Holly-Carra give that bit extra in pursuit of South title
Hollymount-Carramore captain Rory Walsh and Player of the Match Aodh Murphy. Rory is holding the new PJ McGrath Cup which was presented to the South Mayo junior champions.
Hollymount-Carramore captured the South Mayo junior ‘A’ title after an enthralling battle with Davitts in Kilmaine on Friday night. It took extra-time to separate two very well matched teams and credit must go to both for providing great entertainment for the large attendance at the well-appointed grounds.
Hollymount-Carramore, playing with the assistance of the wind, got off to the perfect start, scoring a brilliant Kevin Feerick goal in the second minute, with a well-struck two-pointer from Barry Sheridan less than a minute later, and two JJ Connelly points in the fourth and fifth minutes to lead by seven points.
Davitts got off the mark in the seventh minute with a Jack Devane point and Dylan Burke added another soon afters, however, Hollymount-Carramore, with Padraig Feerick and Michael Sheridan dominating the midfield exchanges and winning most of the breaks in that area, shot three points, two from JJ Connelly and one from the very dangerous Kevin Feerick, to go eight ahead after only sixteen minutes.
Indiscipline wasn’t helping Davitts cause and on three occasions Hollymount-Carramore frees were moved from difficult positions to right in front of the posts, after Davitts players vented their frustrations with referee John Brennan’s decisions.
Davitts knuckled down and began to get on top at midfield and driven on by Patrick and Sean Keadin, Tadhg Feerick, Dylan Burke, Ronan Kelly and Sean Clarke, began to chip away at the Hollymount-Carramore lead. Points from Sean Keadin, Liam Kearns and Ronan Kelly between the 19th and 23rd minutes reduced the deficit, however, a Davitts goal finished by Jack Devane in the 21st minute was surprisingly disallowed for a square ball infringement, following a long discussion between the referee and his umpires.
Kevin Feerick had a neat point for Holly-Carra in the 24th minute but the first-half scoring was completed in the 28th minute when Ronan Kelly kicked over a fantastic free into the teeth of the wind for two points to leave Hollymount-Carramore ahead by 1-8 to 0-7 at the interval.
Davitts took control of the game for the first twenty minutes of the second-half. Corner-back Patrick Keadin pointed in the first minute after a great team move. Ronan Kelly also pointed in the 34th minute and while JJ Connelly cancelled that out with a 36th minute score, Kelly levelled the game with a fine two-pointer in the 37th minute and a single two minutes later.
Davitts took the lead for the first time in the match with another Ronan Kelly point in the 44th minute. The crafty Liam Kearns put them two up in the 48th minute and Hollymount-Carramore were reeling, but a Kevin Feerick point in the 50th minute and one from JJ Connelly two minutes later saw the sides all square again.
In those tense final minutes, a 55th minute Ronan Kelly point for Davitts was matched in the next minute by Ben Sheridan, an impressive Hollymount-Carramore sub, in what was the final score of normal time.
Hollymount-Carramore played against the wind in the first period of extra-time and they took the lead with an Aodh Murphy point in the third minute. They were defending well with Joe Lydon, Jason Kelly and Barry Sheridan very prominent. Ronan Kelly equalised in the eighth minute but Davitts were reduced to fourteen players just before half-time of extra-time following the dismissal of full-forward Stephen Nyland, a player who had been causing lots of anxious moments for the Hollymount-Carramore defence.
A 72nd minute Rob Molloy point put them ahead but Ronan Kelly shot the equaliser with five minutes remaining.
Three Hollymount-Carramore points in the last five minutes of extra-time, from Ben Sheridan, JJ Connelly and Kevin Feerick, put daylight between the sides, but in one final Davitts attack, Liam Kearns came within a whisker of equalising when his shot for goal in a crowded goalmouth crashed off the crossbar and away to safety. Hollymount-Carramore broke upfield and the move ended in a Finian Walsh point.
The final whistle blew seconds later as Hollmount Carramore, for whom Aodh Murphy had been excellent, became the first winners of the PJ McGrath Memorial Cup, which was presented to the winning captain, Rory Walsh, by PJ’s brother Joe.
Scorers – Hollymount-Carramore: JJ Connelly 0-0-7, Kevin Feerick 1-0-4, Barry Sheridan 0-1-0, Ben Sheridan 0-0-2, Robert Molloy, Aodh Murphy and Finian Walsh 0-0-1 each.
Davitts: Ronan Kelly 0-1-9, Liam Kearns 0-0-2, Dylan Burke, Sean Keadin, Jack Devane and Patrick Keadin 0-0-1 each.
Hollymount-Carramore: Rian Gilligan; Conor Geraghty, Joe Lydon, Jason Kelly; Barry Sheridan, Rory Walsh, Aodh Murphy; Padraig Feerick, Michael Sheridan; Conor Kelly, JJ Connelly, Finian Walsh; Kevin Feerick, Robert Molloy, Jamie Walsh. Subs used: Brian Maloney, Ben Sheridan, Johnny Walsh.
Davitts: Joe Prendergast; Patrick Keadin, Jordan Flanagan, Brian Birmingham; Tadhg Feerick, Sean Clarke, Sean Keadin; Dylan Burke, Ronan Kelly; Conor McDermott, Darragh McGale, Davey Hennessy; Liam Kearns, Stephen Nyland, Jack Devane. Subs used: Fionn McLoughlin, Fionn McTigue.
REF: John Brennan (Claremorris)
