King points the way as Rathdowney-Errill defeat County champions Clough-Ballacolla

Rathdowney-Errill made a flying start to this year’s championship with a four-point victory over county champions Clough-Ballacolla. 

Ross King starred in the forwards as he racked up 12 points in total, five of which coming from play in a great performance. 

RATHDOWNEY-ERRILL 0-21 

CLOUGH-BALLACOLLA 2-11

The first half didn’t light up the crowd in O’Moore Park as neither side could find their stride and there were frees aplenty, nine of the 15 scores in the opening half came from dead balls. 

Rathdowney-Errill had the upper hand throughout the first half and led by three at the break. A goal for Clough-Ballacolla early in the second half spurred the game into life and they went on to take a three point lead before being pegged back by a King led Rathdowney-Errill. 

Rathdowney-Errill had the edge early on and Ross King fired them into a two-point lead after four minutes, with one from play to open things up and he followed from a free. 

Clough-Ballacolla’s account was opened by Stephen Maher with a free on five minutes, but King was quick to reply with a free of his own. 

Cillian Dunne showed how dangerous he can be with two points in 30 seconds to level the game for Clough-Ballacolla, but they were being made to work hard for their scores by a dogged Rathdowney-Errill backline. 

Jack Kelly impressed in midfield and he launched over a point from distance after reading a Clough-Ballacolla puckout to perfection. Maher replied to level the game from a free. 

Rathdowney-Errill upped their game midway through the half with some impressively direct attacking play and King benefitted by notching up three points from frees. 

King added another to put his side four ahead, this time from play from a tight angle. 

Clough-Ballacolla’s nine minute drought was ended when Stephen Maher won a free and stuck it over, then repeated the process a minute late to put two between the sides. 

There was just one point in the final 10 minutes of a drab first half and that went the way of Rathdowney-Errill when Jack Kelly was on target again from way out the field and they led 0-9 to 0-6 at half-time, despite a late prolonged attack from Clough-Ballacolla that came to nothing. 

The second half was given an immediate injection of life when Cormac Hogan hit a long ball on top of Ben Campion and the ball found its way over the line for a goal for Clough-Ballacolla. 

Brandon McGinley pointed in response for Rathdowney-Errill, but Clough-Ballacolla would go on to raise four white flags in a row through two Maher frees and two tidy efforts from Lee Cleere and Mark Hennessy. 

After a slow start to the second half Rathdowney-Errill got the bit between their teeth and levelled the game within two minutes with points from King, Eric Killeen and McGinley. 

They didn’t stop there as sub Mark Kavanagh pointed with his first touch and added another after scores from King and McGinley. King completed the spree for Rathdowney-Errill with a point from a free, their seventh to no reply and they led by four with 10 minutes left. 

Maher got Clough-Ballacolla’s first score in eight minutes with a free, only for King to hit back within seconds and Rathdowney-Errill were in serious command. 

King struck one from play on the 65 before adding another free just moments later. He capped off a fantastic performance with the score of the night, an effort from play out on the sideline after winning back possession on the 45. 

Clough-Ballacolla trailed by seven in injury time, they were given a glimmer of hope when Sean Corby received the ball on the 14 and lashed it into the net, but that would prove to be the final score despite their best efforts deep into injury time.