Business as usual for formidable Ballyhale

LEINSTER SHC FINAL Ballyhale Shamrocks 1-16 Tullamore 1-8MOST OF the time, winning a Leinster club hurling title is cause for celebration. Had Tullamore won here the partying would surely have been wild.

For Ballyhale Shamrocks, it brought little more than a shrug of the shoulders and a special thanks to the state of the pitch.

Why such apathy to glory? A simple case of been there, done that. This was their second title in succession; their third in four years; and seventh in all – bringing them to the top of the Leinster club hurling honours list along with Birr. All this on top of their recent fourth Kilkenny hurling title in succession. The scary thing is, there is no indication of this dominance yielding any time soon.

There were signs towards the end of the first half that Ballyhale were going to run away with it, and early in the second they did exactly that – hitting five quick points without reply to pull 11 points clear. After that, there was never going to be a way back for Tullamore. They pulled a goal back, but that was about it.

The better team well and truly triumphed.

Truth is Tullamore already wrote one fairytale this year by winning the Offaly title for the first time since 1964. Ballyhale were hardly going to allow them write another. For the opening 10 minutes it at least promised as much, with Tullamore’s 48-year-old goalkeeper Damian Fox – the team mascot back in 1964 – pulling off a fine close-range save from Patrick Reid.

Just before half time, however, Fox was pulling the ball out of the net. A long free from Bob Aylward fell into Fox’s hands, but as he attempted to send it clear, Patrick Reid was this time quicker with the flick, and directed the ball calmly into the net. That put Ballyhale 1-8 to 0-4 clear. Few teams ever find a way back from that sort of scoreline – especially against Kilkenny opposition.

The problem for Tullamore was the lack of any fatal weakness in Ballyhale. They may have hit 15 wides, but all six forwards scored from play in the opening 30 minutes, and the half back line was typically bullet-proof. Henry Shefflin hit 0-6 on a quiet day, and the dominance of James “Cha” Fitzpatrick and Michael Fennelly grew over time.

The task of keeping the team fresh and hungry after so much success has this year been handed to former Kilkenny goalkeeper James McGarry, and judging by his equally muted reaction to winning, there are loftier ambitions for the team this year.

“Well, I’d be hoping they’d have loftier ambitions,” admitted McGarry. “Every day you go out you try to win what’s in front of you, and after that look forward to the next game. But it’s still great to win. It will be there in the record books. We knew coming up here Tullamore were going to be tough, on their home patch, and after winning their first title in 45 years.

“We knew they’d be coming out with all guns blazing. In fairness, the pitch was as good as it could be, but it was always going to come down to work-rate and effort.

“When you come from a country area like we do, you have to make the most of these opportunities when they come your way. They’re a good bunch of players. But they’re still only in the same position as they were this time last year. So if they want to make progress they’ll have to push on from here, and improve again.”

That will continue next February when they meet former All-Ireland champions Newtownshandrum: “We all know what Newtown are like,” added McGarry. “It will be another serious test for our lads, something to work on over the next two months.”

Indeed Tullamore did come out with all guns blazing, the only problem being they soon ran out of ammunition. Kevin Martin had a few half-chances early on but ultimately their ability to hold possession in the forward line let them down. Three of their five points in the first half came from placed balls by Shane Dooley, and by the time Dooley slotted home Tullamore’s goal – 10 minutes from the end – it was already game over.

“We came out after half-time, thinking we’d peg them back a small bit,” said Dooley. “But it was they who got the run, and just pulled away from us. It was too much of a tall order. We got the goal, but needed another straight after. And it wasn’t going to come too handy. Like most Kilkenny teams, when they let in one, they don’t let another straight after.

“We needed a miracle really in the end. But it didn’t come.”

BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS:J Connolly; A Cuddihy, A Cummins, P Holden; P Shefflin, E Walsh (capt), B Aylward; J "Cha" Fitzpatrick, M Fennelly (0-2); TJ Reid (0-2), H Shefflin (0-6, two frees, two 65s), C Fennelly (0-1); E Reid (0-3), P Reid (1-0), D Hoyne (0-2). Subs: M Aylward for C Fennelly, B Costello for P Reid (both 50 mins), K Nolan for Holden (53 mins), J Walsh for TJ Reid (58).

TULLAMORE: D Fox; A Martin, C Bane, E Egan; N Mannion, B Dagg, H Treacy; J Keane, S Kelly (0-2); E Finnerty, J Duffy, G Treacy (0-1); S Dooley (capt) (1-4, three frees, one 65), K Martin, F Kerrigan (0-1). Subs: S Martin for H Treacy (49 mins), D Herlihy for Mannion (51 mins), J Rouse for Kerrigan (59).

Referee: James Owens (Wexford).