Relieved Ballinamere fall into quarter-finals as much improved Birr book semi-final slot

A HIGHLY relieved Ballinamere fell into the quarter-finals despite suffering a one point loss at the hands of a vastly improved Birr side in a fiercely contested Senior Hurling Championship tussle in Kilcormac on Saturday afternoon.

Molloy Precast and Environmental Systems Senior Hurling Championship Group 1 Round 5

Birr 1-19

Ballinamere 2-15

Beaten finalists last year, Ballinamere have not recaptured anything near that form this year and they flirted with a disastrous early exit here, relying on Coolderry to beat Tullamore to survive. Coolderry had only a point to spare in Rath and a Tullamore win would have sent Ballinamere home for the year.

They showed they had the right heart and fighting spirit here but it was another disjointed display by Ballinamere, who go through with serious question marks about their prospects. They battled with everything they had here but a fired up Birr, hunting in packs and closing down everything, made space so tight and every score was so hard earned.

It means that Birr, who have turned a big corner this year, are in the semi-finals. After a draw with Tullamore in their last game, they bit the bullet here, making a few changes with Adam Fitzgerald replacing Sean Thompson in goals and Jimmy Irwin drafted into defence. Other positional changes were hugely important as they ended the experiment of playing Ben Miller in attack, bringing him back to wing back. Miller's attacking foray just hadn't worked and he was infinitely more comfortable on familiar defensive duty.

Not only that but it freed up Colm Mulrooney to move to midfield with Ailbe Watkins pushed forward into attack. Both these switches were instrumental in their win as Mulrooney picked off four sensational second half points and Watkins got two injury time points as they rallied late on to pull the result out of the fire.

In some ways, Ballinamere are in the ideal position now. Their form has not been good and they will be written off by many but one big game in a quarter-final could change everything for them and they remain title contenders. They have too many county hurlers in their ranks not to command absolute respect and while they are not playing well as a unit, they are still alive and kicking with the capacity to improve.

They may be short a couple of players to win a title though and Ballinamere won't need anyone to tell them about the mistakes that were made by some of their players in the frantic contests for the ball here. They also brought back on a player they had replaced, Steven Doran, and that is never a good reflection of a side's depth in strength.

The first half was a very stop start, messy affair with a real niggle bubbling beneath the surface. It was very physical and there was a brief melee that almost spiralled out of control midway during the half.

Ballinamere had first use of the wind but didn't make it count as they trailed by 1-7 to 0-9 at the break. They were tied at 0-3 each when Morgan Watkins nipped in for Birr's goal in the 17^th minute and the winners deserved their half time lead. There was no real flow to the first half and that suited Birr more as they deliberately crowded men when they got the ball, and took most of their chances.

The quality improved in the second half with the discipline of both sides better. Colm Mulrooney was on fire at the start and his three points helped Birr to a 1-11 to 0-10 lead after 33 minutes. Birr were still four points clear, 1-13 to 0-12 when Brian Duignan brought Ballinamere back into it with an excellent 45^th minute goal when Brendan Murphy just failed to cut out the ball.

Birr responded very well and quality points from Mulrooney and Eoghan Cahill gave them a 1-16 to 1-13 lead inside the last five minutes.

Brian Duignan converted a free and then gave Ballinamere the lead with a 60^th minute goal out of nothing. Again Birr did exceptionally well to find another gear. Ailbe Watkins fired over a great equaliser and Eoghan Cahill gave them the lead with a 62^nd minute free after Steven Doran carried the ball into traffic and was penalised for over carrying when he should have let it in. Another Ailbe Watkins point put Birr two clear and Ballinamere almost snatched a last gasp winning goal when John Murphy's snap shot flew inches over the bar – Murphy is just back from abroad and he will be a big help to Ballinamere as they bid to turn the tide from here on.

MATCH ANALYSIS

MAN OF THE MATCH

Colm Mulrooney (Birr): The game could have went either way and a draw may have been the fairest result but Birr also deserved their win in many respects. They picked their team better, their work ethic was extremely high and they were effective in shutting down Ballinamere's danger men.

There is a temptation to go with the veteran Sean Ryan or Jimmy Irwin as their defensive brilliance set the template for Birr's display. The choice, however, is Colm Mulrooney. He worked hard at midfield and his four second half points won the day for Birr. Ailbe Watkins also had a very good game for Birr but it was their collective work that won this game.

Ballinamere didn't play well and were way too reliant on Brian Duignan for scores. He scored 2-11 of their 2-15, eight of their nine first half points and that dependency is not good. Duignan also missed a couple but he was the single biggest figure in Ballinamere almost qualifying on their own steam.

Sam Bourke and Ross Ravenhill were immense in a defence that worked so hard but Ballinamere have considerable improving to do. They made too many mistakes, especially in the first half, and not all of these were forced by Birr – they need their county players to fire on all cylinders but continuing to improve the contingent in their second tier of player is as crucial to their prospects.

THE SCORERS

Birr: Eoghan Cahill 0-10 (8f), Colm Mulrooney 0-4, Ailbe Watkins 0-3, Morgan Watkins 1-0, Barry Harding and Lochlann Quinn 0-1 each.

Ballinamere: Brian Duignan 2-11 (2 '65's and 8f), Dan Ravenhill 0-2 (1f), John Murphy and Aaron Maher 0-1 each.

THE TEAMS

BIRR: Adam Fitzgerald; Campbell Boyd, Jimmy Irwin, Cormac Kenny; Sean Ryan, Brendan Murphy, Ben Miller; Colm Mulrooney, Joe Ryan; Barry Harding, Luke Nolan, Ailbe Watkins; Lochlann Quinn, Morgan Watkins, Eoghan Cahill. Subs – Niall Lyons for Quinn (48m).

BALLINAMERE: Mark Troy; Chris McDonald, Ciaran Burke, Ronan Cleary; Sam Bourke, Ross Ravenhill, Jack Fogarty; Dan Ravenhill, David Magner; Mike O’Brien, Dan Bourke, Joe Maher; Aaron Maher, Brian Duignan, Steven Doran. Subs – John Murphy for Doran (HT), Steven Doran for O'Brien (53m).

Referee – Joey Deehan (Clara).

REFEREE WATCH

Manager of Ballycumber senior B footballers, Joey Deehan has not refereed as many games as usual this year and he was fortunate this game didn't get away from him in the first half. There was a real niggle as well as a brief melee and he was slow to show yellow cards, to show who was boss. That was the big flaw with his display and both teams had players who had earned cards but he got away with it and the second half passed off without serious incident.

Both sides contested decisions in the second half with Ballinamere joint manager Michael Duignan yellow carded for comments he made when Dan Ravenhill was penalised for over carrying. Those decisions very much balanced out, Deehan remains one of the best hurling referees in the county and will be a great asset to the Competitions Control Committee in the coming weeks.

MOMENT OF THE MATCH

The free Eoghan Cahill converted in injury time to give Birr the lead was pivotal. It showed Cahill's importance to them and it also showed one of the big challenges facing Ballinamere as it came after an unforced error.

VENUE WATCH

A rare senior hurling championship fixture for Kilcormac, and the host club had all hands on deck. They managed the fixture well, knowing that there would be a big crowd and having plenty of stewards on duty. There was a strong case for having this game in O'Connor Park but it was also great to see Kilcormac-Killoughey get a fixture of this importance and their facilities were in great condition. The elevated area beside the old dressing rooms and along the town sideline provided a great viewing point with many supporters making a beeline for there.

WHAT'S NEXT

Birr go onto the semi-finals while Ballinamere are in the quarter-finals.

STATISTICS

Wides: Ballinamere - 8(4 in first half); Birr – 6 (2 in first half).

Yellow cards: Ballinamere – 1 (Brian Duigan); Birr – 1 (Sean Ryan).

Red cards: 0.