A fighting performance from an
injury-hit Ballyvarley team produced
an exciting and competitive game
at Moygannon but they had no answer
to a Warrenpoint surge in the final
ten minutes that opened up a daunting
eight point winning margin. Both
sides were looking for championship
pointers ahead of their “big”
clash at the beginning of August
and on the evidence of this game
Ballyvarley will have it all to
do to upset an unbeaten Warrenpoint
side that are going for a league
and championship double.
As usual, Ballyvarley proved to
be a very competitive side and their
fighting spirit brought the game
to the home side in the opening
half but from start to finish this
proved to be the John O’Kane
show as the Warrenpoint and South
Down star proved to be a thorn once
again in Ballyvarley’s side
and his 1-13 in this game was the
difference between the sides. Eight
of those fourteen scores came from
placed balls and in the opening
minutes he signalled his intentions
with a goal and two points, all
from frees, to give the home side
the lead. However, after that initial
set-back it was the Reds who took
the initiative and four points from
Paul O’Neill(2). Niall Savage
and David McGovern reduced the arrears
to the minimum. Two further points
from O’Kane and another from
Tommy Mulligan widened the gap to
four but once more Ballyvarley fought
their way back into contention.
Paul O’Neill struck over three
further points and then Cathal O’Neill
put the Reds in front for the first
time with a close-range finish to
the net. Ballyvarley were good value
for their lead but then it all went
wrong for the visitors when some
strange refereeing decisions handed
the initiative back to Warrenpoint
and they managed four late points
to go into the interval with a two
point lead.
Half Time: Warrenpoint 1-9 Ballyvarley
1-7
Ballyvarley were stung by the decisions
before the interval and emerged
in the second half with renewed
vigour. Two points from Paul O’Neill
and a stunning goal from Cathal
O’Neill saw them surge into
a three point lead but back came
that man O’Kane with four
unanswered points as the lead changed
hands for the fifth time in this
thrilling game. Still the Reds fought
gamely and a Paul O’Neill
point from play levelled it once
again but that was to prove as near
as Ballyvarley were to come to winning
this game. The harsh dismissal of
Sean Kennedy, a few minutes later,
totally unsettled the Reds and in
the last ten minutes Warrenpoint
swept the visitors aside with worrying
ease, scoring a goal and six points
to the Reds solitary point in reply.
Final Score: Warrenpoint 2-19 Ballyvarley
2-11
Team: James McGrath; Pat McGrath,
Niall Higgins, John O’Neill;
Conor McClorey, Sean Kennedy, Thomas
Lennon; Niall Savage(0-1), Ciaran
Connolly; Conor Grew, Paul O’Neill(0-9),
Cathal O’Neill(2-0); Colin
O’Neill, David McGovern(0-1),
Jamie Murray. Sub: Stewart Cartmill
