Ballyskenach-Killavilla show character to snatch win against the head as Tullamore rue misses
Buggy Coaches Division 4 Hurling League final
IN a sort of perverse way, there was a sense of justice about Ballyskenach-Killavilla taking the Offaly Division 4 Hurling League title against the head as they edged out Tullamore in a very enjoyable decider in Kilcormac on Monday evening.
Buggy Coaches Division 4 Hurling League final
Ballyskenach-Killavilla 2-14
Tullamore 3-10
One of Offaly's newest clubs and just a little bit over a decade since Ballyskenach and Killavilla amalgamated as one, they have struggled for numbers and bright days and any silverware will be welcomed with great pleasure by them and celebrated with a gusto that just would not be matched by Tullamore – where the win would have been very satisfying to the group of players and management but would not have meant much to the club in the broader scheme of things.
These type of wins mean so much to the Tipperary border club, gives them something tangible to build on and it is great to see small rural clubs getting any sort of win.
First of all, full credit is due to Ballyskenach-Killavilla, who hung on by the skin of their teeth in the first half and showed great character and desire to turn the tide in the second half. They fell over the line in ways and were definitely fortunate to win but they fought so hard as a unit and some outstanding individual displays got them there in the wind up.
Tullamore will be wondering how they lost it as they missed a criminal amount of chances and could have won with a few points to spare. They led by 2-4 to 0-7 at half time but should have had at least 2-10 on the board and if they had, there may have been no way back for the winners. The seven points Ballyskenach-Killavilla scored was a fair reflection of their first half display but Tullamore's 2-4 in no way demonstrated their dominance – Ballyskenach-Killavilla won the game in the second half but Tullamore lost it in the first, and let no one be under any illusions about that.
Tullamore made a dream start with Paul Kelly and Niall McCabe getting in for goals in the first seven minutes, Kelly finding the net after a mere 12 seconds. Tullamore were all over them and Conor Butler, who started well, dropped two scoreable chances short from out the field.
That set the template for Tullamore's first half. They were the better team by a distance and Ballyskenach-Killavilla were just fighting to stay alive. The superb Sean Delaney got their first point in the 10th minute and Tullamore led by 2-2 to 0-2 after 20 minutes.
The first half was really about Tullamore's misses. Their wide tally of six wides was not that high but most of them could have been points while they spurned a few other chances, dropping too many balls short and going for goals when tap over points were the option to take. Cappincur footballer, Adam Galvin, Thomas Grace and Paul Kelly all contributed to their catalogue of misses and with all seven points coming from their half forward line of Brian Murphy, Sean Delaney and county U20 player Liam O'Riordan and Ballyskenach-Killavilla were very happy to be only three points down at half time.
As often happens in these cases, Tullamore paid the price for these misses in the second half. Ballyskenach-Killavilla performed much better in the second half as they were tougher in the tackle, worked harder and played much better hurling – even with that, they still need a bit of assistance from Tullamore to win, though they also had their share of second half misses and actually ended up with a higher wides tally.
The veteran Shane Kelly quickly extended Tullamore's lead in the second half but three in a row brought Ballyskenach-Killavilla right back into it as they trailed by 0-10 to 2-5 after 33 minutes. Cormac Franks made a very positive contribution off the bench and he got two of those points, one from play and Tullamore were in a real dogfight.
At times, the hurling was very much of junior standard with the volume of mistakes increasing as the half wore on and players visibly tired on both teams. Liam O'Riordan's second half display was crucial for Ballyskenach-Killavilla as he began to win ball, power past opponents and score from frees and play.
Ballyskenach-Killavilla always needed a goal to stand any chance and that arrived courtesy of Seamie Cleare with an excellent finish in the 35th minute to give them an unlikely 1-10 to 2-6 lead. It was in the melting pot from here to the final whistle.
The sides were on level terms on four separate occasions from the 36th to 49th minute but each time Ballyekenach-Killavilla did really well to get the next score. O'Riordan's free put them 1-14 to 2-10 ahead in the 49th minute and Tullamore went back in front three minutes later with Niall McCabe's second goal.
They coughed that up straight away when William Grace missed a Liam O'Riordan free and Sean Delaney nipped in to score the all important second goal, 2-14 to 3-10. A further ten minutes was played, including three of injury time but that ended the scoring with both sets of forward showing real fragility when the pressure was on.
Paul Kelly had been deadly from frees for Tullamore but missed two late ones while Shane Kelly dropped a shot short, under pressure and well out the field. Niall McCabe also had a poor wide while Ballyskenach-Killavilla had chances to stop the nail biting among their supporters with Sean Delaney, Cormac Franks and Liam O'Riordan all adding to their wide tally.
MATCH ANALYSIS
MAN OF THE MATCH
Sean Delaney (Ballyskenach-Killavilla): Sean Delaney gets the nod here for a really good display. He was excellent in the first half when his side were on the back foot and he scored three points. He added 1-1 in the second half, a very good point and he was in the right place for their second goal. He brought more to the table than that as he showed pace and foraged hard for breaks and in rucks. His performance is noteworthy as Tullamore centre back William Grace did a lot of very good hurling but Delaney still got away for his scores.
Liam O'Riordan also made a powerful contribution as he sprung to life in the second half after a comparatively tame first half. He did what a county player should do, leading the charge and inspiring his team mates. He also got two very important points from play and converted frees, though it might be no harm if he toned down his celebrations after some scores and reserved that for the really big ones.
Killian Wynne did a mountain of good work for Tullamore, Niall McCabe got two good goals and Paul Kelly's free taking was very good until late on but as a unit, they just didn't do enough to win a game that was there for the taking.
THE SCORERS
Ballyskenach-Killavilla: Liam O'Riordan 0-7 (4f and 1 '65'), Sean Delaney 1-4, Seamie Cleare 1-0, Cormac Franks 0-2 (1f), Brian Murphy 0-1.
Tullamore: Paul Kelly 1-8 (8f), Niall McCabe 2-0, Shane Kelly and Colm Woodlock 0-1 each.
THE TEAMS
BALLYSKENACH-KILLAVILLA: Alan Franks; Gavin Hannon, Niall O'Connor, Conor Dooley; Paddy Delaney, Ger Delaney, Darragh Quinlan; Emmet Middleton, Sean Hartnett; Brian Murphy, Sean Delaney, Liam O'Riordan; Cian Doyle, Stephen Murphy, Seamie Cleere. Subs – Matt Watkins for Dooley, inj. (9m), Cormac Franks for Murphy, inj. (18m), David Warren for Doyle (54m0.
TULLAMORE: Alex Sheridan; Eoghan Spain, Robbie Hand, Eoghan Geoghegan; Ronnie Hughes, William Grace, Kevin Mann; Killian Wynne, Adam Galvin; Conor Butler, Thomas Grace, Niall McCabe; Colm Woodlock, Paul Kelly, Shane Kelly. Subs – Pauric Martin for Hughes (39m), Cathal Mannion for Thomas Grace (52m).
Referee – Robert Dillon, Kilcormac-Killoughey.
REFEREE WATCH
It is very important to see younger referees emerge for Offaly GAA and one of them, Robert Dillon, in his second year as an Offaly official, was given this fixture. It is important that they are given fixtures that matter at the right time and this was a good test for the Kilcormac-Killoughey man – a member of the Offaly minor hurling panel that won the Leinster title in 2000, he has refereed in Westmeath in recent years but came into his home county last year.
He passed it with flying colours, tuned in and getting most calls right. The only negative was that it was near throw in time when he appeared on the field before the start of the game, resulting in it starting a couple of minutes late – there may have been a good reason for that but in the ideal world, the referee should be on the field at least fifteen minutes before throw in time.
It was good to see him consult with his neutral linesman and he gave Tullamore one deserved second half free when a Ballyskenach-Killavilla player stopped a quick sideline being taken after talking to him. It was also good to see him watch for and punish throw balls – the vast majority of these went against Ballyskenach-Killavilla but that was probably for the very simple reason that they were way more culpable in this regard than Tullamore, though the losers did have a couple of dodgy looking ones. He was also quick to show yellow cards and controlled it all well: Tullamore's very experienced wing back, Ronnie Hughes got the benefit of the doubt as he got one card and flirted with a second on a couple of occasions – Hughes was very solid defensively, doing the simple thing well and this was the reason he was replaced in the 39th minute.
MOMENT OF THE MATCH
Tullamore would probably have won if they hadn't conceded a second goal in the 53rd minute. It was soft from their perspective but Sean Delaney's goal proved to be the last score as Ballyskenach-Killavilla held on for dear life.
VENUE WATCH
It is great to see Kilcormac-Killoughey host some of these concluding league fixtures in Kilcormac and they fully deserve them as their facilities are a terrific example to other clubs of what can be done. As usual, they had very efficient stewards on hand to manage the fixture and it all went well.
WHAT'S NEXT
Both sides now focus on the championship.
STATISTICS
Wides: Ballysekenach-Killavilla – 11 (4 in first half); Tullamore – 10 (6 in first half).
Yellow cards: Ballyskenach-Killavilla – 3 (Sean Harnett, Stephen Murphy, David Warren); Tullamore – 1 (Ronnie Hughes).
Black cards: 0
Red cards: 0