SAVAGE SCENE AT BIRR VENUE
Many names went in his book and it is to be hoped that certain culprits will be dealt with most severely. Only the severest of measures will deter certain persons who seem to wait patiently and at the drop of a hat run in to the fray determined to show their fighting abilities, often aggravating what had been a minor incident.
It is also to be deplored that many players and supporters pay absolutely no heed to the attempts of club officials and responsible players to keep the peace.
At times last Sunday the fouling was open and brutal and at other times it was subtle. A remarkable degree of sophistication in fouling without drawing the attention of the referee was demonstrated by one or two players.
The “Game”
The opening ten minutes promised well with the sides evenly matched. Pat McLoughney opened the scoring with a point for Coolderry in the first minutes of play and Fintan Lawlor equalised for Ballyskenagh with
a fine score a minute later. Ballyskenagh now went into the lead with an other point by Lawlor but their opponent soon pulled ahead again with a goal resulting from a free to leave the score at the end of the first ten minutes: Coolderry, 1-1; Ballyskenagh, 0-2.
Coolderry now began to establish their superiority with the aid of some useful centrefield work by M. Kirwan, but it took some time for their efforts to be rewarded. Christy King in the Ballyskenach goal played his usual game and was instrumental in clearing some dangerous attacks. From a sudden counter attack Jack Dooley pointed for Ballyskenagh, but from the puckout Tom Dooley raised the green flag for Coolderry.
Loose Tackling
The referee’s book came out to take the name of a Ballyskenach man and T. Dooley lobbed the free over the bar. Ballyskenach were certainly giving of their best and with Fintan Lawlor in the half-forward line, their attack was never dead. Their major fault was their tackling, which was generally loose and time and time again an unmarked Coolderry man would waltz away with the ball. This was the case with Coolderry’s third goal sent in by S. Carroll. The first ’70 of the game was sent wide by Ballyskenagh to leave the score at half-time Coolderry 3-4, Ballyskenagh 0-3.
Second Half
The start was delayed because of heavy rain, but when it got underway, Ballyskenach came attacking, but it was Coolderry who scored first with a goal by M. Kennedy in the second minutes of play. From the puck-out Ballyskenach came upfield on a foray and Ned Franks pointed with a powerful shot from 30 yards. Encouraged by this, the pressure mounted on the Coolderry defence and J. Kirwan forced his way though and sent the ball between the posts to raise the green flag for Ballyskenach.
It seemed that Ballyskenach had now shot their bolt at least as far as the attack was concerned and their opponents got the upperhand once more. Trojan work was done by Christy King in goals and Coolderry got a solitary point from this particular offensive.
The Incident
At this time two players were booked by the referee, but how exactly the major incident erupted nobody could tell from the sideline. In a matter of seconds a half dozen players were fighting and the spectators poured on to the pitch. A point of interest was the speed and eagerness with which some substitutes rushed into the fray. When the referee had restored order with the help of club officials, Jimmy Kirwan of Ballyskenach was lying semi-conscious on the ground.
On to the field came an Order of Malta ambulance and Kirwan was removed, obviously suffering great pain, on a stretcher. Mr. Hayes, the referee, waited for some moments but the crowds on the field showed no inclination to disperse and the abandoned the match. Score at the abandonment was Coolderry 4-5, Ballyskenach 1-4.
The Teams
Ballyskenach – C. King, Eugene Hannon, P. Dooley, Jimmy Kirwan, John Kirwan, J. Kirwan, Ned Delaney, O. Douglas, Ned Franks, Matt Douglas, Jim Bolger, Jack Dooley, M. Kirwan, T. Hannon, F. Lawlor.
Coolderry – V. Loughnane, P. Carey, J. Dooley, T. Carroll, M. Kennedy, M. Kirwan, T. Kennedy, B. Loughnane, Pat McLoughney, C. Loughnane, S. Carroll, Tony Dooley, J. Tooher, J. Kirwan, J. Dooley.
Referee: Mr. M. Hayes, Clare.
[Subsequently, Ballyskenach and Cooldery were both thrown out the championship]
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