caused problems, while Whitty displayed nice skill from a Colm Kehoe delivery but struck his shot wide in the seventh minute.

The Cloughbawn backs had settled down well, and Paul Roche didn’t stand on ceremony when Colm Kehoe darted forward on the type of run that broke Glynn-Barntown’s resolve in the semi-final. Surprisingly, referee Justin Heffernan kept his yellow card in his pocket but the challengers were rewarded as Harry Kehoe’s accurate free pushed them into a 0-2 to 0-1 lead.

Roche went on to make three clearances in a row as he was rewarded for good positioning to cut out Cloughbawn deliveries. The third saw Des Mythen fouled by Davin Murphy, with Nicky Kirwan duly equalising in the twelfth minute.

Garrett Sinnott was booked for a high challenge on Colm Kehoe before Oulart-The Ballagh hit the front again from a Kirwan free after a trip on Peter Murphy.

And after the rival number 10s, Harry Kehoe and Des Mythen, posted wides, a good pass from right to left by Murphy gave Kirwan the room to slot over his sole point from play (0-4 to 0-2).

Kehoe was off target from a longrange free before a Davin Murphy clearance reached Cloughbawn captain Alan Carton, and his handpass was dispatched between the posts by Connal Flood whose bright start continued.

Kirwan was fouled by Barry Kehoe and tapped over the free for a 5-3 lead, with Garrett Sinnott’s slight flick from a David Redmond centre taking the ball away from the grasp of Cloughbawn netminder Noel Carton but ending up wide.

Des Mythen had another miss on an afternoon when Oulart-The Ballagh hit ten in total while their rivals registered eight.

Martin Kehoe was booked for a foul on David Redmond, but Cloughbawn clearly weren’t fazed by the size of the challenge facing them and narrowed the gap to one when Harry Kehoe pointed under pressure from Keith Rossiter after a Davin Murphy clearance broke off Martin Kehoe into the path of Paul Foley.

No doubt Oulart-The Ballagh had hoped to bury their rivals early after winning the toss and opting to utilise the wind first, but it wasn’t working out that way. Harry Kehoe latched on to a poor puck-out after his score and fed Bob Whitty for the leveller, but Oulart-The Ballagh edged in front again despite losing their first choice free-taker in the process.

Nicky Kirwan didn’t resume in the second-half after going down under a challenge from Gavin Murphy in the 25th minute, with the placed ball duties handed to Rory Jacob who scored at his first attempt.

Cloughbawn ended the half full of intent though and, despite a weak attempt from Paul Foley which fell short, they were back on level terms by the 28th minute after M.J. Furlong fed Harry Kehoe on the right.

A Barry Carton delivery was then finished over the bar by Bob Whitty, leaving the outsiders with a 0-7 to 0-6 half-time lead. And given that Oulart-The Ballagh had only managed two points from play with the wind, their rival supporters were entitled to be more than happy with the exchanges up to that point.

Eoin Moore resumed the second-half at right wing-back on Connal Flood while Michael Jacob was David Redmond’s partner at midfield, while Paul Roche was replaced after four minutes by Kevin Sheridan as Shaun Murphy found himself re-deployed at centre-back.

Rory Jacob had brought Oulart-The Ballagh level by that stage from a free earned by Garrett Sinnott, while Alan Carton fluffed his shot when presented with a goal chance from a Colm Kehoe assist.

Barry Carton entered the referee’s notebook 50 seconds before a foul on Eoin Moore led to another placed ball converted by Rory Jacob to leave the holders in front by 0-8 to 0-7.

A crossfield pass from Michael Jacob picked out David Redmond for a well-taken point in the 38th minute, while Nicky Kirwan’s interval replacement, Murtha Doyle, made a great catch from an Anthony Roche clearance to find Des Mythen for another score to open up a gap of three for the first time.

It was shortlived though, with Cloughbawn showing admirable resolve to recover with unanswered points in the 40th, 43rd and 46th minutes.

Alan Carton caught a puck-out and was tripped, with Harry Kehoe knocking over the free before also scoring from a ’65 moments after a booking for David Redmond.

Colm Kehoe intercepted a goal chance fashioned by Murtha Doyle,