BALLINASCARTHY 0-17
KILBRITTAIN 1-11
GER McCARTHY REPORTS
THEY made hard work of it, but Ballinascarthy did enough to overcome a dogged Kilbrittain in Group 3 of the RCM Tarmacadam Carbery Junior A Hurling Championship at Castletownkenneigh on Saturday evening.
Brian O’Donovan’s nine-point haul, a crucial penalty save by Darragh Hennessy, and some resolute defending ensured Ballinascarthy got off the mark in this entertaining championship opener.
Some of the winners’ shooting was of the highest order, yet they still allowed a Kilbrittain side – who shot 12 wides and repeatedly wasted possession in the final third – back into a game that had looked done and dusted.
Ballinascarthy led by six points with five minutes remaining when Cian O’Leary was needlessly brought down in the square, and Kilbrittain were awarded a penalty. James Ahern stepped up, but his shot was saved by Hennessy. Bal broke quickly, working the ball upfield to O’Donovan, who coolly slotted over his ninth score of a superb individual display.
But there was late drama to come. At the opposite end, Ahern landed a free before Mark O’Shea pounced on a rare defensive lapse to lash the ball to the bottom corner. Suddenly, from seven down, Kilbrittain were just three behind.
Despite a few anxious moments and high balls dropped into their square, Ballinascarthy held firm. In truth, they deserved the win.
Earlier, Kilbrittain endured a disastrous start when captain Kevin O’Neill and Sean Dewey both went off injured within the opening two minutes. Bal took full advantage, settling quickly to lead 0-9 to 0-6 at the break.
Upping the tempo in the third quarter, Ballinascarthy extended their advantage to 0-16 to 0-10 by the 55th minute, thanks to excellent point-taking from O’Donovan and Eoin O’Driscoll.
Then came Ahern’s missed penalty and the swift counter-attack score from O’Donovan that appeared to seal it.
O’Shea’s late goal did set up a grandstand finale, but Ballinascarthy’s defence stood tall to secure a deserved three-point victory. They now face equally testing Group 3 ties against Clonakilty and Kilbree – the latter having edged Brewery Town in their opening game – setting up an intriguing run-in over the coming weeks.
OUR STAR: Ballinascarthy’s Brian O’Donovan remained accurate, despite the poor weather and slippery pitch conditions, finishing with nine points.
Scorers
Ballinascarthy: B O’Donovan 0-9 (7f); E O’Driscoll 0-4; C Cullinane 0-3; S Ryan 0-1.
Kilbrittain: J Ahern 0-5 (4f); K Hunt 0-3; M O’Shea 1-0; E Lyons (1f), S O’Sullivan, C Ustianowski 0-1 each.
Ballinascarthy: D Hennessy; P Cullinane, Chris Ryan, J O’Brien; D O’Driscoll, Ciarán Nyhan, A O’Donovan; Ciarán O’Neill, L Murray; Cillian O’Neill, S Ryan, E O’Driscoll; B O’Donovan, Cathal Nyhan, C Cullinane.
Subs: Cian Ryan for Cillian O’Neill (44), T Cullinane for Ciarán O’Neill (51, inj).
Kilbrittain: E McCarthy; C Kenny, J Murphy, A Griffin; I Burke, J O’Donovan, E Burke; S O’Sullivan, K O’Neill; P Brennan, K Hunt, M O’Shea; E Lyons, C Ustianowski, S Dewey.
Subs: J Ahern for K O’Neill (2, inj), G O’Shea for S Dewey (2, inj), C O’Leary for E Lyons (40).
Referee: Michael O’Leary (Dohenys).
