Ballinlough 2-17 Dunshaughlin 2-08

Apologies in advance for any errors in this report, my poor auld notebook got well acquainted with the rain this afternoon!!

Ballinlough and Dunshaughlin met in horrible conditions but on a sturdy Ballinlough pitch as the rain teemed down from start to finish in this Premier Championship Div.6 Round 3 clash and it was the home side who started at a blistering pace with early points for Junior Reilly and Peader Byrne, before Simon Deevey added his customary goal to proceedings, the score coming from a defence splitting pass by Byrne from midfield with Deevey on the stretch just about directing the ball past the keeper and into the back of the net in the third minute.

That goal woke the visitors from their slumber and they hit back immediately with a major of their own but further points from Daire Shine (2) and Séan Tunney extended the home sides lead to five points.

For a game played in such conditions it was actually a lively and high scoring affair in the first half as Dunshaughlin added two points from play to their earlier goal and then struck for goal once again in the 11th minute, the ball intended for one target but intercepted by his own man and slotted past Matthew Farrelly in the Ballinlough net. A further point from play for Dunshaughlin gave them the lead but Ballinlough went on a scoring spree themselves with Harry Ryan pointing from play, a Séan Tunney free and two quick fire points for Kit Óg Lynch wresting control back for the home side. The men in red were further bolstered with a Peader Byrne point and a super Daire Shine goal in the 21st minute after exceptional work from the ever willing and tireless Ronzer McGuinness to push their lead out to seven, but credit must be given to Dunshaughlin who rattled off two more scores before the half time whistle so when Referee Paddy Clarke, who had very little to do in a clean and honest contest despite the weather, blew the half time whistle Ballinlough led on a scoreline of 2-10 to Dunshaughlin’s 2-05.

If the first half was anything to go by those that braved the elements to watch this game must have being expecting more of the same in the second half but sadly scores were a lot more harder to come by in the last 30 minutes than they were in the first. Harry Ryan did open the scoring with a point from play for Ballinlough and it was five minutes later before Dunshaughlin got their first score of the second half with a point from play and indeed they should have got themselves right back into the game with a glorious goal chance that was somehow put wide of the post from close range, I had almost marked it down in the book so confident were we it was going into net but faith intervened !!

Another Harry Ryan point in the 43rd minute kept Ballinlough ticking over, followed up by a point from Kit Óg Lynch who’s constant running off the ball was causing all kinds of confusion for the black and amber rearguard.

While the second half was played at a slower pace, the scores that were acrued were certainly not lacking in quality and Tom Shine got himself on the scoresheet with what was his first touch of the ball, a fine point in the 50th minute.

Dunshaughlin were struggling to make any inroads and perhaps were culpable of aiming for goal on occasions when a handy point was on offer but they did add a second point of the half in the 54th minute but that was once again cancelled out by another Tom Shine point. A free for the visitors in the 57th minute concluded their scoring but the Lough weren’t done and finished strongly with two points from two substitutes Oisin McDermott and Conor Briody to cap off a great win in a rain soaked Ballinlough, so when Referee Paddy Clarke called time Ballinlough took the win on a scoreline of 2-17 to Dunshaughlins 2-08.

Ballinlough: M.Farrelly, B.Jordan, E.Smith, N.McDonnell, J.Lynch, P.Muldoon, L.Finnegan, P.Byrne (0-02), H.Ryan (0-03), S.Tunney (0-2(1f)), R.McGuinness, J.O’Reilly (0-01), K.Óg Lynch (0-03), S.Deevey (1-00), D.Shine (1-02(1f)),

Subs: J.Smith for D.Shine H/T, T.Shine (0-2) for R.McGuinness 41’, C.Briody (0-01) for S.Tunney 41’, O.McDermott (0-01), for H.Ryan 46’, C.Cunning for K.Óg Lynch 46’

Referee Patrick Clarke

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