INTERMEDIATE ‘A’ HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP AND JHC Late flurry seals deal
GAA Bannow-Ballymitty rejoice
BANNOW-BALLYMITTY, with a late flurry of scores, dispatched a competitive Clongeen in a windswept Taghmon to book their place in the Enniscorthy Electrical Wholesale Junior Hurling Championship semi-final on Sunday.
With the sides pulling punches and matching each other until the final ten minutes it would be Larry Coleman’s men who would prove to be more clinical at the wire.
Over the course of the opening half, the sides were never more than two points apart. Christopher Cullen pulled the strings for Clongeen by attributing four points to their interval tally of seven.
Meanwhile, the full-forward line of Garry Morton, Kieran Butler and Michael Murphy kept Bannow in touch with the help of three Patrick Fitzharris dead balls.
Yet, it was Clongeen who held a one point edge over their Wellingtonbridge opponents at the break.
Scores were hard to come by after the restart with each side only changing the scoreboard twice before the 50th minute.
Fortunately for Ballymitty, one of those changes signalled the game’s opening goal, Art Sweetman batting in Butler’s well parried shot.
With just a point separating the sides, Bannow dominated the closing minutes. Minors through Sweetman, Fitzharris and David Currid increased the lead before Butler flicked beautifully beyond Ricky Rochford in the Clongeen net for the killing blow in the 55th minute.
Clongeen searched hard to refind their first half form but even after a raft of substitutions it was clear their momentum was lost with the growing breeze.
Late points for Fitzharris and Nicky Doyle ensured that every member of the Bannow-Ballymitty forward lines got on the scoresheet and secured safe passage through to the Junior hurling semi-final for Bannow.
BANNOW-BALLYMITTY: John Sinnott; John Mernagh, Padraig Barden, Art Murphy; Mark Wallace, Niall Murphy (capt.), John O’Leary; Conor Furlong, David Currid (0-1); Nicky Doyle (0-1), Art Sweetman (1-1), Patrick Fitzharris (0-6, 5 frees); Michael Murphy (0-1), Kieran Butler (11), Garry Morton (0-1). Subs: Padraig McCormack for Furlong (45), Kevin Doyle for Michael Murphy (53), Richie Walsh for Niall Murphy (58), Breen Howlin for Butler (60). Also John Foley, Donal McLoughlin, Eddie Dermody, Adam Diskin, David White, Keith Gaul, Robert Meegan.
CLONGEEN: Ricky Rochford; Danny O’Grady, Anton Stafford, Barry Fox; Marty Reville, Paudi Cullen (capt.), Donal Whelan; Enda Murphy, Donal Murphy; Paudi Cahill (0-2), Martin Kehoe (0-1), Paul Curtis (0-1), Martin Delaney, Christopher Cullen (0-5, 3 frees), Ger Fox. Subs: Stephen Curtis for Cahill (32), Tom Donovan for Kehoe (38), Peter Anthony Wall for Delaney (45), Emmet Kent for Whelan (55). Also, Jamsie Rochford, Collie Byrne, Robert Farrell, Jamie Keating, Joseph Toomey, Patrick Whelan, Jim Bennett.
REFEREE: Damien Donovan (Volunteers).