Hat-trick of goals leave Ballinrobe with too big a Hill to climb
An eleven-point haul by star forward Tom Lydon was not enough for Ballinrobe CS as they fell to defeat in Bekan against Summerhill College Sligo. Picture: Conor McKeown
The old adage that goals win games certainly rang true at a misty Bekan last Tuesday afternoon as three green flagged efforts by Summerhill helped propel the Sligo school into the semi-finals, whilst Ballinrobe were left to wonder at what might been.
Ballinrobe Community School have made tremendous progress in recent years and prior to throw-in the Robesiders were hoping to qualify for their third senior ‘A’ semi-final in five years.
The White and Blue were the quickest out of the blocks, with their talisman Tom Lydon slotting over an early free, but the Summerhill response after just two minutes was devastating. A raking delivery from the Summerhill midfield found the lurking Adam Feeney and the latter turned on a sixpence and guided home a cracking finish to the back of the net.
The embryonic stages of this tie were keenly contested, with the aforementioned Lydon keeping Ballinrobe on the coattails of the Yeats County outfit, with his two points, one free, matched by a brace of pointed frees by Summerhill’s Aaron Lang.
However, a well-taken pointed free from Summerhill’s Paul Flynn was the prelude to a second three-pointer for the Sligo outfit on 13 minutes. In what was one of the moves of the game, the dynamic duo of Marc Clifford and Feeney combined to tee-up Flynn and the latter finished with aplomb.
Summerhill were causing plenty of problems for the White and Blue defence, with a fine score by Feeney on 14 minutes stretching the Blue and Navy lead to seven points, 2-4 to 0-3.
However, a resolute Ballinrobe came storming back and a flurry of points from Lydon (four, two frees) and Robbie Hughes, reduced the once healthy Summerhill lead to just three points on 23 minutes, 2-5 to 0-8, with Lang’s close-range free a welcome respite for the Sligo boys. Incidentally, Lydon’s point from a near impossible and acute angle for Ballinrobe on 17 minutes was undoubtedly one of the scores of the joust.
If Summerhill were rattled then they didn’t show it and the Sligo side ended the half in a sprightly fashion, courtesy of three expertly taken frees by their ace marksman Aaron Lang, which helped muster a 2-8 to 0-9 half-time advantage for his team-mates, with Lydon’s free for Ballinrobe arriving just before the short whistle.
A resurgent Ballinrobe made an impressive start to the new period with a free from Lydon and a monstrous long-range point by Tiernan Egan, delighting their supporters. Summerhill tried to steady the ship and a tidy run and subsequent point from their midfielder Cian Nicolson was warmly greeted by the Sligo faithful.
A titanic battle appeared to be in the making, especially when singles by Ballinrobe’s Lydon (free) and Cian May, further eroded their opponents lead.
The Summerhill game plan then received a set-back, when Patrick Brady - who was already on a yellow card - picked up a black card on 46 minutes and subsequently received a red card from referee Dermot Lyons.
Ballinrobe’s Lydon then reduced the deficit to just a solitary point, 2-9 to 0-14, on 49 minutes, and the game was really in the melting pot.
It seemed that the momentum was with Ballinrobe but Summerhill had other ideas and when their substitute Callum Lynch found the back of the net on 51 minutes, it seemed to take the wind from the sails of the gallant Robesiders.
Summerhill then further stretched their lead courtesy of a brace of well-taken frees by Lang, before Ballinrobe’s Cian May and his opposite number Feeney struck over the final points of the joust.
The White and Blue did their level best to snatch a morale boosting goal during a frantic finale; however, the Summerhill rearguard remained watertight, with Ballinrobe’s Eoin O’Dea receiving a red card after the sounding of the full-time whistle.
