Exams and injuries took their toll
on Tuesday night when a much depleted
Ballyvarley fifteen suffered their
first league defeat of the season
at the hands of league leaders Ballycran.
The trip to the Ards is always daunting
but when you travel with key players
missing then there can only be one
outcome and despite a spirited performance
the Reds were beaten by 2-15 to
1-7.
Ballyvarley fell behind to four
early points but with a strong defence
they gradually gained the upper
hand but lacked the finesse to finish
up front. A spirited rally, inspired
by some great forward play from
David McGovern, saw McGovern(0-4)
and Cathal O’Neill score five
great points to peg Ballycran back
to just a two point advantage as
the Reds clawed their way back into
contention. Two soft goals just
before the interval took the wind
out of the visitor’s sails
and, after having played so well,
it was a disheartened team that
faced the half time team talk with
a seven point deficit.
Half time: Ballycran 2-7 Ballyvarley
0-5
Ballyvarley restructured after
the interval and went chasing the
game. Much of the play was concentrated
in the Ballycran half but some great
goalkeeping and lack of penetration
failed to produce the scores that
were needed. Hope flickered for
a time as James McGrath and Jamie
Murray picked off two fine points
and John O’Neill struck home
a goal but the scores eventually
dried up and Ballycran picked off
their points on the break to run
up a flattering eleven point win.
In a spirited performance Pat McGrath
and David McGovern were outstanding
while James McGrath, Thomas Lennon,
Cathal O’Neill, Colm O’Neill
and Eunan McConville were dominant
in a busy defence.
Final Score: Ballycran 2-15 Ballyvarley
1-7
Team: David Lavery; Pat McGrath,
James McGrath(0-1), Thomas Lennon;
Conor McClorey, Colm O’Neill,
Eunan McConville; Ciaran Connolly,
Niall Savage; Colin O’Neill,
David McGovern(0-4), Jamie Murray(0-1);
Stuart Cartmill, Cathal O’Neill(0-1),
John O’Neill(1-0)
