*Paul Flanagan under pressure from Ian Galvin. Photograph: Gerard O’Neill.
BALLYEA booked their place in the semi-finals of the Clare SHC for the first time since 2022 when coming from four points down in the final 25 minutes to win by three.
Ballyea 2-13
Clonlara 0-16
Venue: Zimmer Biomet Páirc Chíosóg
The Clare Echo’s coverage of the Clare SHC is with thanks to The Temple Gate Hotel
Clonlara left the door open for a second half comeback that earned Ballyea the first spot in the last four of the TUS Senior Hurling Championship. No team in the last three years had won a quarter-final without scoring a goal and the green flags from Tony Kelly and Morgan Garry turned the game on its head.
Despite featuring in six of the last 10 finals, these men of black and gold have mostly kept to their own over the last decade. Ballyea’s 2016 breakthrough was at the expense of Clonlara. That team included a quintet of today’s starters – Jack Browne, Niall Deasy, Paul Flanagan and Gearoid O’Connell. Their experience told on a day when confidence and composure were needed.
Donal Madden’s men opened last year’s campaign against Ballyea as reigning champions and looked like favourites to go again with an eight-point win. It was Sixmilebridge who put a stop to the Clonlara mare’s gallop in the quarter-finals. Lessons learned from that day might have focused on converting goal chances and a Plan B if Ian Galvin gets locked down by man-marking.
You could argue that Galvin was off the boil today, but it didn’t matter. Paul Flanagan didn’t close his eyes to blink in the 59 minutes that Ian Galvin was on the pitch, such was his focus on Clonlara’s top forward.
As for goal chances, Clonlara’s only clear opening fell to Paraic O’Loughlin who was the furthest man forward in the 28th minute to take the pop pass from Colm Galvin. Barry Coote stood up well in the Ballyea goal and saved with his legs. A goal at that stage would have put two scores between the sides. Clonlara managed just 50% accuracy from their wind assisted dominance in the first half.
Not that Ballyea fared much better in the opening 30 minutes. They only registered 12 shots in that half and four of their five wides came from the stick of Tony Kelly who struggled to get his bearings in a swirling breeze.
Cathal O’Connell and Darragh Dillon were named to start on Clonlara’s page in the programme but Jathan McMahon and Kieran Galvin were both on from throw-in for their first start of the championship. If it was a gamble on fitness, it didn’t work. Kieran Galvin was forced to withdraw after just 10 minutes and while Cathal O’Connell performed well, he’d have to be subbed off himself with five minutes to go.
Clonlara looked good for a strong lead at half time. Dylan McMahon’s confidence was infectious while Diarmuid Stritch fired over three great points in plenty of traffic around the 45. Cathal O’Connell did his bit and Alan Murnane got the puckout strategy right.
Ballyea got the last two points of the half through Cian Kirby and Tony Kelly to leave it 0-9 to 0-6 at the break, but it just didn’t look like they’d get enough scores on the board to win the game. In the past five championships, the scoring average for losing teams has never climbed above a 20 point tally.
After 40 minutes of hurling, Tony Kelly had six wides and a yellow card. Clonlara were leading by four points. Five minutes later Ballyea were ahead by four points and in total control.
Niall Deasy’s run was the first thing to rouse the Ballyea faithful. He gained the ground and handpassed to Morgan Garry who blasted home. The attempted short puckout was turned over and Tk’s free upgraded Doohan’s effort to a ‘four point goal.’
A minute later, Clonlara full-back Oisin O’Brien was caught out of position and Ballyea had possession on the goal line. Even for Tony Kelly, the goal didn’t look on. Yet somehow he roofed the net.
And moments later Fiachra Kirby was pumping his fist before his shot had even sailed over the crossbar. Ballyea didn’t look back.
They pulled back numbers and invited Clonlara onto them. The diagonal ball into the Ballyea’s left corner was working and Michael Collins finished with four points. But without Galvin as an option, Clonlara couldn’t make the ball stick up front and the clearances from their backline were 50:50 balls at best.
Bryan McLeish came on and won a throw-in and Aidan Moriarty hit a screamer from midfield but Clonlara didn’t score in the last 10 minutes while Tony Kelly picked off three more frees to take his tally for the day to 1-8. Still it was Paul Flanagan’s performance on Ian Galvin that was the talk of the terrace.
Scorers Ballyea: TKelly (1-8 6f 1 65); M Garry (1-0); C Kirby (0-2); F Kirby (0-2);P Lillis (0-1);
Scorers Clonlara: M Collins (0-4); D Stritch (0-4); C O’Connell (0-3 1f 165); D McMahon (0-2); A Moriarty (0-1); I Galvin (0-1); C O’Meara (0-1).
Ballyea:
1. Barry Coote
2. Peter Casey
3. Paul Flanagan
4. Morgan Garry
5. Gearoid O’Connell
6. Jack Browne
7. Daragh Moylan
8. Tony Kelly
19. Daniel Costelloe
10. Niall Deasy
18. Tadhg Ó hUallacháin
12. Pearse Lillis
13. Cian Kirby
14. Cathal Doohan
15. Fiachra Kirby
Substitutes:
16. Oisin Griffin
17. Aaron Griffin
18. Tadhg O’hUallacháin
Substitutes:
11: Mossy Gavin for 14. C Doohan (49)
9: Thomas Kelly for 7. D Moylan (55)
17: Aaron Griffin for 10. N Deasy (55)
Clonlara:
1. Alan Murnane
2. Paul McNamara
3. Oisin O’Brien
4. Logan Ryan
5. Dylan McMahon
6. Aidan Moriarty
7. Paraic O’Loughlin
8. Colm Galvin
9. Colm O’Meara
10. Daniel Moloney
11. Diarmuid Stritch
21. Jathan McMahon
13. Michael Collins
14. Ian Galvin
18. Kieran Galvin
Substitutes:
12. Cathal O’Connell for 18. K Galvin (inj.) (10)
15. Darragh Dillon for 10. D Moloney (38)
19. Bryan McLeish for 21. J McMahon (53)
22. Eoin Begley for 12. C O’Connell (57)
17. Micheal O’Loughlin for 14. I Galvin (59)
Referee: Kevin Corry (Sixmilebridge)
