Ballyholland
fall in Ulster
Ulster Intermediate Championship 1st Round:
Maghery (Armagh) 0-12 Ballyholland Harps 0-1)
Taken from Hoganstand.com
A point by Conor Forker two minutes
from the end of normal time was the score that saw
Maghery edge their way into the semi finals of the
Ulster intermediates club tournament at the expense
of Down side Ballyholland in this closely contested
and at times highly exciting quarter-final game in
Clontibret.
Conor and his brother Paul were the
key players in this valuable victory, they hit nine
points between them and it was their inter play and
ability to pick off scores at vital times that saw
the Armagh champions take over increasingly in a very
competitive second-half.
Earlier Ballyholland had been the
dominant side with Shane Mullholland in particular
dominating the exchanges on the ‘40 while Ronan Murtagh
at full forward was also in purposeful mood and it
was mostly their influence that saw their team comfortably
enough ahead on double scores at the break, Ballyholland
0-8 to Maghery’s 0-4.
In the second-half however Maghery
were a transformed team with a number of switches
particularly that of Ciaran Rafferty to midfield helping
to wrest control from the Down champions but it was
still all to play for throughout the second-half.
Entering the final quarter Maghery
had wiped out that four points half-time deficit and
the outcome was balanced on a knife edge with the
sides level three times inside the final 10 minutes.
Two minutes from time however came
the vital score when Conor Forker picked off the winner
although his side did endure another couple of anxious
moments before Pat Mc Enaney sounded the full-time
whistle.
Scorers: Maghery: Conor Forker 0-5,
Paul Forker 0-4, Eamonn Robinson 0-2, Seamus McConville,
0-1. Ballyholland: Shane Mulholland 0-3, Ronan Murtagh
0-2, Adrian McAteer, Ciaran Hartigan, Ronan Murphy,
John Barry and Robert Quinn 0-1 each.
Maghery: Dermot Fox, Stephen Cusack,
Eamon Toye, Gavin Fox, Niall Forker, Kieran Rafferty,
Stephen Nugent, Joe Fox, James Lavery, Seamus McConville,
Eamonn Robinson, Gerard Campbell, Paul McNamee, Paul
Forker, Conor Forker. Subs: Kieran Robinson for P
McNamee, Don Laverty for G Fox.
Ballyholland: Kieran Murphy, Glen
Elmore, Damien McCrink, Eugene Campbell, Paul McAteer,
Brendan O’Hare, Colman Smith, Paul Murphy, James Patterson,
Adrian McAteer, Shane Mulholland, Ciaran Hartigan,
Ronan Murphy, Ronan Murtagh, John Barry. Subs: Robert
Quinn for J Barry.
Referee: P McEnaney (Corduff).
