St Vincents 3-19 Ballinlough 1-11

A sunny day in Dunderry signalled the start of the Junior Football Championship for St. Vincent’s and Ballinlough. With both sides earning promotion from their respective League campaigns, the supporters from both sides arrived full of confidence. 

Adam Tuite got the scoring under way after 3 minutes when Bob Tallon’s long ball in was knocked down to him, and he fired over. Conor Harford extended the lead from the next play with a well taken point. Ballinlough got their first score in the 10th minute with a fisted point. The Ardcath men restored their 2-point advantage when Adam Tuite burst through with the ball from midfield and slotted over from the 45m line. Ballinlough had a chance on goal shortly after. A free in was fisted towards goal but struck the crossbar. The rebound was also denied by the defence and St. Vincent’s rushed up the field with the ball and Conor O’Brien fired over a point. The midfield, controlled by Bob Tallon & Jack Byrne, were instrumental in so much of what the men in maroon did. Patrick McGill scored a lovely point before Adam Tuite fired over another long-range point to extend the lead. Michael McIvor then added another pointed free before Nigel Hand pointed from a 45. Patrick McGill fisted over a point from the next attack, before Michael McIvor slotted over another point. Ballinlough responded with a point from play by their corner back, before he made the long trek back to deny Jack Byrne a goal chance. The men from Ballinlough took heart from this and drove up the field to get their third point of the half. Nigel Hand added a point from a free to round out the scoring for the half and leave St. Vincent’s with an 8-point lead at the break.

Half Time, St Vincents 0-11 Ballinlough 0-03

Gary Tuite got the second half rolling with a point from play followed by Conor O’Brien firing one over. Ballinlough responded with a well worked point from play. Nigel Hand restored the 10-point lead with a free shortly after. Credit to Ballinlough, they stuck to the task and were rewarded for their hard work when they got the first goal of the game. They followed this up with a pointed free to close the deficit to 6 points. A break by Conor O’Brien from midfield found Paddy Arnold who slotted over the point. This was followed up by a break down the wing by Jack Byrne who found Nigel Hand in space to slot over another point. Ballinlough worked the ball down the field again and scored a point from play. They followed that up with another point from play, kicked from just outside the 45m line. The response from the Ardcath men was emphatic. Conor Harford found Adam Tuite on the wing, where he laid it off to the onrushing Conor O’Brien who side-stepped his marker and drove the ball to the back of the net. Ballinlough responded with a point from play before Michael McIvor pointed from a free. McIvor then kicked a ball in to space for Adam Tuite, who squared the ball for Patrick McGill to palm to the back of the net. The Ardcath men were in full flow and Adam Tuite followed this up with a fine point from play. Gary Tuite then found Adam Tuite in space again, where once again he supplied Patrick McGill with the ball to slot over a point. Ballinlough responded with a fine point from play, followed by 2 pointed frees. Martin Fox found Matthew Tuite with a long ball, where he popped it to the onrushing Michael McIvor, who found himself 1-on-1 with the goalkeeper and he fired it home for our third goal of the game.  

A very positive start to this year’s championship for St. Vincent’s. The Ardcath men now look forward to keeping that momentum going when they face St. Brigid’s in Páirc Tailteann on 25th August at 12:00. 

St Vincents scorers: Patrick McGill (1-03), Michael McIvor (1-03), Conor O’Brien (1-02), Adam Tuite (0-04), Nigel Hand (0-04), Paddy Arnold (0-01), Conor Harford (0-01), Gary Tuite (0-01)

St Vincents: Evan Connor, Mark Crawley, Davy Tallon, Shane Caffrey, Conor Harford, Niall Tallon, Gary Tuite, Bob Tallon, Jack Byrne, Paddy Arnold, Michael McIvor, Conor O’Brien, Nigel Hand, Adam Tuite, Patrick McGill

Subs: Matthew Tuite for Conor Harford, Stefan O’Neill for Jack Byrne, Martin Fox for Bob Tallon, Dylan Kavanagh for Paddy Arnold, Barry O’Sullivan for Mark Crawley

 

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