Extra-time heartbreak for Ballyhaunis warriors
Shane Clarke and his Ballyhaunis Community School teammates came out on the wrong side of an absolute epic All-Ireland PPS senior 'C' semi-final in Co Cavan on Saturday.
Mayo and Connacht champions Ballyhaunis Community School saw their All-Ireland hopes ended in a heartbreaking All-Ireland semi-final defeat to St Malachy’s High School Castlewellan, in Crosskeys last Saturday afternoon.
David Mitchell, David Delaney and Connor Freeley could not have asked for anything more from their group of young lions in what was an absorbing 80 minutes plus of football. Both teams left every ounce of energy on the field. Indeed, the Ulster champions were struggling to celebrate come the full-time whistle such was their exhaustion level.
Conditions were near perfect for this game of football in the secluded grounds. Such was the venue that a number of Ballyhaunis supporters only got into the ground at half-time. But they roared on their side and when it looked like St Malachys had Ballyhaunis beat, two Senan Guilfoyle deep in second half injury time sent us to extra time.
To the Down boys credit, they responded superbly and two Taidhg Ó Hanlon point late in the second period of extra time on would be the difference in the end.
Ballyhaunis flew out of the gates with three unanswered points by Derry Óg Cox, Daniel Hagney and Fionn Delaney. Eoghan Travers got St Malachys up and running before Conor Grogan kicked a superb score from a difficult angle to restore the three-point advantage on ten minutes.
Seconds later, the sides were level as Ó Hanlon’s misplaced kick was kept alive by Travers and he played in Odhrán McCann to palm it into the net. St Malachys began to dominate across the field but could not translate to scores, kicking three wides over the next 15 minutes and Grogan fired over a second point on 28 minutes to send Ballyhaunis into a 0-5 to 1-1 lead at the break.
Guilfoyle, who was subdued in the first half, got up and running with is first free on 34 minutes before Óg Cox missed two glorious chances on goal, the first soccer style going inches wide before a poor kickout by Callum Travers was pounced on by Grogan and played into Óg Cox but he dragged his shot wide.
Third time would be the charm for Ballyhaunis as Hagney’s long punt in was kept alive by Adam Kelly and he flicked it behind for Grogan to volley past Callum Travers.
St Malachys failed to raise a flag in the third quarter but quickfire score by Eoghan Travers, a mark, and James Savage reduced the deficit and they received a further boost when Senan Guilfoyle was sinbinned on 48 minutes. Mark Feeney pointed Ballyhaunis’s first score for almost eleven minutes when Sheá Baker was also shown a black card for an off the ball incident with Óg Cox.
Coming into the final five minutes of normal time, St Malachys hit four on the spin through two Travers frees, a stunner from Corey Trainor off the outside of the boot and a fisted effort from Ó Hanlon to put them two in front with three minutes of normal time left before Guilfoyle’s heroics sent it to extra-time.
The sides exchanged two points apiece in the first period through Guilfoyle, a free, and Feeney for Ballyhaunis and Eoghan Travers, a 45’, and Caolan Flanagan. Bodies and minds began to tire, as payers from both sets succumbed to cramp but O’Hanlon would send over another two scores, his first looked odds-on for more but was brilliant tipped over by Flynn.
Another Guilfoyle free reduced it back to two and the same man sent one in late for his teammates to find an elusive goal but St Malachys knocked it away. St Malachys will march on to the All-Ireland final on March 9. The journey for Ballyhaunis ended but they can hold their heads high.
