BALLYEA 1-16 WOLFE TONES  SHANNON 0-12

BALLYEA opened their defence – or judging by this, their pursuit – of the Clare Senior Hurling Championship in mature fashion with a seven-point win over Wolfe Tones in Cusack Park today.

Wolfe Tones proved to be dogged opposition, never allowing Ballyea to be more than a score ahead until the 51st minute when a trademark goal from the ever-outstanding Tony Kelly put Ballyea into a five-point lead. After that Ballyea were in total control, with Niall Deasy racking up the last four points of the day to see the game out.

It was a very solid team performance, with the defence exceptional throughout. Jack Browne nullified the threat of county teammate Aaron Shanagher, with Gearoid ‘Gudgie’ O’Connell picking up where he left off in Cusack Park and Thurles over the autumn and winter, sweeping in to double up on Shanagher and intercept a countless amount of ball.

In midfield, the tandem of Kelly and Stan Lineen were exceptional. Kelly finished with 1-4, while Lineen chipped in with two points from play, both from pin-point stick-passes from Kelly.

Upfront then, Damien Burke and Gary Brennan used their strength well to win ball and frees for the likes of Pat Joe Connolly and Niall Deasy to convert, while the likes of Pearse Lillis ensured Ballyea won the dirty ball and tackle count around the middle third.

The team and game took awhile to get going, mind. After 10 minutes there was still no score. More than once a Ballyea player was blocked or hooked trying to shoot at the posts while Wolfe Tones were getting shots off but invariably firing them wide. Aaron Shanagher finally opened the scoring with what would prove to be his only score from play, but it was instantly trumped by two quick scores from Tony Kelly.

Once he got into the game, he brought Ballyea into the game, exemplified by his assist for a Pat Joe Connolly point that gave Ballyea a 0-6 to 0-4 lead shortly before half-time.

However, another Shanagher free left just a point between the sides going into the dressing room, and a similar trend would continue after the resumption. Ballyea continued to offer up whatever fluent hurling was going, with Stan Lineen firing over the first point of the second half, followed by a remarkable bit of footwork and stickwork from Kelly for his fourth point from play. But frees and fouls were keeping Wolfe Tones in it. By 40 minutes there was only a point between the sides, even though all but one of Ballyea’s scores had come from play and all but two of Wolfe Tone’s scores had come from frees. In short, we were the side finding it easier to carve out a score from play but finding it much the harder to win a free.

That would change in the closing 20 minutes. Niall Deasy had gone into the game carrying a leg injury but the decision to start him and stick with him was more than justified. One play was particularly decisive; with only a point between the sides and Deasy with only one score to his name thus far, he would fire over a monstrous free 90 metres out over by the main stand. After that, well, as the famous song from the winter went, Deasy was on fire; by the game’s end, he would finish with seven points, including a point from play with the last puck of the game.

The most critical period in the game though occurred on 51 minutes. For the fourth time in the second half, Wolfe Tones had crept back to within a point of the county champions, courtesy of a fine point from range on the run by county panellist Aaron Cunningham. But then Damien Burke won a free for Deasy to tap over and from the resultant puckout the ball would make its way to Kelly who would cut through on goal to fire past Pa Freeman and give Ballyea a 1-12 to 0-10 lead.

Wolfe Tones would keep fighting, with Shanagher and Cunningham each getting off shots on goal, but each time they would be resisted by a Ballyea goalline and backline that gave off the impression of men determined not to yield an inch, let alone the Canon Hamilton.

BALLYEA: Kevin Sheehan; Joe Neylon, Jack Browne, Brian Carrig; Gearoid O’Connell, Paul Flanagan, James Murphy; Tony Kelly (1-4), Stan Lineen (0-2); Niall Deasy (0-7, 6 frees), Damien Burke, Pearse Lillis; Pat Joe Connolly (0-2), Gary Brennan (0-1), Martin O’Leary. Subs: Aonghus Keane for O’Leary (47 mins).

WOLFE TONES: Pa Freeman; Rory Hayes, Jamie Roughan, Dermot O’Rourke; Kevin Justice, Brian O’Connell, Barry Loughnane: Daithi O’Connell, Jack Cunningham; Aaron Cunningham (0-4, 1 free, 1 ’65), John Guilfoyle, Andy Shanagher; Sean Costelloe, Aaron Shanagher (0-8, 7 frees), Kevin McCafferty.

Referee: J Healy