Relieved Ballinamere get up and running after being pushed whole way by improved Tullamore

IT is a sign of how well an improved Tullamore played that Ballinamere were highly relieved to get a crucial win in a captivatingly thrilling Senior Hurling Championship tie in O'Brien Park on Thursday evening.

Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 Round 2

Ballinamere 4-18

Tullamore 2-18

After losing to Coolderry in the first round, this was a must win game for Ballinamere and they were staring a nightmare defeat in the face when they trailed by 1-10 to 1-8 after a fiercely fought first half.

Ballinamere played much better in the second half as they outscored their opponents by 3-10 to 1-8 but they were anything but comfortable and a six point winning margin did not reflect how competitive Tullamore were – it was a huge step up by Tullamore from last year and the score doesn't show how close Ballinamere were to a shattering defeat.

Tullamore were a point up, 2-14 to 2-13 with twelve minutes left and on the verge of a famous win over their noisy neighbours who have reached a much higher hurling standard than them in the past few years.

It was almost panic stations for Ballinamere and a second defeat would have had very serious consequences for them and in the club but they did terrifically well to find a way to win it from here. They got 2-2 without reply between the 49^th and 56^th minutes and that finally broke Tullamore's really brave challenge.

Brian Duignan sharpened up on his free taking in the second half after an inconsistent first and he steadied their nerves with two placed balls to edge them back in front. Aaron Maher was instrumental in their second half recovery, scoring 2-2 and he got the crucial late goals. The first came in the 51^st minute when Cormac Martin didn't claim a looping Dan Bourke ball and Maher got his hurl to it – Bourke had done brilliantly to pluck the ball from a forest of players and send it towards the posts.

Maher got the fourth goal with four minutes left and with a 4-15 to 2-14 lead, it was all over. Tullamore battled valiantly to the final whistle but never threatened the goals they had to get and Ballinamere were able to close out the deal with only a small bit of anxiety.

While they will be delighted with the win, Ballinamere's satisfaction will be of the quiet variety and they will be very aware of the inadequacies of this display and that they are not motoring near as well yet as last year when they reached the county final and were not far away against Kilcormac-Killoughey.

The big plus for them here was the character and fight they showed. It didn't quite flow for them and it was only for fleeting spells that they built up genuine momentum. However, they did show that they are made of the right stuff in terms of desire and it was a very important win for them.

Their start to the second half was pivotal to them winning as they struck for 1-3 without reply in four minutes to turn that 1-10 to 1-8 half time deficit into a 2-11 to 1-10 lead. Aaron Maher got two fine points and Mike O'Brien got his second goal after fantastic work by Brian Duignan, who cut in superbly from the left.

Tullamore also showed heart warming battling qualities to hang in there firstly and then get themselves into a winning position. The veteran Shane Dooley had a really good second half for them and he showed all his experience to level it up at 2-13 each with a goal in the 46^th minute – the hard working Niall Furlong, surprisingly replaced a few minutes later, set it up after uncharacteristically sloppy defending by Ciaran Burke, who sent a ball out along the sideline instead of picking and clearing up field. Dooley added a free to put Tullamore ahead in the 48^th minute and their supporters were beginning to imagine what they might say down town afterwards to their counterparts when the winners found another gear and got over the line.

Tullamore will be very pleased with the way they played but will be disappointed at aspects, particularly the concession of soft goals – three of them were in that category but having said that, they also got away with a couple of gilt edged chances missed by Ballinamere, who were not clinical enough in the first half in particular.

The local rivalry element between these two neighbouring clubs created plenty of interest in this fixture. Tullamore's decision to choose O'Brien Park as the venue instead of O'Connor Park heightened the hype – while you couldn't imagine them playing their senior footballers anywhere other than O'Connor Park, they had their grounds in fantastic order with the nice sized crowd including plenty of neutrals.

The presence of a former Ballinamere playing stalwart and long time club activist, Alan Scully on the Tullamore sideline was another intriguing ingredient in the mix – -his son James came on as a Ballinamere sub early in the second half, scoring two excellent late points to leave his father with very mixed feelings. Alan Scully had been called in as a Tullamore coach recently by their manager, former Kilcormac-Killoughey supremo, Shane Hand, who himself managed Ballinamere to intermediate and senior B titles a few years ago.

After malfunctioning in their first round loss to Coolderry, there was serious pressure on Ballinamere and this showed in the tension evident on the faces of their backroom team and players before hand.

While Tullamore have an ancient tradition in hurling, Ballinamere's star has soared much higher in recent years and they were warm favourites to collect their first brace of points.

Ballinamere made a dream start when Mike O'Brien flicked an Aaron Maher delivery to the net after just 30 seconds and Sam Bourke added a point. The favourites, however, didn't build on that as Tullamore knuckled down.

It looked good for Ballinamere when they led by 1-4 to 0-2 after 12 minutes and 1-5 to 0-3 three minutes later but a James Houlihan goal out of nothing in the 15^th minute brought Tullamore right back into it.

It sent their spirits soaring and sowed the seeds of doubt in Ballinamere. Tullamore got four points without reply between the 19^th and 21^st minutes to lead by 1-7 to 1-5 and they went onto lead by 1-10 to 1-8 at half time.

The big difference in the first half was that Tullamore converted nearly all their chances. Shane Dooley got all his frees apart from one long range one and James Houlihan got 1-3. Ballinamere by contrast missed a few – Brian Duignan was wide with three frees and other chances went abegging. They weren't quite clinical enough in open play while Tullamore had reason to be thankful to Jack Daly who denied Mike O'Brien what looked a certain goal in the 9^th minute with a fantastic block.

It was Tullamore fans who were smiling at half time and they would have taken that two point lead every day of the week. Before the game, most Tullamore supporters would have settled for this type of performance and a defeat of this nature but when it happened, they were very disappointed - aware that there had been an opportunity there, even if Ballinamere were the better team on the evening.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Ross Ravenhill (Ballinamere): Considering the difficulty the outstanding James Houlihan gave him at times, the selection of Ross Ravenhill may be questioned but he was instrumental to Ballinamere's win. He gave a real tour-de-force in the second half as he cut out a lot of ball, stopped Tullamore players in their tracks, turned over possession and delivered some inspiring clearances. His leadership was immense.

Jack Fogarty and Sam Bourke also gave great shifts on the Ballinamere half back line while Aaron Maher was a contender with his second half display. Credit also to Brian Duignan and Dan Bourke who did what county players need to do, standing up to be counted when the pressure was on and delivering the goods. They were at their best when Ballinamere needed them and it is the presence of their plethora of county players that gives them such a good title chance, irrespective of their current uncertain form.

Tullamore can be very proud of the way they performed. James Houlihan would have been man of the match if they won, Jack Daly had great moments in their defence, though Aaron Maher tested him in the second half. Cormac Egan was superb at midfield while Shane Dooley and the very effective Cillian Bourke gave the best assistance to the excellent Houlihan up front.

THE SCORERS

Ballinamere: Aaron Maher 2-2, Brian Duignan 0-7 (5f), Mike O'Brien 2-0, Sam Bourke, Dan Bourke, Joe Maher and James Scully 0-2 each, Steven Doran 0-1.

Tullamore: Shane Dooley 1-8 (7f), James Houlihan 1-5, Cormac Egan 0-2, Cillian Bourke, Mike Fox and Martin Keogh 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

BALLINAMERE: Mark Troy; Chris McDonald, Ciaran Burke, Ronan Cleary; Sam Bourke, Ross Ra\venhill, Jack Fogarty; David Magner, Conor Wyer; Brian Duignan, Dan Bourke, Joe Maher; Aaron Maher, Mike O'Brien, Steven Doran. Subs – James Scully for O'Brien (37m), Darragh Wyern for Doran (44m),

TULLAMORE: Cormac Martin; Jack Daly, Michael Feeney Kevin Waters; Luke Egan, Niall Houlihan, Brian Hogan; Cormac Egan, Dan Fox; Cillian Bourke, James Houlihan, Peter Fox; Mike Fox, Shane Dooley, Niall Furlong. Subs – Martin Keogh for Peter Fox (41m), Jay Sheerin for Furlong (50m),

Referee – Joey Deehan (Clara).

REFEREE WATCH

Joey Deehan refereed the match with his customary efficiency and understanding. Well aware of the local rivalry between Ballinamere and Tullamore, he was focused, kept a tight control on it and had a good game. As expected, it adopted a let it run policy and frees were hard earned. There were a few hairy calls, or non calls more accurately, but they very much balanced out and he was very fair.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

Aaron Maher's 51^st minute goal was a game changing one. It was a poor defensive one for Tullamore but it gave Ballinamere a 3-15 to 2-14 lead and the impetus to push for home.

VENUE WATCH

Tullamore opted to host this fixture in O'Brien Park and worked hard to make sure their facilities were perfectly prepared. The pitch was very good and they had plenty of stewards to manage the large crowd.. O'Brien Park created a nice intimate venue and with the crowd close to the pitch, there was a great atmosphere. Full marks to Tullamore for the way they hosted it. They did work on their pitch, they provided press facilities, which is something a lot of host clubs are beginning to improvise with, they had a PA system for team announcements and they had a piper there as well for a stirring version of the national anthem, local man Pat Nolan.

WHAT'S NEXT

Tullamore travel to Seir Kieran while Ballinamere have a bye before facing Seir Kieran in round 3.

STATISTICS

Wides: Ballinamere - 8(4 in first half); Tullamore - 4 (2 in first half).

Yellow cards: Ballinamere – 0; Tullamore – 3 (Jack Daly, Niall Furlong, Martin Keogh).

Red cards: 0