THE black marker writing that adorned the blue and white balloons tied to the entrance gates read ‘Wel-come to Tooreen, The Home of Hurling’.

Unfortunately for Tooreen, their hospitality stretched a tad too far last Saturday, as failure to capitalise on long periods of dominance, in the first half in particular, cost them dear.

Ballyhaunis, their fiercest and closest rivals, showed all their guile and experience to retain the TJ Tyrell Cup, their sixth county hurling title of the decade.

Four times taking the lead - thrice in the first half and with the first score of the second - Tooreen were undone by 36th and 41st minute goals from the sticks of Stephen Hoban and Liam Lyons, the latter perhaps lucky to still be on the pitch when committing what looked a deliberate trip moments after receiving a 32nd minute booking.

A minute after raising his green flag, Lyons again rifled the ball to the Tooreen net, only to have his effort ruled out by referee Aodhan MacSuibhne who adjudged the attacker to have first charged at full-back Kenneth Robinson.

Tooreen claimed Lyons had committed the exact same foul, then on goalkeeper Adrian Hession, when scoring his side’s second goal, but MacSuibhne disagreed and Ballyhaunis never looked back. Tooreen, however, could have few complaints; they had chances to clear their lines on the occasions of both goal concessions.

It was Tooreen, in fact, who scored the game’s first major, as early as the sixth minute. His side trailing to a Keith Higgins ‘65’, Adrian Freeman pucked a 70 metre free straight into the Ballyhaunis goal, with visiting ‘keeper Michael Walsh perhaps distracted by the presence of Tooreen corner-forward Joey Ganley.

Points from play by Niall Murphy, collecting from Pierce Higgins, and Liam Lyons levelled the game by the 10th minute, and after an exchange of singles between Tooreen midfielder Enda Kenny and Stephen Hoban, a free, it was Ballyhaunis who regained the lead at 0-5 to 1-1; an ingenious, telepathic-like pass by Pierce Higgins to his brother Keith created space for the latter to set up target-man Lyons who scored his second point of the game.

Despite scoring just twice to the five flags of Ballyhaunis, it was Tooreen who, at this point, were dominating possession and applying most of the pressure; the forwards, in particular, were making it extremely difficult for Ballyhaunis defenders to clear their lines, Shane Morley and Paul Hunt were excelling in the wing-back positions and Enda Kenny’s physicality around the middle third was telling.

Kenny Feeney, his shot blocked by Austin Lyons, and Alan Freeman, his pocket picked by Derek Walsh, both had Tooreen goals on their mind on 17 and 23 minutes, but of much bigger impact on the Blues’ position was their repeated failure to add distance or accuracy to many scoring attempts. By half-time they had struck seven wides to the three of Ballyhaunis and aside from their goal, a few other long distance frees by Adrian Freeman had dropped short.

Tooreen did, however, thanks to a Kenny Feeney brace, edge a point clear of the Black and Red a minute before the interval only for a 60 metre Keith Higgins free, awarded for a robust challenge by Kenneth Robinson on Pierce Higgins, to restore parity at 1-3 to 0-6.

Tactics had dictated that regular Tooreen attackers Adrian Freeman and Kenneth Robinson lined out at centre-back and full-back respectively, but the canny decision of Ballyhaunis management to move Keith Higgins to full-forward had Freeman follow his marker and so the second half started with the unusual sight of Mayo’s regular corner-forward and free-taker playing in the No. 3 position.

Freeman, converting a free from half-way, did nudge Tooreen ahead five minutes after the interval but the hosts were held scoreless for the next quarter hour during which time two goals and two points by Ballyhaunis effectively killed the game.

Stephen Hoban pulled to the net after Keith Higgins somehow offloaded under pressure from Freeman and ‘keeper Adrian Hession, and though Higgins, from frees, missed a number of other scoring chances, Ballyhaunis were 2-6 to 1-4 ahead before the turn of the quarter thanks to the hotly contested goal of Liam Lyons.

Tooreen were now playing second fiddle to the in tune Bally’ boys who were quick to leave behind the disappointment of having a second Lyons goal disallowed. Points by Keith Higgins, his first from play, and Hoban, a free, had Ballyhaunis double scores (2-8 to 1-4) ahead with just 13 minutes to play and so Tooreen searched for goals. Kenny Feeney blazed right to left across the posts and had a self-won, self-hit free blocked from 20 metres from which Adrian Freeman converted the resultant ‘65’.

Freeman himself, now thrown into the forwards, from a close range free and later when half-blocked by Derek Walsh to instead shoot tamely at the goalkeeper, also foraged for a major, but to no avail, and so Tooreen’s only response to another Higgins free was to pop over injury time points by Enda Kenny, his side’s first of the half from play, and Adrian Freeman, from a huge distance.

Ultimately, the absence of the latter and Kenneth Robinson from the attack - especially with Alan Freeman well held by Ballyhaunis captain Derek McConn - proved a burden too heavy for Tooreen to carry, useful though the duo were in defence. Kenny Feeney, scorer of two points, one of which was from a free, was Tooreen’s only forward to score. In contrast, four Ballyhaunis forwards scored from play and therein lied the difference.

SCORERS - Ballyhaunis: Stephen Hoban (0-2f) and Liam Lyons 1-2 each, Keith Higgins 0-4 (2f, 1 ’65), Niall Murphy 0-1. Tooreen: Adrian Freeman 1-3 (1-0f, 1f, 1 ’65), Kenny Feeney (1f) and Enda Feeney 0-2 each.

BALLYHAUNIS: Michael Walsh; Derek Walsh, Austin Lyons, Paul Lynch; Hugh McKermitt, Derek McConn (c), Paul McConn; Pierce Higgins, Tadgh Buckley; Fergal Walsh, Keith Higgins, Christopher McCrudden; Stephen Hoban, Liam Lyons, Niall Murphy. Subs: Brian Hunt (for McCrudden 39), Robert Freyne (for L Lyons 55), Liam McDermott (for Hoban 60+2).

TOOREEN: Adrian Hession; Sean Ganley, Kenneth Robinson, Conor English; Paul Hunt, Adrian Freeman (c), Shane Morley; Enda Kenny, Sean Markham; Michael Morley, Alan Freeman, Martin Devaney; Joey Ganley, Kenny Feeney, Michael Cunnane. Subs: Colm Mitchell (for English 45), Brian Delaney (for Cunnane 48), Pat Freyne (for J Ganley 58).

Referee: Aodhan Mac Suibhne (St Jude’s Dublin).

Main News Page | Previous Page