Ballinrobe take one step closer to the Promised Land

Mayo IFC Semi-Final 

Ballinrobe 1-15 

Castlebar Mitchels ‘B’ 1-6 

A dominant Ballinrobe had too much in the tank for a doughty Castlebar Mitchels outfit on Sunday, booking their place in the county intermediate football final with consummate ease.

The glorious autumnal weather drew a large crowd to the picturesque venue and with the pitch in pristine condition; a keenly contested championship showdown was anticipated.

After an enthralling first-half, Ballinrobe held a healthy three point cushion.

However, the Maroon and Yellow really hit the turbo boost during the opening quarter of the new half and they torpedoed the Mitchels gameplan by notching 1-5, with a ten point deficit proving to be insurmountable for the gallant Red and Yellow warriors.

From the outset, Mitchels’ ‘B’ team was under immense pressure and Ballinrobe opened the scoring inside the first minute, courtesy of a terrific point from play by Darren McDonnell, who also struck over a free on four minutes.

Castlebar were struggling to halt the attacking forays of their opponents, but did receive some respite when the busy Ciaran Mylett opened their account after nine minutes, when he turned on a sixpence and bisected the posts.

Ballinrobe’s Kevin Quinn was in swashbuckling form and he very nearly garnered a three-pointer when his angled drive forced a fine save from Peter Basquille.

Liam Burke revelled in his playmaking role for Ballinrobe and his pin-point delivery was brilliantly plucked from the sky by Darren McDonnell who subsequently claimed and struck over a close-range mark.

Evan O’Brien, a free, and his Ballinrobe teammate Kevin Quinn, with an exquisite score from a most difficult angle, added singles on 14 and 18 minutes respectively, with Castlebar struggling to halt that early momentum.

Kevin Filan’s troops finally alleviated the pressure on 20 minutes, when Tomas Waldron pointed a magnificent long-range effort, and when Eoghan McHale added another white-flagged effort on 22 minutes, one wondered if Mitchels were about to kickstart a comeback and further erode the deficit.

Kevin Quinn was eager to maintain Ballinrobe’s healthy advantage though, and his gem of a point on 23 minutes ensured that the Red and Yellow were kept at arm’s length, with Ballinrobe 0-6 to 0-3 in front.

Mitchels were really let off the hook on 25 minutes, as a goal chance for Darren McDonnell was conjured up by the roving Liam Burke, but his thunderous close-range drive was heroically blocked by a combination of goalkeeper Basquille and his flailing Castlebar full-back line.

Burke was producing a vintage display and he arrowed over a superb long-range effort on 28 minutes, much to the delight of the vocal Ballinrobe supporters. But Mitchels ended the half on a positive note, and a well-taken point from their marauding centre-back John MacMonagle on the stroke of half-time left just three points between the sides at the break, as Ballinrobe led 0-7 to 0-4.

Three minutes into the new half, some tidy approach play by Ballinrobe yielded another score from Quinn and this kickstarted a fruitful period for the South Mayo side.

O’Brien was in sparkling form for the Robesiders and even though his free on 35 minutes was cancelled out by a Mark Duran reply on 40 minutes, one sensed that the pendulum was beginning to swing in favour of Ballinrobe.

A superb long-range free from Darren McDonnell was the prelude to a crucial three-pointer. A probing ball from Diarmuid Duffy was snaffled up by the energetic Joe Burke and the latter’s sumptuous finish was destined for the back of the net.

Castlebar regrouped and made a raft of changes, however, efforts from O’Brien, a free, and a scorcher of a point from Kevin Quinn, mustered an unassailable 10 points lead for Ballinrobe, 1-12 to 0-5, after 46 minutes.

A brave Castlebar huffed and puffed and managed to pull a goal back on 50 minutes, courtesy of the poaching Luke Ruddy when he bundled home Eamonn Tiernan’s scrambled pass.

Tiernan then struck over a free to reduce the deficit to six points, as the game entered its 52nd minute. However, Ballinrobe managed to up it a notch and a brace of frees from their dead-ball sniper McDonnell ended any notion of a late Mitchels rally.

Two minutes into second-half stoppage-time, Ballinrobe’s Evan O’Brien picked up a black card, but it mattered little in the end.

Ballinrobe substitute Cian O’Connell guided over a tidy effort to bring the curtain down on what was an impressive display by the Robesiders.

Scorers – Ballinrobe: Darren McDonnell 0-6 (4f, 1m), Kevin Quinn 0-4, Joe Burke 1-0, Evan O’Brien 0-3f, Liam Burke and Cian O’Connell 0-1 each.

Castlebar Mitchels: Luke Ruddy 1-0, John MacMonagle, Mark Duran, Tomas Waldron, Eoghan McHale, Ciaran Mylett and Eamonn Tiernan (f) 0-1 each.

Ballinrobe: Luke Jennings; Oran O’Malley, Aaron McDonnell, Evan Reaney; Diarmuid Duffy, Peter Butler, Sean Flannery; James Murphy, Eugene O’Malley; Liam Burke, Evan O’Brien, Ryan Corcoran; Joe Burke, Darren McDonnell, Kevin Quinn. Subs: Cian O’Connell (for Flannery 35), John Enda Flannelly (for L Burke 54), Owen Corcoran (for Corcoran 60+3).

Castlebar Mitchels ‘B’: Peter Basquille; Robbie Stakelum, Ray O’Malley, Padraic Waldron; Jack O’Reilly, John MacMonagle, Mark Duran; Emmet Murphy, Brendan Gaughan; David Conlon, Tomas Waldron, Eoghan McHale; Ciaran Mylett, Calum Kyne, Mark Towey. Subs: Luke Ruddy and Eamonn Tiernan (for Duran and Mylett 43), Conor Mulroy (for O’Malley 45), John Kennedy and Ben McHale (for Towey and T Waldron 49).

REF: John Glavey (Aghamore)