Impressive Ballyhea do enough to retain their senior status
Ballyhea 3-19 Killeagh 2-13
BALLYHEA maintained their senior status for next season when they recorded a very good victory over Killeagh in the relegation play off at Fermoy on Saturday evening.
Having not won a championship game last season Ballyhea were the only one of the clubs in the play off series who could have gone down to Premier Intermediate for 2019 under the new format.
The North Cork outfit had a dream start with Eugene O’Leary scoring the games opening goal in the fourth minute. With so much at stake the rest of the first half was keenly contested.
Killeagh with a goal by Andrew Walsh edged in front in the 24th minute 1-7 to 1-5. However, Ballyhea dug deep in the run up to the break. A delivery by John Morrissey was finished to the net by Maurice O’Sullivan while Pa O’Callaghan also chipped in with three late points that helped them to a 2-8 to 1-8 interval lead.
On the changeover Ballyhea started brightly reeling off two rapid points. Killeagh came close to a goal but a very good save by Dave O’Riordan who replaced the injured Mikey Browne in the first half kept the Imokilly side at bay.
Instead it was Ballyhea that grew in confidence as the half went on. They moved six clear by the end of the third quarter before Pa O’Callaghan set up Maurice O’Sullivan for his second goal in the 46th minute that surged them 3-16 to 1-12 ahead.
Despite Killeagh getting a second goal late in the game Ballyhea never looked back from here and with the guarantee of senior hurling for next season they ran out fully deserved winners.
BALLYHEA: Mikey Browne, Adam Barrett, Michael Morrissey, Owen O’Sullivan, Liam O’Connor 0-1, Barry Coleman, Luke Hanley, John Morrissey 0-1, Jamie Copps, Pa O’Callaghan 0-11 (0-6f. 0-1 ‘65), Tom Hanley 0-1, Gavin Morrissey, Kalim Cox, Maurice O’Sullivan 2-1, Eugene O’Leary 1-2 David O’Riordan for Mikey Browne (inj), Dean Copps 0-2 for Adam Barrett, Sean Og Kelly Gavin Morrissey, Timmy Shanahan for Luke Hanley
KILLEAGH: C Walsh, C Fogarty, S Long, C Coughlan, K Murphy, B Collins, A Keniry, M Fitzgerald, E Keniry 0-10 (0-7f) K Lane, D Walsh 1-1, K Treacy 0-1, G Leahy, P O’Brien, A Walsh 1-1 Subs: P O’Neill for S Long (inj), M Murphy for K Lane (inj), K Kelly-Budds for K Murphy (inj), D Landers for C Fogarty.
REFEREE: Cormac Dineen (Douglas)