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Wednesday, July 16, 2008
GAA: Too’ by four as ‘Bud’ blasts Ballyhaunis By: Anthony Hennigan at Tooreen
Genfitt Cup Hurling Final TOOREEN 2-11 BALLYHAUNIS 1-10
OUTSCORING the visitors by a goal and three to a single point in the final seven minutes of play, Tooreen regained a lead they had previously lost to a 16th minute Christy McCrudden goal and hence secured the local bragging rights, thanks to victory in the Genfitt Cup Final last Saturday.
Full-time stalemate looked a distinct possibility when Tooreen attacker Enda Kenny struck an equalising point in the 60th minute, a score of which the legitimacy was hotly contested by Ballyhaunis. However, such controversy was rendered null and void when home full-forward Kenneth ‘Bud’ Robinson first drove over a point from the left wing two minutes into injury-time, and just seconds later, rattled home Tooreen’s second major with the very last puck of the game.
If Robinson, for his combativeness alone, was an inspiration, Stephen Lenehan was equally as influential in Tooreen’s no.3 position, with Shane Morley, Alan Freeman, Martin Devaney and Joey Ganley others to emerge as key contributors in the colours of the winners.
Already beaten by their opponents in both an earlier round of the competition and in this year’s championship, the result was an important one for the Blue and White, and represented the winning of their first adult title at the new club grounds. As per the rules, both teams lined out minus four county players each, yet that did nothing to reduce the competitiveness of the fixture, and up until the final score of the game, two points was the most that had separated the sides - aside from a two minute first half spell between the exchange of goals by John Crinnigan and Ballyhaunis wing-forward Christy McCrudden.
Two Joey Ganley points, from free and play, had Tooreen well settled by the time Jason Powers opened the account of the defending champions in the 13th minute, a fine puck from beyond 65 metres, however, Crinnigan’s green flag score just 60 seconds later had the locals 1-2 to 0-1 in front and cruising, the corner-forward matching his fetch of Fergal Delaney’s centre with an equally clinical finish past goalkeeper Brian Waldron.
The teams were level within two minutes thanks to a Brian Hunt point and a Christy McCrudden goal of which Paul McConn was the creator, a score totally avoidable on Tooreen’s behalf had they cleared their lines at the first time of asking. Ballyhaunis were now gaining some supremacy around the middle and with the resulting possession, engineered frees that Hunt, twice, and Derek McConn converted to push them 1-5 to 1-3 ahead by the 28th minute - Martin Devaney, from play, having increased the home score by one. By half-time though, the teams were level for a third time, with Tooreen’s Joey Ganley, like with the game’s first two points, scoring from placed ball and play.
With Jason Powers leading by example from centre-back, full-back Peter Healy involved in a titanic struggle with Kenneth Robinson and Derek McConn picking up much of the breaks around centre-field, Ballyhaunis had the better of the third-quarter. Three Paul McConn points, all from play, bettered the solitary Tooreen white flag in that period, from the stick of Robinson, however, that scoring pattern was reversed between the 48th and 58th minutes, with Devaney for Tooreen scoring three points (free, a 65 and from play) to the one of Ballyhaunis, from Brian Hunt’s free. It left the teams all-square with injury-time looming. Christy McCrudden and Enda Kenny swapped quick-fire points but when the former manufactured a free only for Derek McConn to uncharacteristically strike wide from 40 metres, Tooreen made full use of their reprieve. Kenneth Robinson’s monster puck off his left side sneaked the hosts in front and his goal, when cutting in from the right seconds later, decided the destination of the silverware.
SCORERS - Tooreen:
Kenneth Robinson 1-2, Martin Devaney (1f, 1 ’65), and Joey Ganley (3f) 0-4 each, Enda Kenny 0-1. Ballyhaunis: Christy McCrudden 1-1, Brian Hunt 0-4 (3f), Paul McConn 0-3, Derek McConn (f) and Jason Powers 0-1 each.
TOOREEN: Keith Jordan; Michael Morley, Stephen Lenehan, Paul Delaney; Conor English, Michael Cunnane, Sean Markem; Shane Morley, Alan Freeman; Martin Devaney, Enda Kenny, Joey Ganley; John Crinnigan, Kenneth Robinson, Fergal Delaney. Sub used: Darragh Markem (for Delaney 43).
BALLYHAUNIS: Brian Waldron; Derek Walsh, Peter Healy, Adrian Brennan; Austin Lyons, Jason Powers, Michael Regan; Paul Lynch, Tadgh Buckey; Christy McCrudden, Derek McConn, Paul McConn; Fergal Walsh, Liam Lyons, Brian Hunt.
