Convincing win sends impressive Ballinamere towards knockout stages as Shinrone surrender meekly

BALLINAMERE took a giant step towards qualification for the Senior Hurling Championship knockout stages with a very impressive demolition of the 2022 champions and 2023 finalists, Shinrone in Birr on Saturday afternoon.

Molloy Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 Round 3

Ballinamere 4-22

Shinrone 0-16

It was an excellent display by Ballinamere who looked like winning all the way. They built a powerful foundation in the first half when they led by 2-9 to 0-11 after playing into the wind and they pulled out of sight in the closing quarter for a very convincing win.

Ballinamere look good and their title prospects are certainly as good as anyone in the pack behind red hot title favourites Kilcormac-Killoughey. There is a case for making them second favourites, though Ballinamere have question marks floating over them and are certainly not the finished article. They have weak links that K-K do not have, more players more likely to take wrong options in the white heat of a high stakes knockout game but with five points from three games, they are motoring very nicely.

They laid the foundation here from the back with a superb defensive display and 4-22 represented a very good return from an attack who could have scored even more, especially in the first half. Shinrone also missed their share of chances but the scale of their defeat, the way they surrendered in the second half, was as big a talking point as Ballinamere's fine performance.

After drawing with surprise packets Kinnitty in their first game and with county star Killian Sampson out injured for a few weeks at least, Shinrone look to be in big trouble and have certainly reached a crisis point – rock solid corner back Darren Crean was also a big loss here. After winning their first title in 2022 and reaching the final last year, this was always going to be a big year for Shinrone and at the moment, their trajectory looks to be a backwards one.

They still have a lot of very good hurlers and can turn the corner but they will be particularly perturbed at the way they fell away in the closing quarter. While Ballinamere got a run on them and these things happen, Shinrone stopped working, their work ethic dipped, as a unit and the outcome was a very bad defeat that leaves no hiding place for anyone involved.

Ballinamere led by 2-9 to 0-11 at half time and while they would have taken that at the start of the half, they could not have been over the moon with it the way the game went.

Playing against the wind, Ballinamere were the better team in the first half, regularly exposing a struggling Shinrone defence, and they could have had the two points wrapped up at the break.

They left at least one, possibly two, goals behind them in the first half and also missed a handful of fairly straightforward point chances. Having said that, it took a fantastic save from Mark Troy to deny Paul Cleary a goal right on the stroke of half time that ensured their lead wasn't a mere point at the break. Joe Cleary was also wide with a decent Shinrone goal chance in the 19^th minute – he had ample space to have carried the ball further and made sure but at the other end, Aaron Maher over cooked a couple of handpasses that would have sent colleagues in on goal while a John Murphy power drive from close range was deflected over by Eamon Cleary in the 28^th minute.

Ballinamere were 0-5 to 0-2 ahead after ten minutes and 0-8 to 0-7 ahead when their first goal arrived in the 22^nd minute with Kevin McDermott finishing very well after a sensational ball in over the top by John Murphy. Brian Duignan did well to get their second four minutes later, not controlling the ball properly but moving it in the right direction and pulling low and hard into the right corner.

That gave Ballinamere a 2-8 to 0-9 lead and they had chances to extent it but a 2-9 to 0-11 half time lead still left them in pole position with the wind to come.

Ballinamere's second half display was very good. Shinrone got the gap back to a goal, 0-13 to 2-10 three minutes into the second half but Dan Ravenhill arrowed over a quick point and the gap was never down to a score again.

Shinrone did dig deep for a while but had to get goals. Troy saved very well from Eoin Bailey-O'Brien, who did well early in the second half, in the 34^th minute but Ravenhill's point was followed by four more as the winners opened a 2-15 to 0-13 lead.

Donal Morkan got a 42^nd minute free for Shinrone but the floodgates opened before their 15^th point arrived in the 59^th minute. Ballinamere went on a spree of 2-5 without reply as the fight went out of Shinrone.

Dan Bourke's brilliant 51^st minute goal made it 3-18 to 0-14 and ended it as a contest. That goal was worth the trip to Birr alone as Ciaran Burke superbly cut out a ball in front of his own goal, passing across to this goalkeeper Mark Troy. Burke and Troy displayed an almost telepathic understanding of each other's movements the whole day and Troy sent a pinpoint delivery to the Shinrone 40 metre line. Sub Mike O'Brien dived to win the ball and quickly off loaded to Bourke who raced through and finished clinically. Bourke's return to something approaching his best form was one of the big bonuses for Ballinamere. He had looked tired in the opening two games but was much better, zippier here, showing for the ball, winning it and showing clean pairs of heels to defenders – he had a couple of wides but scored 1-2 and he will get better as the campaign goes on, which is what Ballinamere need.

The fourth goal came a minute later, Bourke returning the favour with excellent play to set O'Brien up for a deserved reward for his hard work. That was that with Ballinamere outscoring Shinrone by four points to two in the closing minutes that was way more clearcut than they would have hoped for – the sight of Ballinamere running in subs for the sake of it in the last ten minutes showed how easy it was for them.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Kevin McDermott (Ballinamere): We all know about the quality of Ballinamere's county stars, the influence Mark Troy, Ciaran Burke, Ross Ravenhill, Sam Bourke, Dan Bourke, Brian Duignan and Dan Ravenhill can exert. They are all performing and without this, Ballinamere would be a very average team but they also have a cohort in the next group playing very well – Ballinamere's challenge is to get the ones behind these up to the standard that could win a county championship.

They had a handful in this second tier, for want of a better word, who commanded complete respect here. Chris McDonald, a former county hurler, was brilliant in their defence, mopping up a huge amount of ball and using it so well. David Magner put in a great shift, getting through a lot of work, much of it in the unseen category that is so important. Jack Fogarty is another in this cohort, not as prominent as the first two games when he was excellent, but still rock solid before being called ashore.

The choice is a man more noted for his football prowess, Kevin McDermott, a member of the Offaly senior football panel this year. He made a huge impact on this game, scoring 1-2 but contributing so much more than that. He was immense in the first half in particular, a major factor in Ballinamere getting into a winning position at the break. Not all of his striking was crisp but plenty of it was and he continued to work hard in the second half, cropping up all over the field – just seconds after getting his second point in the 58^th minute, he was back on his own half back line cutting out a ball.

Goalkeeper Mark Troy and full back Ciaran Burke were also contenders. Troy was flawless in goals, making some crucial saves and very efficient in his use of the ball while Burke was at his best at full back, ensuring his area was more or less a no go zone for Shinrone.

It was a poor day at the office by Shinrone. Paul Cleary was lively and dangerous in their attack at times, DJ McLoughlin got three points, Sean Cleary went well for a while and Jason Samspon tried to rally the forces before Ballinamere got their late run of scores but Shinrone's backs are now to the wall.

THE SCORERS

Ballinamere: Brian Duignan 1-10 (7f), Dan Bourke and Kevin McDermott 1-2 each, John Murphy 0-3, Mike O'Brien 1-0, Aaron Maher and Dan Ravenhill 0-2 each, Joe Maher 0-1.

Shinrone: Donal Morkan 0-7 (6f), DJ McLoughlin 0-3, Sean Cleary and Paul Cleary 0-2 each, Darragh Landy, Eoin Bailey-O'Brien 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

BALLINAMERE: Mark Troy; Chris McDonald, Ciaran Burke, Ronan Cleary; Ross Ravenhill, Jack Fogarty, Sam Bourke; David Magner, Dan Ravenhill; Dan Bourke, Brian Duignan, Aaron Maher; John Murphy, Joe Maher, Kevin McDermott. Subs – Mike O'Brien for Aaron Maher (48m), Darragh Wyer for Murphy (52m), Barry Cleary for Fogarty (52m), James Scully for Joe Maher (54m),

SHINRONE: Eamonn Cleary; Peter Cleary, Michael Cleary,Luke Watkins; Darragh Landy, Jason Sampson, Dara Maher; Joe Cleary, Declan Cleary; Sean Cleary, DJ McLoughlin, Adam Landy; Paul Cleary, Donal Morkan, Eoin Bailey-O'Brien. Subs – Darragh Cleary for Declan Cleary (HT), Adrian Cleary for Adam Landy (46m), James Liffey for Bailey-O'Brien (51m),

Referee – Kieran Dooley (Drumcullen).

REFEREE WATCH

Kieran Dooley had a solid game. There were a few times when what looked clear fouls weren't given but he adapted a let it run policy and these swung both ways. There were no major flash points and he was in control, quickly brandishing cards when required.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Dan Bourke's 51^st minute goal was a standout moment for the quality of its finish and the build up involving Ciaran Burke, Mark Troy and Mike O'Brien but in terms of an influence on the outcome, the goals missed by Shinrone in the first half, were much more important. Shinrone had to get a goal in the first half to have a chance and they had openings but Joe Cleary drove wide when he could have took it in further and Mark Troy saved brilliantly to deny Paul Cleary what looked a sure-fire goal just before the half time whistle.

VENUE WATCH

Apart from a messy looking black line a couple of feet wide running diagonally from the corner flag on the town road end to the opposite corner, the Birr pitch was in near perfect condition – this was caused by an unfortunate spillage and while it has been reseeded, it will take some time to blend in with the rest but the quality of the pitch was still where it needed to be and that scar wouldn't have been noticed by the players on the field. Fair play to Birr for having loads of stewards despite their senior hurlers having a big game in Lusmagh later that evening, and they hosted the fixture very well.

WHAT'S NEXT

Ballinamere play Kinnitty in round 4 while Shinrone have Birr in an attractive double bill in Banagher on September 1.

STATISTICS

Wides: Ballinamere - 12 (8 in first half); Shinrone - 14 (8 in first half).

Yellow cards: Ballinamere – 2 (Kevin McDermott and James Scully); Shinrone – 2 (Luke Watkins and Donal Morkan).

Red cards: 0.