Ballygarvan and St Mary’s must meet again to decide who will face Glanworth in the Evening Echo sponsored Cork County Junior Football Final, after this pulsating semi-final between the two teams finished level.
Played yesterday in front of a large attendance at the splendid Eire Og grounds in Ovens, this was a good wholehearted battle between two teams who fought manfully to progress their teams to the final.
For Ballygarvan, the saga continues. This was their sixth game in the last four weeks, and they are beginning to look like a tired team. But showing the spirit that their hurlers showed in 2004, they are refusing to die, and it would be a brave man who would write them off.
For St Marys, this is new territory. Written off in lots of quarters before the game, they stuck to their task, and dominated possession for long periods of the game, but some wild shooting left their opponents within striking distance, when perhaps they should have closed out the game.
When Chris Daly pointed in the 45th minute, to push St Mary’s three points clear, it looked like an upset was on the cards, as they looked the stronger team. But Ballygarvan, who were defeated finalists last year, and not playing as well as expected, finally found their form, and kicked four points in a row to lead by a single point with just five minutes remaining.
In a dramatic finale Chris Daly, who was St Mary’s best forward equalised in the 57th minute to set up a grand stand finish. Daly and Gary White both had wides in the last couple of minutes as the crowd were on tender hooks, but when the referee’s final whistle blew, the teams were as they started, level at 9 points apiece.
Ballygarvan had to line out without their towering midfielder Shane O’Leary, and his physicality was missed. Gary White should have opened the scoring in the second minute, but his 20 metre free hit the post and went wide. Almost immediately St Mary’s carved open the Ballygarvan defence to put Stephen Keohane clear, but his shot was brillantly turned around the post by Jack Murphy in the Ballygarvan goal.
Peter Daly opened the scoring for the Carbery champions in the seventh, before Ken Ashman equalised for Ballygarvan in the 12th minute. Chris Daly and Aidan MacGearailt swapped points, before Gary White pointed a free to leave Ballygarvan 0-3 to 0-2 ahead after 20 minutes.
At this stage it was noticeable that St Mary’s were playing at a pace that Ballygarvan were struggling to match. The expected dominance of Cork star Ger Spillane was nullified by a cluster of players operating around the middle of the field, while the St Mary’s full forward line looked to have the beating of their opponents every time they got possession, but they didn’t always make the best use of the ball.
Chris Daly pointed a free and a 45 to put St Mary’s back in front, before Gary White equalised. Just when it seemed the teams would go in level at half time, Ken Ashman scored the best point of the half, when he put over from the 13 metre line, out near the sideline, to leave Ballygarvan ahead 0-5 to 0-4 at the break.
The start of the second half brought about the best period of the game for St Mary’s. Driven on by the Milner’s, Daniel and Dermot, Eanna Kelleher, Stephen Keohane, and the Daly’s, Peter and Chris, they took the game to Ballygarvan.
Chris Daly pointed a free after Stephen Cronin was fouled. The resultant kick out was poor, and substitute Jason Collins pointed with his first touch. With the game opening out, both teams had a couple of bad wides before St Mary’s had their best two points of the game.
As Ballygarvan tried to work the ball out of defence, they lost possession, and the ball ended up with St Mary’s corner back Eanna Kelleher who pointed. Then a scintillating move involving Peter Daly and Brian Murphy ended with Chris Daly kicking their best score of the day to leave them 0-8 to 0-5 ahead after 45 minutes.
Ballygarvan were on the ropes, but the introduction of Cian O’Conchuir lifted them. O’Conchuir, who is struggling with a long term back injury, broke the dominance of St Mary’s, and this in turn freed Ger Spillane to play his best football of the game. Two points by Gary White and one from Ger Spillane left the side’s level, before O’Conchuir kicked a huge point from 60 metres to put Ballygarvan 0-9 to 0-8 ahead after 55 minutes.
However St Marys are nothing if not brave and Daly’s point in the 57th minute was their just reward. As their colourful PRO John Corcoran said,” We’re still undefeated in the county”.
The replay is fixed for next Sunday in Ovens @ 2.30pm
Scorers for Ballygarvan: G White 0-4(1 f), K Ashman 0-2, A MacGearailt 0-1(1 f), G Spillane 0-1, C O’Conchuir 0-1.
St Mary’s: C Daly 0-6(2 f, 1 45), P Daly 0-1, J Collins 0-1, E Kelleher 0-1.
BALLYGARVAN: J Murphy; A Murphy, A Butler, John Spillane; D Bouse, C O’Sullivan, J Barron; S White, G Spillane; K Ashman, Joe Spillane, D O’Sullivan; J Browne, G White, A MacGearailt,: Subs: M Kennefick for J Browne (33), C O’Conchuir for A Murphy(46), D Sweeney for A MacGearailt(53).
ST MARY’S: P O’Keeffe; Daniel Milner, A Quinn, E Kelleher; B Brady, S Keohane, B O’Mahony; Dermot Millner, S Cronin; J O’Donovan, C Daly, H O’Neill; B Murphy, P Daly, G Twomey. Subs: J Collins for H O’Neill(33), S McGillacuddy for J O’Donovan(54).