Ballyhaunis cruise past the saints

Mayo SHC Semi-Final 

Ballyhaunis 2-26 

St Ciaran’s 0-11 

Stuart Tynan in Ballyhaunis 

Even without the likes of Jason Coyne, Keith Higgins, Eoghan Collins and Jack Coyne, Ballyhaunis sailed into the Mayo senior hurling championship final as they ran out 21-point winners over St Ciaran’s on Saturday evening.

It might be strange to say for a team that racked up 2-21, but Ballyhaunis were wasteful at times, guilty of going for it all when the better option would have been to just pop it between the posts.

While goals by Patrick Kiely and Shaun Morley were well taken, another half dozen chances went abegging, with St Ciaran’s goalkeeper Kevin Duffy pulling off some great saves. Ballyhaunis know that chances will not be as forthcoming in next month’s final against age-old rivals Tooreen, and that any opportunities that present themselves must be taken or else the TJ Tyrell Cup will remain in Adrian Freeman Park for another year.

Despite some regulars missing, it was another go-to man in Cormac Phillips, who finished with seven, who set the tone as he scored half of their eight points in the opening quarter, with Kieran McDermott, Brian Hunt, Patrick Kiely and Adrian Phillips sharing the rest. St Ciaran’s got two points in that opening period through Kealan Gallagher and Ronan Fallon, and it was Fallon who got their third but after threatening the St Ciaran’s goal for much of the start, it was Patrick Kiely who finally breached, and he tagged on a point shortly after.

Fallon completed his hattrick of first-half frees after Eoin Ryan got his name on the scoresheet, but Ballyhaunis would nail four of the next five scored through Sean Griffin, Kieran McDermott and county duo Michael Farrell and Cormac Phillips, as the hosts took a 1-15 to 0-5 lead into the break.

While the third quarter saw the contest lose a bit of intensity, the gulf in class was evident as Ballyhaunis scored the next five points without reply, Cormac Phillips with three of them while Farrell and Adrian Phillips also kept the scoreboard ticking.

St Ciaran’s did not register a point in the second-half until the 45th minute through Sean O’Donnell but that effort saw a response of 1-2 without reply. Ryan Kilbane and Luke Cribbin pointed before corner-back Shaun Morley scored a spectacular goal as he ran half the field before hitting a piledriver past Kevin Duffy on 48 minutes.

The visitors did outscore Ballyhaunis 0-5 to 0-3 in the final exchanges. Two points from Mark Jordan and one apiece from Kealan Gallagher, Sean O’Donnell and substitute Peter Murphy put St Ciaran’s into double figures for the evening, with Cormac Phillips, Farrell and Adrian Phillips responding for Ballyhaunis. Adrian Phillips’ score was the last action of the evening, as they now prepare for a showdown with Tooreen once again, looking to win a first senior title since 2020.

Scorers – Ballyhaunis: Cormac Phillips 0-7 (4f), Patrick Kiely 1-3, Shaun Morley 1-0, Adrian Phillips and Michael Farrell 0-3 each, Kieran McDermott, Luke Cribbin, Sean Griffin and Ryan Kilbane 0-2 each, Brian Hunt and Eoin Ryan 0-1 each.

St Ciaran’s: Ronan Fallon 0-3f, Kealan Gallagher, Sean O’Donnell and Mark Jordan 0-2 each, Michael Gallagher and Peter Murphy 0-1 each.

Ballyhaunis: Donal O’Brien; Adrian Brennan, Mar Phillips, Shaun Morley; Diarmuid Phillips, Daniel Hill, Luke Cribbin; Eoin Ryan, Brian Hunt; Patrick Kiely, Adrian Phillips, Sean Griffin; Michael Farrell, Cormac Phillips, Kieran McDermott. Subs: Stephen Hoban and Ryan Kilbane (for Griffin and Ryan 38), Sean Gildea (for Brennan 45), Joseph Flynn (for McDermott 49), Kevin Kilbride (for Farrell 53).

St Ciaran’s: Kevin Duffy; Shane McGahon, Niall Hurley, Chris Walsh; Ruairi Gallagher, Michael Gallagher, Brian Loughrey; Alan Ferguson, Jack Doocey; Mark Jordan, Ronan Fallon, Sean O’Donnell; James Gallagher, Adam Walsh, Kealan Gallagher. Subs: Matthew Walsh (for Ferguson 24), Peter Murphy (A Walsh 38).

REF: James Judge (Tooreen)