Flynn earns Ballygunner a late reprieve

Waterford SHC final: Mount Sion 1-14 Ballygunner 2-11 The Waterford senior hurling final ended in dramatic fashion at Walsh Park yesterday with Ballygunner's Paul Flynn rifling home a 21-metre free to level the scores two minutes into injury-time.

Referee John Michael Kelly blew the final whistle straight away although three minutes of injury-time had been signalled.

The sides, who have retained the county title between them for the last nine years, will meet again at the same venue next Saturday (2.30 p.m.) with the winners due to take on Patrickswell from Limerick in the Munster Club semi-final on Sunday.

The match produced more than its share of sub-standard hurling although fine displays by Eoin Kelly, Tony Browne and, towards the end, Brian Greene for Mount Sion, helped entertain the 6,000 crowd.

Mount Sion, the holders, were in command for most of the hour, leading all the way from the 11th minute until Flynn's last-ditch intervention.

Ballygunner, who lost Andy Moloney through injury early on, had opened up with points from Billy O'Sullivan and a Flynn free before Mount Sion settled. The champions then sent over five points without reply, two of them from Ken McGrath who was carrying a leg injury and moved early on from centre to full forward.

Flynn and 18-year-old Shane O'Sullivan pointed for Ballygunner before Ken McGrath won a penalty and converted it himself to give his side a four-point lead after 16 minutes.

That advantage was stretched to seven points through two Eoin Kelly frees and a well-worked Seán Ryan point from play.

Mount Sion were very much in the driving seat but allowed Ballygunner back into the game when Shane O'Sullivan was fouled off the ball in the square and Flynn crashed the penalty to the net. Substitute Wayne Hutchinson followed up with a point to leave it 1-8 to 1-5 at the interval.

Kelly knocked over two Mount Sion points within a minute of the restart and then answered a Ballygunner point by Stephen Frampton. But Flynn, with two frees, kept Ballygunner in touch and they trailed by just three points, 1-11 to 1-8 after 45 minutes.

Flynn again pointed a free but that man Kelly sent over twice, one of them a 65, to put Mount Sion four ahead with 10 minutes remaining.

Flynn from a 65 and Shane O'Sullivan pointed for Ballygunner only for Kelly once more to put Mount Sion three ahead entering injury-time.

Then in a last desperate bid for equality Flynn bore down on goal and was grounded. No less than eight Mount Sion men lined the goal but they hardly moved as the star county player rifled the free past them to force a replay.

MOUNT SION: I O'Regan, J O'Meara, A Kirwan, B Flannery, J Cleere, T Browne, B Greene, R McGrath, M Frisby, E Kelly (0-9, 5 frees, one 65), K McGrath (1-2, goal penalty), E McGrath (0-1), M White (0-1), S Ryan (0-1), B Browne. Sub: D Kelly for B Browne.

BALLYGUNNER: R Whitty, N O'Donnell, A Kirwan, R O'Sullivan, S Frampton (0-1), F Hartley, G Cullinan, T Fives, A Moloney, C Kehoe, P Foley, F Flynn, B O'Sullivan (0-1), S O'Sullivan (0-2), P Flynn (2-6, 1-5 frees, pen, 65). Subs: W Hutchinson (0-1) for Moloney; T Power for F Flynn; M Mahony for Fives; G O'Connor for Foley; P Power for Mahony.

Referee: JM Kelly.