Ballingarry rally late on to somehow trump Kickhams in exciting last eight clash

FBD Insurance Intermediate Hurling Championship Quarter-Final

Ballingarry 4-15

Knockavilla Kickhams 3-17

This game turned out to be one of the most entertaining games of the quarter-final weekend in Tipperary as Ballingarry rallied late on to pip Knockavilla Kickhams at the death in a fiercely contested Intermediate Hurling last eight clash on Saturday in Leahy Park, Cashel.

When Kickhams scored their third goal in the 47th minute through Davy Butler, it put the West club into a commanding and irreversible-looking lead of 3-14 to 1-13 after playing the better hurling for three-quarters of the game as Ballingarry struggled to convert their chances.

Enormous kudos must be given to the Ballingarry players on the day as they managed to turn the tide in the final ten minutes, with substitute Patrick Burns changing the game for the South champions with two brilliantly finished goals in his 15 minutes on the pitch as Kickhams just ran out of gas in a quality effort to upset the odds.

Dylan Walsh was once again the man to take up the mantle in the second half for Ballingarry after an unusually quiet first half from the former Tipp underage hurler that saw his influence curbed greatly.

Walsh burst into life in crunch time in the last quarter with his goal in the 48th minute crucial to keeping his team in the game, coming just 60 seconds after Daby Butler’s second goal had Kickhams in control.

He was key in both the Patrick Burns goals too, along with what turned out to be the clinching score from substitute Aidan Ryan late on that confirmed Ballingarry’s place in the last four of this year’s FBD Insurance Intermediate Hurling Championship.

Kickhams will be distraught to have come up short in this one, having started the game so well and had led from the fourth minute until the 59th minute, and they got off to a great start playing against the breeze in the first half.

Thomas Welton and Ben Ryan traded the first two points of the game before a poor puck out from Paidí Maher was cut out by Wally O’Carroll and when he fed Ben Ryan clean through on goal, the Ballingarry cover had to bring him down. Penalty.

Eoin Horgan performed the honours and buried the penalty to the bottom corner and that gave them the early gee up.

They maintained that three points lead for much of the remainder of the first half with the more accurate shooters wearing black and yellow as Ballingarry were largely wasteful with their chances, however, they were denied a goal by Eoin Horgan’s smart save in the 10th minute after a Dylan Walsh strike.

Ben Ivors hit three fine points up top for the South club as he was the only forward to hit any sort of rhythm in the half, with Dylan Walsh scoring five frees along with a Ger Fennelly effort.

Kickhams converted their chances well with Cormac Carr (2), Wally O’Carroll, Lorcan Carr, and Ben Ryan all on target along with a few Stephen Browne frees giving them a 1-10 to 0-10 lead at half-time with the wind in their favour.

Cormac Carr got the second-half scoring going with his third of the day within 90 seconds and Dylan Walsh finally got into the game soon after, setting off on a powerful run to set up a perfectly finished goal for James Burns who busted a lung to get in behind the Kickhams rearguard. The game was on now with Kickhams ahead 1-12 to 1-10.

Jamie Duncan took the wind out of the sails with his first of the day soon after, but they well and truly cancelled out that Ballingarry goal - coming fortuitously - when a tame enough Ben Ryan effort at goal was fumbled poorly by Paidí Maher in the Ballingarry goal to gift wrap three points to the Kickhams in the 35th minute.

That was far from a decisive blow with plenty of the second half to come, and Balligarry slowly grew into the game with Walsh hitting two points along with a second from Ger Fennelly to bring the gap back to a manageable three points with the final quarter to come.

Wally O’Carroll fizzed over his second point in the 46th minute before Kickhams stretched for home when they nestled their third goal to the back of the Ballingarry net; Ben Ryan with a beautiful low finish after a long ball downfield. Ballingarry now trailing 3-14 to 1-13.

It looked like the Ballingarry goose was cooked now after that hammer blow but the heads never dropped and substitutions made a huge difference for them, and the game was back on very quickly after the Ryan goal when Dylan Walsh produced a class moment of quality to show deadly pace and fire an unstoppable shot past Eoin Horgan in the 48th minute. There was still hope for the Southerners.

Michael Ivors was denied a third goal for his side from another class Eoin Horgan save after he fumbled a high ball on the crossbar, but it would turn out to be a short stay of execution with Paddy Burns finding the net four minutes later after a set up from Dylan Walsh; there was now just two in it at 3-15 to 3-13 with six minutes left.

Kickhams responded exceptionally well and hit two points in a row a minute after that goal through Adam Daly and Stephen Browne, but the play was following Ballingarry now, and after a Dylan Walsh free brought it back to two points, Paddy Burns’ second goal in the 59th minute put them ahead and looking like pulling off a great escape.

Dylan Walsh set up Aidan Ryan for a massive score in added time to give them a two-point blanket but there were still late nerves as Kickhams had it back to one point through a Stephen Browne free, but the Ballingarry rearguard held out with the last play afterward. Ballingarry into the final four after showing a lot of resilience and character.

Ballingarry: Paidí Maher; Ger Ryan, Paul Butler, Mikie McGrath; James Burns (1-0), Jack Fennelly, Declan Hayes; Thomas Welton (0-1), Eamon Corcoran; Dylan Walsh (1-8, 0-5f, 0-1 65), Michael Ivors, Conor Vaughan; Ben Ivors (0-3), Ger Fennelly (0-2), Sean Doheny.

Subs used: Paddy Ivors for Doheny (24); Simon Blackmore for Corcoran (HT); Patrick Burns (2-0) for G Fennelly (43); Aidan Ryan (0-1) for Vaughan (40); Michael Ryan for McGrath (52).

Knockavilla Kickhams: Eoin Horgan (1-0 pen); Eddie Daly, Ben Loughman, Aidan Duggan; Shane Buckley, Lorcan Carr (0-1), Barry McCarthy; Jamie Duncan (0-1), Paudie Slattery (0-1); Wally O’Carroll (0-2), Adam Daly (0-1), Stephen Browne (0-5, 0-4f); Davy Butler (2-1), Cormac Carr (0-3), Ben Ryan (0-2).

Subs used: Joe Fitzgerald for E Daly (18, inj); Eoin McCormack for Duggan (36); Conor Farrell for Loughman (37); Paudie O’Carroll for Ryan (50); Elliott Thompson for Butler (52).

Referee: Sean Lonergan (Moyle Rovers)