Home side Ballivor defeated Moynalvey by five points in round three of the Gaelic Games Equipment Corn Na Boinne Group D played in Ballivor on Sunday morning to top the group and advance to the semi-final. 

Ballivor 2-11 Moynalvey 3-3

In five months these sides will clash again in the opening round of group A of the Intermediate Football Championship, on Sunday morning it was Kevin Dowd’s charges who came away with the victory to top the three team group D and advance to the semi-final of the Corn Na Boinne.

Despite a better second half showing from Moynalvey, it was a well deserved win for the village side who dominated for large periods against a lacklustre Moynalvey outfit, with two Ballivor first half goals in two minutes essentially doing the damage. 

Prior to throw in, a minute’s silence was observed by all in attendance as a mark of respect to the late Brendan Egan, brother of Moynalvey goalkeeper Conor Egan. 

Ballivor opened the scoring in the second minute with a point from full forward Adam Gannon, Moynalvey’s opening score came from a Vinny Walsh free two minutes later, with Brian O’Reilly pointing in the eighth minute to give Moynalvey the lead for the first and only time in the game, 0-1 to 0-2.

An Adam Gannon free in the eleventh minute drew the sides level, before Paddy Conneely regained the lead for the home side sixty seconds later.

Ballivor’s dominance started to show on the score board, reeling off 2-2 within the next seven minutes. First up it was Conneely with his second point, followed up by the defining scores, two quick fire goals within as many minutes, the first from Conal Diggins and the second by Billy Birmingham. The purple patch was rounded off by an Adam Gannon point to give Ballivor a commanding nine point lead, 2-5 to 0-2 with twenty three minutes played.

A much needed Moynalvey goal in the 32nd minute with Shane Lenehan finishing to the Ballivor net brough Moynalvey back into the game just before half time. A fourth point from Adam Gannon left the half time score board read 2-6 to 1-2 to the home side when referee Ian Dowdall blew his half time whistle.

Paddy Conneely pointed four minutes after the restart, followed by a brace of Brendan McKeown frees extending the home side’s advantage out to nine points with forty seven minutes played, 2-9 to 1-2.

2-1 from Moynalvey full forward William Harnan, the goals either side of a free in an eight minute period between the 49th and 57th reduced the deficit to just three points. The first goal after a poor kickout was intercepted by Shane Lenehan who set up Harnan, while the second came about after good pressure saw Cathal McCabe win a turnover to feed Harnan, who blasted to Thomas Raleigh’s net making for an interesting finish.

However, that was as near as Moynalvey’s comeback got as the home side registered a further pair of points, meaning Ballivor ran out five point winners on a 2-11 to 3-3 score line to advance to the semi-final. 

Next up for Moynalvey is the opening round of the Div. 2 league against Trim at home on Saturday afternoon 15th March.

Moynalvey team & scorers: Ray Ryan, Conor Harnan, Charlie McCormack, Cathal McCabe, Darragh Branigan, Brian O’Reilly (0-1), Craig Gilsenan, Darren Brennan, Sean Duggan, Barry Walsh, Vinny Walsh (0-1f), Shane Lenehan (1-0), Luke Duffy, William Harnan (2-1, 1f), Evan Drum.

Subs used: Ciaran Harnan for Duffy, Conor Quinn for Drum, Cillian Kelly for Duggan, Scott Tuite for V. Walsh. 

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