Survival for Ballymote
Intermediate Football C’ship Relegation Semi-final Ballymote 3-10
Tourlestrane 0-8
TWO goals from Zak O’Dowd helped Ballymote to an 11-point win over Tourlestrane in the Connacht Gold Intermediate Football Championship relegation semi-final at Fr Kevin Brehony Park. O’Dowd scored 2-2 in total last Sunday as the team managed by a Tourlestrane native, Enda Kelly, maintained their second tier status in a campaign that also saw them finish runners-up in the Benson Cup and reach the Division Two semi-final in the Furey’s Coaches Senior Football League.
Tourlestrane, meanwhile, face a relegation final against Castleconnor this Sunday. The south Sligo club’s second XV welcomed back Eamonn O’Hara for this fixture – the former All Star played the first-half in goal and then switched to an outfield role as another club legend, Fintan Kennedy, came on as the team’s custodian.
Ballymote, favourites to win here, didn’t have it all their own way in the opening period. They were three points up at half-time, 1-4 to 0-4, with Zak O’Dowd’s goal – from a Conor Meehan pass – the score that kept the sides apart.
There were four points between them, 1-7 to 0-6, ahead of the second-half water break, with Ballymote later gliding clear when Stephen Ross netting from a Zak O’Dowd assist. O’Dowd’s second goal came in the closing stages following good work by Jack Lavin. Rian Kennedy was Tourlestrane’s leading scorer at Keash with seven pointed frees.
Ballymote: Cian Kilcoyne, Kenny Meehan, Micheal Doddy, Oisin Conlon, Ronan Keenan, Tristan Regan (0-1), Shane Langton (0-1), Micheal Rafferty, Jack Lavin (0-1), Stephen Ross (1-1), Niall Colsh (0-2), Colin Byrne, Peter Lyons (0-1) Conor Meehan (0-1), Zak O’Dowd (2-2)
Subs used: Aaron Laing, Paul Mullin, Jack Hever, Jim Sweeney
Tourlestrane: Eamonn O’Hara, Kieran Feehily, Sean McVeigh, Ronan Walsh, Johnny Tracey, Diarmuid Dunne, Ben Tracey, Joe Molloy, Ciaran Walsh, Darragh Feehily, Colin Neary, Conor Surlis, Ruairí Brennan (01), David Brennan, Rian Kennedy (0-7)
Sub used: Fintan Kennedy
Referee: Gavin Cawley