Offaly SHC Group 3
A SUPER strike by Darrell O’Dwyer on the stroke of full-time wrapped up a surprising success for Shamrocks against Ballyskenach in the Senior Hurling Championship at Rath last Sunday evening. With Shamrocks ahead by three points in the 62nd minute, O’Dywer buried Ballyskenach’s bid to salvage a draw with a brilliant goal, which guaranteed their first win of the season.
Not only did this result end Shamrocks’ relegation worries, but it has forced Ballyskenach into a play-off with Kilcormac/Killoughey to finalise the top two places in Group 3.
Ballyskenach must have been stunned by the level of commitment and skill shown by Shamrocks, who led for most of the match and dominated nearly all the key areas.
Teams out of contention often suffer heavy defeats in their final match but, despite being without a couple of regulars, spirited Shamrocks stuck to their task admirably.
If Ballyskenach had taken victory for granted before the throw-in, they knew it was a different story by half-time as Shamrocks led by 2-5 to 0-5. Despite being backed by the breeze in the second half, the favourites still couldn’t raise their game sufficiently and could have no complaints at the end.
While Ballyskenach will still go through, it suits teams better to top the group and they would, of course, have liked to preserve their unbeaten record, following victories over Kilcormac/Killoughey and Kinnitty.
Shamrocks conceded too many goals in their previous outings but their youthful side will take heart from this result.
After Shamrocks opened the scoring with a huge free by Neville Coughlan, Ballyskenach briefly showed what they are capable of with unanswered points by Vinny Franks, Eoghan Franks and Noel Murphy.
But they were held scoreless for the next 15 minutes as Shamrocks piled on the pressure. Having narrowed the gap with a Stephen Delaney free, they edged ahead for the first time with a Shane Cunningham goal.
A beautiful sideline cut from the stand side of the field by Stephen Delaney stretched Shamrocks’ lead to three points (1-3 to 0-3) and Declan Conroy soon added another from play. It was ten minutes before the interval that Ballyskenach endured their biggest shock, with Shamrocks’ second goal. This time, Stephen Delaney’s sideline fell at the edge of the small square and when it wasn’t dealt with properly, Ollie Bryant bundled the ball over the line. Three frees were hit over in the next ten minutes, two for Ballyskenach by David Franks and John Dooley and one for Shamrocks by Stephen Delaney, giving the dual senior club a six point cushion at the half way stage.
Ballyskenach needed to kick-start their revival as soon as possible, but instead their situation went from bad to worse. After Stephen Delaney and Tadgh Maher had traded points, Delaney and Stephen Cunningham were on target again to put Shamrocks in front by 2-8 to 0-6. With every passing minute, an upset looked more likely, especially as Ballyskenach hit some poor wides. Another point for either side by John Dooley (free) and Declan Conroy was followed by a hat-trick of scores for Ballyskenach by David Franks and Mick O’Hara (two frees).
Therefore, with ten minutes left, the score was 2-9 to 0-10 and the scene was set for a dramatic ending to an entertaining contest.
It was then that Shamrocks rose to the challenge bravely, with Stephen Delaney (two frees) and Shane Cunningham providing them with the perfect response.
By now, they looked home and dry, but a few anxious moments were in store as Ballyskenach floated over points by Noel Murphy and David Franks (free) and Brendan Murphy hammered home their long-awaited goal. Suddenly, the gap was down to three points, 2-12 to 1-12, and another goal would have completed a great escape for Ballyskenach.
But Shamrocks answered emphatically with Darrell O’Dwyer’s classic goal, which was celebrated enthusiastically by their small band of supporters. Aidan Franks recorded a consolation point for Ballyskenach, but it was too little, too late and Shamrocks left with their heads held high.
This was a real team effort by Shamrocks and time and time again, different defenders came to their rescue with great tackles and clearances. All their backs were in top form, with Colin Dunne and John Corcoran outstanding in the central roles and Neville Coughlan very impressive also.
At midfield, 17 year old Stephen Delaney was one of the leading man-of-the-match contenders and the Offaly minor controlled that sector for long periods. Shamrocks centre forward Aidan Flaherty was forced off injured after only two minutes, but Declan Conroy and Shane Cunningham chipped in with important scores, while Stephen Cunningham hurled solidly also.
In contrast, Ballyskenach’s key players didn’t make a big impact and their entire team suffered as a result. Although nine players scored for them, no-one took the initiative when required.
The Scorers
Shamrocks: Stephen Delaney (four frees, one sideline cut) 0-7; Shane Cunningham
1-1, Ollie Bryant 1-0 and Darrell O’Dwyer 1-0 each, Declan Conroy 0-2, Neville
Coughlan (free) and Stephen Cunningham 0-1 each.
Ballyskenach: David Franks (two frees) 0-3; Brendan Murphy 1-0; John Dooley
(frees), Mick O’Hara (frees) and Noel Murphy 0-2 each; Aidan Franks, Vinnie
Franks, Eoghan Franks and Tadgh Maher 0-1 each.
SHAMROCKS: Liam Mooney; Neville Coughlan, John Corcoran, Jimmy Conway; Conor
Clavin, Colin Dunne, Gary Dunne; Kevin Cummins, Stephen Delaney; Declan Conroy,
Aidan Flaherty, Stephen Cunningham; Shane Cunningham, Brian Kearney, Ollie
Bryant.
Sub: Darrell O’Dwyer for A Flaherty.
BALLYSKENACH: Alan Franks; Alan Middleton, Eoin Maher, Brendan Franks; Barry
Keeshan, Mick O’Hara, Aidan Franks; David Franks, Vinnie Franks; Noel Murphy,
John Dooley, Tadgh Maher; Derek Middleton, Brendan Murphy, Eoghan Franks.
Subs: Bill Lalor for T Maher; Mark Kirwan for D Middleton and Eugene Kirwan
for B Franks.
Referee: Brendan Keeshan (Shinrone).