Stephenites win Sweeney but Rovers take them all the way

North Mayo Sweeney Cup Senior Final 

Ballina Stephenites 1-16 

Crossmolina 1-14 

(AET, 1-13 to 1-13 after normal time) 

Stuart Tynan in James Stephens Park 

Ballina Stephenites showed why they are reigning Mayo senior club champions as they dug deep to edge out Crossmolina Deel Rovers and win the Sweeney Cup despite playing for over 45 minutes with fourteen players.

It looked like that the Stephenites would eventually fall to their neighbours after Kevin Newell was sent off four minutes into the second-half. They were leading by five points at that stage but Crossmolina managed to get back level through James Maheady’s goal with eight minutes of normal time remaining.

Fionan Duffy and Maheady both pointed to see the Maroon and White lead by two coming into stoppage time but a pair of frees by Evan Regan saw Ballina restore parity and bring the game to extra-time.

Crossmolina were rocked and although both sides began to tire, the resilience of Stephenites saw them over the line as they outscored their North Mayo rivals 0-3 to 0-1 across the two extra periods to claim more silverware.

Mikey Murray was excellent for the hosts and he fired over the first point of this final, followed by one off the left boot of Luke Feeney.

James Maheady opened up Crossmolina’s account on five minutes but Ballina would hit back instantly with a major after Feeney flicked home from outside the square when rising highest to meet Murray’s pinpoint pass.

Ballina would score three of the next four points through another two Murray efforts from play and Regan’s first free, with Patrick Leddy kicking Crossmolina’s only response, to make it 1-5 to 0-2 with 20 minutes played. The senior champions would score only one more point in the half through Luke Jordan as Crossmolina responded with two of their own through Leddy and Duffy as the Stephenites took a 1-6 to 0-4 lead into the interval.

Fionan Duffy and Ben Thornton traded points before Newell, who picked up his first yellow card just before half-time, was shown a second for a poor challenge on Darragh Syron. Both teams exchanged three points apiece before Crossmolina reduced their arrears to three by scoring three of the next four points, two more coming from Duffy who was finding his range from anywhere inside the 45 metre line.

But knew they needed a goal at this stage to pull level and they did just that on 52 minutes after a breakaway move. The Stephenites defence could not catch Niall Coggins and he played in Maheady who hit a low shot past David Clarke into the net.

It was one-way traffic now and with the aid of the breeze, Fionan Duffy’s free from 50 metres and another point for Maheady looked to have won it for Crossmolina. Regan, however, would hit two nerveless frees after fluffing one moments before, to take it to extra-time.

A Luke Feeney point and Regan’s seventh free put Ballina two ahead, leaving Crossmolina to go for broke. Patrick Leddy and James Maheady saw goal chances blocked by last ditch Ballina defending but Duffy pointed again from a free to make it a one-point game going into the second period of extra-time.

Kevin Mulhern would then hit the post for Crossmolina and their race was run late on when Matthew Leonard got the insurance score for Ballina with two minutes remaining.

Scorers – Ballina Stephenites: Evan Regan 0-6f, Luke Feeney 1-2, Mikey Murray 0-4, Luke Jordan, Ben Thornton, Ciaran Boland and Matthew Leonard 0-1 each.

Crossmolina: Fionan Duffy 0-7 (4f), James Maheady 1-2, Patrick Leddy 0-3, Diarmaid Walsh 0-2f.

Ballina Stephenites: David Clarke; Stephen Mullins, Luca Duggan, James Doherty; Ciaran Boland, David Tighe, Thomas Doherty; Luke Jordan, Mikey Murray; Ben Thornton, Kevin Newell, Rory Mirrin; Evan Regan, Luke Feeney, Thomas Leonard. Subs: Sean Fitzpatrick (for T Leonard 43); David O’Mahoney (for Duggan 48); Dylan Neary (for Morrin 54); Aodán McCann (for Neary 58); Matthew Leonard (for Thornton 60); R Morrin (for Boland 70); B Thornton (for Jordan 76).

Crossmolina: JP Mulhern; Ferghal Duffy, Matthew Gordetsky; Diarmaid Fox; Aaron Coggins, Naill Maughan, Barry Murphy; Darragh Syron, Michael Loftus; James Maheady, Fionan Duffy, Niall Coggins; Kevin Mulhern, Patrick Leddy, Diarmaid Walsh. Subs: David Howley (for Murphy 22); Edward Gough (for Walsh 58); Conor Cadden (for Maughan 68); Liam Connor (for Duffy 73).

REF: Sean Tolan (Bonniconlon)