Ballyvarley Notes - 4th June 2006
Under
14 Hurling League
Ballyvarley Vs
Liatroim
Ballyvarley faced a
tough challenge last week when they
entertained a strong determined
Liatroim
team. It was a great contest between
the two sides with some glorious
points and cracking goals. Both
teams fought to the end with
Liatroim
pulling away just at the end to win
by five points.
The game started with
the Reds enjoying a lot of early
position. James Kennedy was having a
stormer
in the middle of the field, winning
large amounts of possession and
soloing forward into some good
scoring positions. His drive and
endeavour was eventually rewarded
with a free from a late tackle, and
Tony Hegarty
duly stepped up to slot it over from
30 yards out.
After this
Liatroim
began to reassert themselves, a fine
run from their midfielder resulting
in a point, before they added a
second from wide on the left.
Ballyvarley though were using their
home advantage well as they buzzed
around and denied the visitors
space. This reduced
Liatroims’
attacks allowing young Kennedy to go
on another mazy run before he was
unceremoniously upended. Tony
Hegarty
slotted over his second of the match
and a third point for the home side
came soon after, Shane
McAreavey
getting the ball wide on the left
before cutting in to send the
sliothar
between the posts.
Unfortunately all the
good Ballyvarley play was to be
undone when a lobbed ball from
Liatroim’s
midfield dropped and nestled in the
Reds net. The visitors hit a quick
fire point to pull three points
clear but Ballyvarley replied in
kind as young Tony added another
pointed free.
Just
as Ballyvarley looked like they were
getting back on track,
Liatroim
notched up another goal just before
the break.
HALF-TIME:
Ballyvarley 0-4
Liatroim
2-3
It
would have been easy for the
Ballyvarley lads to just roll over
and let
Liatroim increase their five
point advantage yet the local lads
were determined to make a fight of
it. An early score from
Liatroim
was quickly cancelled out when Tony
Hegarty
darted in from the right wing to
sail the
sliother over the bar. Good
determined running from Kieran
Maguire won the Reds another free 30
yards out, and Tony reduced the
deficit to four.
At
this stage Paul Cairns and
Christopher Martin were dominating
at half-back, with Michael McDermott
a rock in front of goal. On this
platform Ballyvarley pressed forward
again and again, but the
Liatroim
defence initially held firm. Then
James Kennedy received a partially
clearance from the
Liatroim
rearguard 35 yards out, soloed in
and rattled the back of the net.
With
the deficit reduced to the minimum
there was a ten minute spell when
both teams jostled for the ball,
battling vigorously yet failing to
score.
All the Reds defence were playing as
if their lives depended on it.
Michael McKay and Paul
Colgan
aided the more experienced Paul
Cairns, Michael McDermott and
Conor
Strain as they kept their opponents
wide and denied them time and space
to increase their tally.
The
pressure, however, was to tell and a
good goal it was with
Liatroim’s
key midfielder soloing in, beating
his man and hitting the bottom right
hand corner of the net. A point and
another goal soon after looked to
have signalled that all
Ballyvarley’s efforts had been in
vain as they were cruelly punished
for momentary lapses. Yet the
Ballyvarley lads never gave up, and
a few minutes from the end James
Kennedy won a foul with Paul Cairns
taking the set-piece, jab-lifting
the ball and somehow finding a space
between the
Liatroim defenders to lift
the net. The home side pressed on
for further scores yet they failed
to materialise as
Liatroim
returned home with all the points.
FULL-TIME: Ballyvarley
2-6
Liatroim 4-5
This was a gutsy
performance from the Ballyvarley
lads against an impressive
Liatroim
side. It was a good game of hurling
played by the two teams,
Ballyvarley’s key performers coming
from Michael McDermott and Paul
Cairns at the back, James Kennedy in
the middle and Tony
Hegarty
upfront.
The under 14s next game
is in the championship, away to
Warrenpoint on Wednesday 7th
June. Players to
meet in Ballyvarley at
5.45pm.
Ballyvarley
Under 14 team:
Michael McAllister, Paul
Colgan,
Michael McDermott,
Conor
Strain, Christopher Martin, Paul
Cairns (1-0), Michael McKay, Patrick
Macken,
James Kennedy (1-0), Shane
McAreavey
(0-1), Tony
Hegarty (0-5), Jonathan
Lennon, Martin Connolly, Kieran
Maguire, Ciaran
Heaney. Subs: Patrick McNally, Neil
Monaghan, Conor
McShane,
Aidan McKernan,
Owen Carlisle,
Eoin McNally, Stefan
Toman,
Adam Millar.
Senior Hurling League
Ballyvarley Vs Warrenpoint
Last week Ballyvarley’s
senior hurlers were at home to face
a competitive Warrenpoint team. It
was a tight close contest throughout
with the visitors returning home
with a four point win.
From start to finish
this half was a hard hitting game of
hurling, every blade of grass and
scrap of possession being
contested.
The battle commenced with
Warrenpoint taking the lead after
five minutes. David McGovern replied
for the Reds coming deep for the
ball, turning and brushing aside his
marker before he slotted the ball
over. The two sides exchanged
points-a-piece after this, David
getting his second of the game for
the home side before a defining
moment of the match. Warrenpoint won
a sideline on the right wing well
into Ballyvarley’s half, with a
James O’Hare sideline coming in and
dropping through the
keepers
fingers into the net.
Warrenpoint increased
their advantage with a John
O’Kane
pointed free, and that was to end a
very low scoring first half.
HALF-TIME: Ballyvarley 0-2
Warrenpoint 1-3
Ballyvarley were
quickest out of the blocks on the
restart, Ciaran
Connolly winning an early free which
Martin O’Neill soon slotted over.
The ‘Point replied with a point of
their own before James McGrath
shrugged of two markers to send a
thunderous drive over for the Reds.
The pitch was becoming
very congested especially in the
middle of the field with space at a
premium as both defences were well
on top. The robust tackling was not
for the faint hearted as Ballyvarley
and Warrenpoint through in
everything to win this game.
John
O’Kane
and Martin O’Neill traded
points-a-piece for the ‘Point and
Ballyvarley respectively to leave a
goal in it with five minutes to go.
The home side drove on to get the
equalising goal, but despite some
good opportunities they could not
find the net. Indeed it was the away
side who
had the final word with two late
points.
FULL-TIME: Ballyvarley 0-5
Warrenpoint 1-7
This game is best
described as a battle. Both sides
fought every inch of the way. Yet
for commitment and drive the
Ballyvarley hurlers could not be
faulted, just missing that cutting
edge infront
of goal to take a share of the
spoils. John and Martin O’Neill
played well in the middle, as did
Thomas Lennon, Michael Cairns, David
Lavery
and Cathal
O’Neill at the back. Upfront
Ciaran
Connolly was impressive with David
McGovern and James McGrath showing
well. The
Seniors next game is at home
to Bredagh.
Ballyvarley Team
Brian
Donald, Pat McGrath, Michael Cairns,
Cathal
O’Neill, David
Lavery,
Colm O’Neill, Thomas Lennon,
John O’Neill, Martin O’Neill (0-2),
Eunan
McConville,
David McGovern (0-2),
Ciaran
Connolly, Conor
Grew, James McGrath (0-1), Sean
O’Neill. Subs: Niall Savage, Rory
McGrath.
Ballyvarley Hurling Notes
Ballyvarley’s coaching for the under
10 and 12 hurlers continues on
Friday nights from
7.15 to 8.30 pm at
Newbridge
College,
Loughbrickland. The under 12s
hurlers play away to Newry Shamrocks
on the 10th June followed
by Warrenpoint at home on 17th
June.
Ballyvarley senior hurlers played
Warrenpoint recently and despite
battling hard they lost by four
points. The seniors continue to
train on Sundays at
12.15pm in Ballyvarley. Their next
hurling game is a home game against
Bredagh
on 13th June.
The
under 14 hurlers now enter the
Championship. They face Warrenpoint
away on Wednesday 7th
June. Players are asked to meet at
5.45pm at the pitch to
Ballyvarley. Any support and help
with transporting the players to the
match would be greatly appreciated.
Ballyvarley’s under 14 hurlers
follow this game with the second
phase of the under 14 hurling
league, beginning Wednesday 14th
June. Fixtures are not yet
available.
The
senior hurlers wore the new senior
jerseys for the first time last
week. Iveagh
Movie Studios Banbridge continue to
sponsor the senior hurling and
football teams of the
Aghaderg
GFC/Ballyvarley HC club, and many
thanks go to them for their
continual support of Gaelic games in
the Aghaderg
Parish.
Sent
in by Colm
O’Neill (Ballyvarley HC Hurling PRO)
