Ballinagh 0-23
Butlersbridge 0-11

Ballinagh produced the second-half goods to down Butlersbridge in this evening’s intermediate championship final at Kingspan Breffni.

Niall McDermott landed a dozen points for the winners as they blew their opponents away after the turnaround, outscoring them by 0-14 to 0-3.

The Bridge had led by four points 20 minutes into this decider, after having made a lively start through county man Caoimhin O’Reilly, but couldn’t hang on to their lead at the break as Ballinagh caught fire.

McDermott hit the first two points of the resumption and from there they didn’t look back, recording the 12-point triumph and joining neighbours Lacken as the most successful club in the Tommy Gilroy Cup competition.

Caoimhin O’Reilly had Butlersbridge off the mark within two minutes of this decider ahead of points from McDermott and Cormac Timoney swinging Ballinagh into their first lead in the fourth minute.

Jonathan Leddy squared things with a sweet point two minutes later and more scores flew over Ballinagh’s crossbar via Feargal Flanagan, Caoimhin O’Reilly (free) and Fionntan O’Reilly to move the Bridge three in front after 10 minutes.

Ace attackers Kevin Smith and McDermott responded for the favourites but their counterparts were clearly keen to hit the ground running in their first ever IFC final, with two more frees from Caoimhin O’Reilly and Leddy’s second point putting them four to the good with seven minutes left in the half.

The Bridge hadn’t read the script and it left Adrian Maguire’s charges with some food for thought, as they responded with a point from Timoney that brought them on a run of five unanswered scores to snatch the lead by the break.

Kevin Smith, Thomas Smith and Timoney sailed over three points in as many minutes before sharpshooter McDermott (free) left it at 0-9 to 0-8 in Ballinagh’s favour at half-time.

After their shaky start, the town side had fashioned the finish they wanted to the first-half and more frees from McDermott, along with points by Paddy O’Brien and Shane Finnegan, would see 2007 winners hitting the first six points of the restart without reply.

Two more from McDermott (one a mark) had Ballinagh leading 0-15 to 0-8 before Fionntán O'Reilly struck over a mark of his own in the 42nd minute.

McDermott would add two more from play before the water break ahead of Finnegan and Niall O’Reilly raising white flags to outweigh Fionntán O'Reilly’s at the other end, bumping the margin up to 10.

It left the Bridge needing goals that never came their way down the home stretch as the deadly accurate McDermott brought his tally up 0-12 and Finnegan rounded off the win in the third minute of injury-time.

Ballinagh - Enda Brady; Aaron Brady, Patrick Carroll, Evan Finnegan; Niall O’Reilly (0-1), Cormac Timoney (0-3), Philip Bogue; Padraic O’Reilly, Thomas Moore; Thomas Smith (0-1), David Finnegan, Paddy O’Brien (0-1); Kevin Smith (0-2), Niall McDermott (0-12, 5f, 3m), Shane Finnegan (0-3, 2f). Subs: Killian McBride for Carroll (3mins, inj), Kyle Tyler for D Finnegan (53), Damien Reilly for K Smith (57), Barry Connolly for T Smith (60), Daryl Gaynor for McDermott (60).

Butlersbridge - Noel McPhilips; Cathal Leddy, Paddy Flynn, Diarmuid McCorry; Shane Leddy, Feargal Flanagan (0-1), Andrew McConnell; Colin Dugdale, John Fitzpatrick; Martin Fitzpatrick, Kevin McPhilips, Shane O’Rourke; Jonathan Leddy (0-2), Caoimhin O’Reilly (0-4, 3f), Fionntan O’Reilly (0-3, 1f, 1m). Subs: Killian Leddy for K McPhilips (HT), Peter Conaty for M Fitzpatrick (37mins), Declan Callaghan for Dugdale (60), Jack Graham for J Leddy (60).

Ref: Martin Sexton (Cavan Gaels)

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