Kilkenny SHL- Late Walsh free sees Mullinavat and Graigue Ballycallan draw

A last puck of the game free from John Walsh helped Mullinavat snatch a draw from the jaws of defeat against Graigue-Ballycallan in Callan on Sunday afternoon.

Walsh was the South Kilkenny side’s star turn on the day and while his two late frees were crucial, the former Kilkenny underage star’s fingerprints were all over the game after he scored an opening half goal.

Mullinavat will have been ecstatic to escape John Locke Park with a point but their opponents will be disgusted after they let a late three point lead slip and they may even question the four minutes of added time that were played at the end.

It was a scrappy game that nobody really took control of until points from Aaron McEvoy, Aaron Brennan and Billy Ryan gave Ballycallan what looked to be the lead advantage inside the final few minutes.

The ’Vat kept battling away and the point gained may prove vital come the end of the league in a fortnight’s time so credit must go to Colm O’Byrne’s side.

Walsh hit the opening two scores of the game for Mullinavat in a first quarter where they looked to be the better side with Jesse Roberts and Aaron Brennan also got on the scoreboard.

Ballycallan gradually got into the game through points from the industrious Tommy Ronan, Aaron McEvoy and Conor Murphy but in a game where goals were going to be at a premium, it was John Walsh who got the only one of the contest when blasting to the net in the 18th minute.

Instead of that being the catalyst to kick on, Ballycallan played the better hurling for the rest of the half and helped by five points on the bounce, they drew level by the break (1-7 to 0-10).

Despite Billy Ryan pointing his first point in the opening minute of the second period, it was a half that proved to be a real slowburner with only four scores in total up to the 48th minute.

Ballycallan then took the game by the scruff of the neck in the final few minutes with a trio of efforts from Billy Ryan, Aaron Brennan and Aaron McEvoy looking like it would give them a third league win.

And perhaps it really should have but they took their eye off the ball in the closing stages with an Adam Mansfield pointed effort getting the ball rolling before Walsh’s late heroics.

Teams and Scorers

Mullinavat - John Walsh (1-8, 0-4 frees, 0-2 65s); Oisin Knox (0-2); Joe Gahan, Adam Mansfield, Ger Malone (0-1 each).

Graigue Ballycallan - Aaron McEvoy (0-7, 0-6 frees, 0-1 65); Tommy Ronan (0-3); Billy Ryan (0-2); Billy O’Neill, Jesse Roberts, Aaron Brennan, Conor Murphy (0-1 each)

Mullinavat - Sean Fitzpatrick; Bill Dempsey, Tom Aylward, Robin Davis; Ian Duggan, Padraig Dempsey, George O’Connor; Adam Mansfield, Joe Gahan; Mick Malone, John Walsh, Conor Walsh; Oisin Knox, Ger Malone, Brian Phelan.

Subs: Liam Fennelly for Phelan, 41 mins; Willie O’Dwyer for C Walsh, 43 mins; Padraic Gahan for J Gahan, 48 mins.

Graigue Ballycallan - Jack Walton; Jeff Neary, Conor Flynn, Stephen Keoghan; Colum Prendiville, Tom Dunphy, Billy O’Neill; Sean Ryan, Aaron Brennan; Billy Ryan, Tommy Ronan, Ryan Corcoran; Conor Murphy, Jesse Roberts, Aaron McEvoy.

Subs: Ben Young for Murphy, 47 mins; Finn Lanigan for Prendiville, 58 mins.

Referee - Raymond Byrne (Glenmore)