REID LEADS WAY AS BALLYHALE STORM INTO FINAL
Birthday boy Reid rolls back the years
PROBABLY the biggest gasp to be heard at Nowlan Park came late in the first half when TJ Reid struck his second penalty of the day. And not for the reason that first springs to mind.
Just minutes earlier, he had nonchalantly sent St Martin’s goalkeeper Luke White the wrong way from the same situation after Colin Fennelly was manhandled to the ground.
Already, Reid had shown the vintage form that saw him shortlisted for Hurler of the Year award – plucking balls from the air (one skyscraping jump from a puck-out drew its own applause), pinging over frees in that arrow-like fashion from all sorts of angles and distances, effortlessly cutting a sideline over the bar from just on the 45 metre line and then picking off a point from play.
In keeping with his team, this was a show of casual brilliance from Reid and the Leinster and All-Ireland champions.
And so the gasp of astonishment was when his second penalty actually failed to hit its intended target, hitting the Quinn Motors advertising hoarding to the right of the goal with a loud bang.
Sometimes, even this hurling god has feet of clay.
And yet, his personal haul of 2-14 notwithstanding, this was the opposite of a one-man show. Reid’s effortless class fitted with a ruthless show of force from the holders, right from the very throw-in.
Evan Shefflin drove on to possession and went galloping up the middle, eating up the ground. He kept going and kept going, then handpassed off to Brian Cody who was thundering in support on his shoulder.
The latter had only one thing in mind – to stick the knife in early – and he buried the ball in the net with just 17 seconds gone. By the ninth minute it was 1-5 to 0-1. It’s doubtful even the most optimistic of St Martin’s supporters felt there was a way back. There wasn’t.
Joe Coleman kept chipping away at the deficit from placed balls for St Martin’s during the first half and Jack O’Connor slung over a couple of fine points with a bit of help from brother Rory but the county champions were simply out of their depth, from the class of Richie Reid at wing-back, who slung over two fine points, to the rampaging presence of All-Star Colin Fennelly at full-forward.
But it’s the wondrous simplicity to Ballyhale’s play that marks them out, the ball always being given to the player in a better position.
‘We haven’t started a game as well – that was a focus for us,’ admitted manager Henry Shefflin.
‘We knew they were coming up here, up to our home ground I guess. So we wanted to start strongly and we did.’
Turning 2-12 to 0-7 ahead at the break, a hat-trick of goals between the 43rd and 47th minute turned this into something of a rout.
Colin Fennelly set up Eoin Reid before showcasing his trademark batted finish to the net, and then Reid rounded the keeper to add to his own haul.
The Shamrocks’ level of scoring was such that there was confusion over the final scoreline which showed one less than the 5-19 recorded in the press box.
Harry O’Connor pinched a couple of points for St Martin’s, Rory O’Connor kept driving forward in search of goal but Michael Codd’s injury-time goal wasn’t half enough to go with
Joe Coleman’s deadball tally.
‘Over the last couple of weeks
they have hit form,’ added Shefflin ‘They’re playing together, starting to build a bit of cohesion between themselves.
‘We experienced it last year so we don’t keep the foot down the whole time – you need to give them a bit of space. The lads know themselves. They train on their own.
‘It’s easy to manage them. They’re mad to play hurling; that’s all they want to do.’
And that man TJ Reid, who turned 32 yesterday?
‘He missed a penalty and there was a ball that Colin gave him near the end where he could have got more.
‘But, look, 2-14 any day, especially in November, is a special, special score and it’s a great birthday present for him.’
The club’s only concern is over Adrian Mullen who suffered a dead leg and had to be replaced early in the second half, while Richie Reid is gone after this as he is travelling to Lebanon with the Irish Army.
And so Ballyhale march on to the final the weekend after next where they will meet the winners of St Mullin’s (Carlow) and Rathdowney-Errill (Laois) who square off this afternoon.
BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS (Kilkenny): D Mason; D Corcoran, J Holden, D Mullen; E Shefflin, M Fennelly, R Reid (G Butler 50); R Corcoran (C Walsh 47), C Phelan; A Mullen (J Cuddihy 37), TJ Reid, B Cody; E Reid (E Kenneally 50), C Fennelly, E Cody (M Aylward 53).
Scorers: TJ Reid 2-14 (1-0 pen, 11fs, 1 s-l), B Cody, C Fennelly, E Reid 1-0 each, R Reid, E Cody 0-2 each, A Mullen 0-1.
Yellow card: M Fennelly 40
St MARtin’S (Wexford): L White; C Firman, J O’Connor, Eoin O’Leary; D Waters, A Maddock, P O’Connor (J Devereux 58); M Codd, H O’Connor; J Coleman, J O’Connor, J Firman (M Maloney 46); C Lyng, R O’Connor, M Coleman (D Codd 36). Scorers: J Coleman 0-9 (8fs, 1 65), M Codd 1-0, Jack O’Connor, H O’Connor 0-2 each, J Firman, D Codd, R O’Connor 0-1 each
Yellow card: J O’Connor 26, P O’Connor 28, M Codd 31, C Lyng 35, C Firman 61
Referee: P Murphy (Carlow)
Attendance: 1,801