No separating Lavey and Ballinascreen at Owenbeg

Lavey 1-15

Ballinascreen 1-15

An injury time free from Paul Cleary saved Ballinascreen from successive defeats while preventing Lavey from picking up their first win in a game of tight margins at Owenbeg on Saturday.

There were never more than two points between the sides on Saturday, but it was Ballinascreen who took the early initiative. Ryan McGill had given Lavey the early lead, but three successive scores in reply put ‘Screen 0-1, 0-3 ahead, with Eamon Conway, Kealy and a Cleary free all getting off the mark.

Crucially, a number of ‘Screen wides then followed, and their inability to take a number of chances which came their way ultimately cost them given how the game was to pan out. Ryan Mulholland showed how it was done at the other end and three successive frees from Bradley had Lavey 0-5, 0-3 up when they should have been further behind. The momentum was now with them.

But momentum couldn’t find its home with either time, and ‘Screen came right back into it, James McDaid and Cleary levelling at 0-5 each. And the story of the first half began to take shape. 

They stayed level until the final minute of normal time when a great score from Melaugh looked like sending Lavey in a single score ahead at the break.

But injury time brought a new twist as Ballinascreen were awarded a penalty for a foul on Conway and Cleary made no mistake to send his team in two ahead.

Half Time 0-8, 1-7

The Lavey fightback was impressive as they scored five of the first six points of the second half to turn the game on its head once again. Bradley’s fifth successive free was followed by a score from Cormac Collins and when Aimon Duffin found the net on 39 minutes, the tables had been turned completely with Lavey now leading 1-10, 1-8.

But again, a two-point margin was a limit which didn’t last long, and ‘Screen overcame the disappointment of that slow start to level through McSorley and substitute Conor Murtagh’s first involvement.

Bradley to Gough, McSorley to Duffin, Bradley to Cleary and Melaugh to Kealey – the sides traded scores throughout the final 15 minutes, and never, at any stage, did any side look like breaking clear in the scoring stages to win this game.

That spectacular point from Melaugh was a release of tension if anything with both teams well aware of how important each late point was, but it was a premature celebration as Ballinascreen, as they had proven time and time again throughout the game, still had plenty in the tank.

Bradley, so impressive throughout for Lavey looked to have then won it for Lavey in added time, but in the very next attack and with literally seconds left, ‘Screen were awarded a free, from which Cleary was never likely to miss.

That free was the final action of an absorbing game, but it perhaps Ballinascreen who will be happier heading into the next round of games, with the point at least getting them off the mark.

Scorers

Lavey: Ryan Mulholland (0-1), 7 Aimon Duffin (1-1), Fintan Bradley (0-8, 7f), Cormac Collins (0-1), Ryan McGill (0-1), 14 Sedgee Melaugh (0-3).

Ballinascreen: Cormac Gough (0-1), James McDaid (0-1), 10 Paul Cleary (1-5, 4f), Reece McSorley (0-3), 12 Eamon Conway (0-2), Ben Kealey (0-2), Conor Murtagh (0-1).

Teams

Lavey: Eoin Mulholland, Darragh Young, Brendan Laverty, John McGurk, Aidan Toner, Ryan Mulholland (0-1), Aimon Duffin (1-1), Charlie Curley, Fintan Bradley (0-8, 7f), Ryan Farren, Cormac Collins (0-1), Jack Shaw, Ryan McGill (0-1), Sedgee Melaugh (0-3), Thomas Lynch.

Subs: Sean Toner for Darragh Young 14’, Raymond Duggan for Jack Shaw 41’, Dominic Duggan for Ryan McGill 46’, Michael Taggart for Thomas Lynch 59’,

Yellow: Fintan Bradley 58’,

Ballinascreen: Deirig McDaid, Andy McBride, Jamie-Lee McGlade, Eoin McCallion, Cormac Gough (0-1), Ruairi McWilliams, Ciaran Doyle, Aaron Kelly, James McDaid (0-1), Paul Cleary (1-5, 4f), Reece McSorley (0-3), Eamon Conway (0-2), Dean Flanaghan, Niall Doyle, Ben Kealey (0-2).

Subs: Ciaran McBride for Eoin McCallion 16’, Ruairi McWilliams for James McDaid 40’, Conor Murtagh (0-1) for Jamie-Lee McGlade 44’, Caolan Connery for Eamon Conway 59’,

Yellow: Reece McSorley 50’

Referee: Eamon Hassan.