Four-goal Ben blasts Westport to league crown
Ben Holmes, who scored four of Westport's five goals, is watched closely by his Mayo U17 teammate of this year, Declan Duffy of Ballaghaderreen-Kilmovee. Picture: Kim Robertson
The class of Westport was on full show last Saturday as they put Ballaghaderreen-Kilmovee to the sword to win the U17 Division 1 League title.
Ben Holmes, who was named in the All-Ireland Minor Team of the Year earlier in the summer, showed his credentials once again with a four-goal haul while the O’Cinnseala brothers Fionn and Fiachra combined for seven points. Ballaghaderreen-Kilmovee battled bravely throughout but they had no answer to the class of the Coveys.
By the end of the first quarter, the signs were already worrying for the East Mayo amalgamation. They trailed 0-6 to 0-2, which included a lovely two-point effort from Conan Reilly, as the westerners were cutting through the Ballagh’-Kilmovee backline almost at will.
That gap remained at four on 24 minutes as a point each from Fiachra and Fionn O’Cinnseala matched a pair from Ryan O’Sullivan.
A goal was always coming and it arrived on 27 minutes. Quick hands between Fiachra O’Cinnseala and Ben Holmes saw the latter have a shot on goal which was tipped onto the crossbar by Noel Regan. The ball bounced into the path of Oisin Wallace and he fizzed his effort into the bottom corner.
The gap would stay at seven at the break, 1-10 to 0-6, as a pair of singles by Fiachra O’Cinnseala were cancelled out by an Oran Frain two-point free on the stroke of half-time, but Westport were in full control of this contest.
The Westport scoring machine dried up for much of the third quarter, as they were more eager to pilfer a second goal in instead of keeping the scoreboard operator busy with points. But Ballagh’-Kilmovee could only muster two points in this period through James Puncheon and Ryan O’Sullivan, and any faint hopes were extinguished before the end of the third quarter when Fionn O’Cinnseala’s long ball in was palmed into the net by Ben Holmes for the first of his majors.
It was academic from here, but Westport were in no mood to relent. Darragh Reynolds fisted over, Fionn O’Cinnseala nailed a two-pointer of his own, and his brother Fiachra then set up Holmes for a second goal – and Westport’s third – on 50 minutes.
Two Oran Frain frees and a point from Sean Buckley were the final scores for Ballaghaderreen-Kilmovee, but Holmes was the man of the hour. He completed his hat-trick in a near identical finish to his first, with Dara Dawson supplying the pass on this occasion, before substitute Cian O’Grady turned provider for Holmes to net a fourth late on as Westport sauntered to a county title.
On this evidence, they will fancy a crack at Connacht too.
Scorers – Westport: Ben Holmes 4-0-1 Fiachra O’Cinnseala 0-0-4, Fionn O’Cinnseala 0-1-2, Oisin Wallace 1-0-0, Conan Reilly 0-1-0, Dara Dawson and Darragh Reynolds 0-0-1 each.
Ballaghaderreen-Kilmovee: Oran Frain 0-1-3 (1tpf, 4f), Ryan O’Sullivan 0-0-3, Nathaniel Cooney, James Puncheon and Sean Buckley 0-0-1 each.
Westport: Thomas Williams; Stephen Heraty, Jamie O’Toole, Aiden Murphy; Matthew Scahill, Mattie McLaughlin, Darragh Reynolds; Aodhan Gavin, Ross O’Connor; Fionn O’Cinnseala, Dara Dawson, Conan Reilly; Oisin Wallace, Ben Holmes, Fiachra O’Cinnseala. Subs: Liam Marshall (for Murphy 45), Tom Holmes (for Heraty 47), Darragh Malone and Matthew O’Malley (for Reynolds and Wallace 54), Cian O’Grady (for Fiachra O’Cinnseala 55).
Ballaghaderreen-Kilmovee: Noel Regan; Finian Malone, Uneeb All Faraazi, Oran Duffy; Matthew Naughton, Declan Duffy, Harry Dooney; Sean Buckley, Ronan Coleman; Patrick Regan, Oran Frain, James Puncheon; Cathal Moriarty, Nathaniel Cooney, Ryan O’Sullivan. Subs: Callum Treadgold (for All Faraazi 1), Conor Duffy (for Naughton 56), Oisin Waldron (for O Duffy 59).
REF: Vincent Neary (Bonniconlon)
