The Kerryman (South Kerry Edition)
Ballyduff leave it behind
COUNTY JFC GROUP 4 ROUND 3 Ballyduff 2-3 Cromane 1-6
THIS was one of the more unusual games we’ve ever covered. Rarely have we seen a team start in such a dominant fashion – playing brilliantly with slick inter-change in frankly wicked conditions – only for that team to lose their way so completely thereafter.
If it was just that you might just put it down to one of those things. The fact that they managed to recover their composure again when the game was threatening to slip away from them is what makes it that much more out of the ordinary.
As is the fact that their opponents mirrored them in a lot of ways. As Ballyduff were starting like a runaway train, Cromane were playing torridly. They struggled to come to terms with the conditions. They failed to make much or any use of the breeze – closer to a gale really – at their backs.
Playing into the teeth of that wind Ballyduff were five point clear eleven minutes in. Starting with a point from Jack Goulding off the outside of his boot. Goulding followed that up on ten minutes with the game’s opening goal.
It was a bit of a fortunate break for Ballyduff – an effort for a point dipped and caught the Cromane keeper and full-back line unawares – but on the balance of play you couldn’t argue that they weren’t good value for their lead.
When Pádraig Boyle converted a free on eleven minutes to secure the five point lead it was hard to imagine anything other than a comfortable Ballyduff win.
If you told us then that Ballyduff wouldn’t score again for another thirty eight minutes, especially when up to that point Cromane hadn’t had so much as a shot at goal, we wouldn’t have believed you. The Mid Kerry side’s first effort at the sticks came on sixteen minutes when a Seán O’Sullivan effort from a free dropped short. O’Sullivan did finally get Cromane up and running on twenty minutes with a pointed free.
Ballyduff were huffing and puffing a bit now. In the first half they kicked six wides and dropped three shots short, allowing Cromane a chance to make inroads, which they did with a point from play by Emmet Casey on twenty six minutes and a second pointed free from a classy Seán O’Sullivan.
Cromane were only two points down. Suddenly they were alive and kicking and kicking on. True enough they needed a mix up in the Ballyduff defence to take the lead. A Paud Costello pass went astray, Darren Houlihan snapped it up and took it on before passing to Seán O’Sullivan who finished brilliantly to the back of Michael Hussey’s net – 1-2 1-3 at the break.
Even then it looked like Ballyduff’s game to lose, with the breeze (which fluctuated and swirled admittedly) at the their backs. Cromane, however, showed indomitable spirit to remain in the game.
A point from O’Sullivan from play – a real beauty – extended their lead to two and they were still two points clear coming up on the fiftieth minute of a low-scoring contest. By now Ballyduff had put Mikey Boyle into the fray and the Kerry hurling star earned his side a penalty on forty nine minutes. When brother Pádraig stepped up to take it and blasted it over the bar Ballyduff must have wondered if this just wasn’t their day.
On fifty one minutes Darren Houihan restored Cromane’s two point advantage. Ballyduff though were coming, they were sniffing victory and vulnerability in the Cromane defence once more.
A mistake by Donnchadh Walsh was seized upon by Ballyduff with Pádraig Boyle and Jack Goulding playing a wonderful one / two before Boyle slammed to the back of Paudie McCarthy’s net.
Ballyduff led – slightly cruel on a brave Cromane it felt – but Cromane struck back with a pointed free by man of the match Seán O’Sullivan to level it up. Ballyduff had one last chance to win it when Jack Goulding was fouled close in, alas Pádraig Boyle’s effort dropped short.
BALLYDUFF: Michael Hussey, Paud Costello, Paul O’Carroll, Paddy Moran, Pádraig Walsh, Jack O’Sullivan, Thomas Slattery, Seán Costello, Anthony O’Carroll, Johnny Regan, Philip Lucid, Jack Goulding (1-1), David Goulding, Eoin Ross, Pádraig Boyle (1-2, 1f, 0-1 pen) Subs: Darren O’Connor for S Costello, half-time, Mikey Boyle for D Goulding, 37 CROMANE: Paudie McCarthy, Liam Teahan, John M Foley, Shane Anern, Finbar Casey, Conor Sugrue, Cathal Crosby, Niall Dennehy, Donnchadh Walsh, Shane O’Neill, Seán O’Sullivan (1-4, 3f), Danny O’Shea, Mikey Houlihan, Darren Houlihan (0-1f), Emmet Casey (0-1) Subs: Jack O’Sullivan for D O’Shea, 52, Cian O’Keeffe forSAhern,56
REFEREE: Tim Falvey (Annascaul)