County Champions Clough-Ballacolla dig deep to deny brave Ballinakill after extra-time

Clough-Ballacolla are into their second consecutive Laois Shopping Centre Senior Hurling Championship final, but it wasn't without a big scare as Ballinakill pushed them all the way with extra-time needed to separate the sides in Sunday's semi-final.

Ballinakill will feel like it's an opportunity missed with the amount of wides they hit and the number of times that they landed the ball into the hand of Clough-Ballacolla goalkeeper Cathal Dunne.

The reigning champions were nowhere near their best and were the makers of their downfall with several wides of their own. They won't mind too much as they've a County Final to prepare for on Sunday, October 19.

Ballinakill set a good early tempo as they raised the first two white flags of Sunday's contest. Cha Dwyer pointed a free while Ben O'Mara split the posts from play. The reigning champions began to find their feet as they replied with four scores of their own without reply. Jordan Walshe and Stephen Bergin, before a superb dispossession from Willie Dunphy, led to him scoring a brilliant point from the sideline.

Then came the game's first goal as Aidan Corby played a great ball into Cillian Dunne, who turned his marker and took a shot on goal. Paul Simms saved Dunne's initial shot, but Dunphy was on hand to fire home the rebound. Cha Dwyer got a point back for Ballinakill from a placed ball with Diarmuid Conway going on a great run and replying down the Town end of Laois Hire O'Moore Park.

Clough-Ballacolla's lead would soon be cut to a single point as Ballinakill raised three white flags on the trot, all from play. Ryan Quinlan, Sean Downey and Ethan Drury were the point scorers with the score at 1-4 to 0-6 after 13 minutes. Two minutes later, Clough-Ballacolla got in for a second goal as Mark Hennessy's deft flick set Bergin in on goal, and he made no mistake as he fired the ball into the top corner of Simms' net.

The next four scores were traded as Bergin pointed from play and a 65', while Brian Duggan and Cha Dwyer (free) split the posts for Ballinakill. In the middle of those four scores, Simms made a great save to deny Aidan Corby a goal. Clough-Ballacolla pushed the gap to six points when Bergin pointed two frees and Cillian Dunne got a score from play. 

Ballinakill finished the half with the last four scores. Ben O'Mara pointed for the second time while Cha Dwyer put two frees between the posts. Seamus Fitzpatrick almost had a goal, but saw his effort cannon back off the crossbar. Brian Duggan pointed in stoppage time to send his side into the break down by two points, 2-9 to 0-13. Both sides ended the half with more wides than they would have liked, with eight wides apiece.

The deficit was cut to one almost immediately after the restart, as Duggan's shot was saved over the bar by Cathal Dunne. Two frees from Bergin were matched by Cha Dwyer's first two points from play before Seamus Fitzpatrick put Ballinakill ahead with two points in as many minutes. Willie Dunphy also had a great goal chance for Clough-Ballacolla, but Simms saved his effort onto the crossbar.

Bergin levelled matters again with 13 minutes to play as he pointed a free from his own 65. Downey got his second point from midfield to push them in front again, but Clough-Ballacolla pushed on and got two more scores from Bergin frees. Cha Dwyer's free in the 54th minute levelled the game yet again, and it would also prove to be the final score of normal time. Clough-Ballacolla did have the ball in the net for a third time when Cillian Dunne scored, but referee Patrick Phelan blew his whistle due to Dunne overcarrying the ball. Both sides had their chances to win the game in normal time, but neither side could raise a flag of any colour to take the victory as the game headed for extra-time with the score at 2-14 to 0-20.

Aidan Corby's first point of the day was the score to push Clough-Ballacolla in front at the start of extra-time. A minute later, Mark Hennessy set up Cillian Dunne to blast the ball past Simms and put the county champions ahead by four. Cha Dwyer replied with a free before Cillian Dunne and Padraigh Brennan raised white flags for Willie Hyland's side. Ballinakill had a great goal chance when Cha Dwyer's sideline found Jamie Drury, but his goal-bound effort was blocked by Eoin Doyle. Gearoid Lynch pointed late in the first period of extra-time as Clough-Ballacolla led 3-17 to 0-22 at the interval.

The second period of extra-time began with a free from Cha Dwyer, but Clough-Ballacolla took the game by the scruff of the neck and finished the contest with six points to win by nine in the end, five of those coming from the hurl of Cillian Dunne and the other from Kevin Mulhall. 

FINAL SCORE

Clough-Ballacolla 3-23

Ballinakill 0-23

(After Extra-Time)

SCORERS-- Clough-Ballacolla: Stephen Bergin 1-10 (0-7 frees, 0-1 65), Cillian Dunne 1-8 (0-3 frees), Willie Dunphy 1-1, Kevin Mulhall, Aidan Corby, Jordan Walshe and Diarmaid Conway 0-1 each. Ballinakill: Cha Dwyer 0-11 (0-10 frees), Brian Duggan 0-3, Seamus Fitzpatrick, Ben O’Mara, and Sean Downey 0-2 each, Ryan Quinlan, Ethan Drury, and Gearoid Lynch 0-1 each.

CLOUGH-BALLACOLLA: Cathal Dunne; Diarmaid Conway, Darren Maher, Joseph Pearson; Cormac Hogan, Lee Cleere, Brian Corby; Aidan Corby, Kevin Mulhall; Mark Hennessy, Jordan Walshe, Joe Corby; Cillian Dunne, Willie Dunphy, Stephen Bergin. Subs: Lochlainn Conway for Cleere and Eoin Doyle for J Corby (Both HT), Padraigh Brennan for B Corby (43 mins), Kevin Hyland for Bergin (HT, ET), Sean Corby for Hennessy (76 mins, ET), Brian Corby for Dunphy (78 mins, ET)

BALLINAKILL: Paul Simms; Lir McDonald, Ian Shanahan, Andrew McDonagh; Cian O'Shaughnessy, Gearoid Lynch, Podge Lawlor; Cha Dwyer, Sean Downey; Ben O'Mara, Seamus Fitzpatrick, Ethan Drury; Brian Duggan, Eddie Dwyer, Ryan Quinlan. Subs: Cathal O'Shaughnessy for McDonagh (54 mins), Jamie Drury for Quinlan (60 mins), Dylan Byrne Gray for O'Mara (HT, ET), Eoin Simms for McDonald (76 mins, ET)

Referee: Patrick Phelan (Castletown)