Ballyea (Clare) 1-12 St Finbarr’s (Cork) 0-14
It took an injury-time point from defender Brandon O’Connell to finally edge Clare champions Ballyea into a first Munster Senior Club Hurling Final in six years after holding off the obstinate challenge of 14-man St Finbarr’s in Cusack Park, Ennis on Sunday afternoon.
With the majority of the provincial focus on the TUS Gaelic Grounds for the heavyweight showdown of Ballygunner and Na Piarsaigh, this inch-tight semi-final showdown rather went under the radar in what was a tense arm wrestle for supremacy.
With never more than two points the difference between them at any stage and the sides level on five occasions in the final 20 minutes, the pendulum of victory could have realistically swung either way. However, being Ballyea’s third Munster attempt since soaring to historic county and provincial honours in their memorable 2016 breakthrough season, that added sprinkling of experience and composure was arguably decisive in a frantic, pressurised conclusion to the game.
In the end, it was their newest Clare senior panellist Brandon O’Connell that stepped up with the 62nd-minute winner but the Barrs did manage to carve out one final opportunity to force extra-time when earning a contentious 65 in the 66th minute.
Belying his previous unerring form, however, man-of-the-match Ben Cunningham just dragged his effort wide of the right post to see a relieved home side prevail.
Despite the devastating manner of their exit, the Cork champions must be commended for their character, having suffered a double hammerblow in the space of a minute in the opening quarter.
Leading by 0-2 to 0-1 at the time, the Bar’s would allow Ballyea midfielder Gary Brennan to slalom through the heart of their defence to raid for the only goal of the game in the eighth minute before key protagonist Conor Cahalane was red-carded for an off-the-ball altercation with Jack Browne in the next passage of play.
Far from derailing their challenge, however, the Barrs remained in touch, predominantly through teenager Cunningham, to only trail by 1-5 to 0-7 by the break before finally reeling in their hosts by the two-thirds mark.
Seeing the visitors hit the front for the first time in 35 minutes finally sparked Clare’s three-in-a-row All Star Tony Kelly into life as the Ballyea talisman converted four points in 10 minutes to match anything the resurgent Barrs could throw at them, before unlikely hero O’Connell popped up with a dramatic late winner.
BALLYEA: B Coote; P Flanagan, P Casey, B O’Connell (0-1); G O’Connell (0-1), J Browne, J Murphy; S Lineen, G Brennan (1-0); N Deasy (0-1, free), P Lillis, C O’Connor; M Gavin (0-3), T Kelly (0-5, two 65s, one free), A Griffin (0-1).
Subs: C Brennan for Lineen (48 mins), M Garry for O’Connor (53), M O’Leary for Gavin (55)
ST FINBARR’S: S Hurley; C Walsh, J Burns, E Keane; G O’Connor, D Cahalane, B Hennessy; B O’Connor (0-2), E Twomey (0-1); P Buggy, B Cunningham (0-9, five frees), C Cahalane; W Buckley, B Hayes (0-2), J Cahalane.
Subs: S Cunningham for Buckley (45 mins), C Doolan for G O’Connor (56), E Finn for J Cahalane (60).
Referee: M Kennedy (Tipperary).
