GAA: Ballyfin and Colt serve up draw

8/17/2006 - By: Cóilín Duffy

IHC Group A

Ballyfin 3-10 Colt 2-13


BOTH sides may have already qualified for the knockout stages before this encounter but this game certainly didn’t lack bite as Ballyfin and Colt served up a competitive hour of hurling at Abbeyleix on Friday evening last.

Last year’s beaten final-ists Colt certainly look like hot property this year and with convincing victories over Abbeyleix and The Harps already in this campaign they certainly look like going once step further.

This game certainly will be a contest to be remembered for all the right reasons and this was a free-flowing hurling with no malice, indeed it was credit to both sets of clubs for the way they conducted their affairs.

Lies, damn lies and statistics is a well-known quote but this game threw up the unusual statistic of having opposite numbers score eight points and indeed both Brian McDermott and Sean Lowry were foundation stones which Colt and Ballyfin based their game play.

With both sides already through to the knockout stages there was very little to play for but yet this game produced fire and courage with a draw a fitting result at the end.

A late injury-time goal from substitute John Joe McHugh ensured that the sides shared the spoils but a draw looked far from being the likely result after seven minutes of this game. Ballyfin were left spellbound with Colt making a start better than what Kilkenny subsequently produced against Clare on Sunday. Ballyfin simply had no answer to Colt’s prolific scoring power.

Brian McDermott (two) and Jimmy Farrell regis-tered early points before corner forward PJ Moffit found the net for the first time in the contest having well judged his shot to finish the ball past Ballyfin goalkeeper Niall Keenan.

Colt added further points from full-forward Padraig Dunne but as they looked like running away with this game, suddenly Ballyfin sprung to life and a point from Sean Lowry after ten minutes was their first score of the hour.

Colt responded quickly with a second point from Padraig Dunne but when Colt lost midfielder Anthony Dunne through a blood injury; Ballyfin took control.

A quick flick of the wrist from a Sean Lowry free to full-forward Eddie Fitzpatrick helped to produce Ballyfin’s first goal of the hour and a quick point from Lowry ensured just three points separated the sides.

Colt had a brace of wides before Brian McDermott made amends with a pointed 65’ to extend the gap to four points once more.

All of the good work was not just being done by the respective forward lines and indeed Ballyfin fullback Andy Bergin was certainly the non-scoring player of the hour with some great defensive play.

Bergin’s good work helped Ballyfin gain confidence and two quick points from Sean Lowry cut the deficit to two points four minutes before the interval.

Indeed this was certain-ly a bright patch for Ballyfin as they went on to add 1-1 before the break after Jimmy Farrell had pointed for Colt to see Ballyfin in front for the first time at 2-5 to 1-7 at the interval with Eddie Fitzpatrick the goalscorer.

Colt gained the lead once more on the restart with PJ Moffit adding a second goal but when Ballyfin took control nine minutes from the end it still looked like anyone’s game.

Their opponents suddenly began to break away once more and points from Brian McDermott and Padraig Dunne ensured that they held advantage again.

Ballyfin began to panic at this stage and the introduction of John Joe McHugh in place of Aidan Heffernan was seen as a last hurrah.

Further points from McDermott gave Colt an injury time lead of three points and it looked like Ballyfin’s chance had gone but miraculously McHugh found the net a minute into injury time to see the sides share the spoils.

BALLYFIN: Niall Keenan; Thomas McHugh, Andy Bergin, Eoin Dunphy; Gary Dunne, Mark Dunne, Ronan McGrath; Jason Horan, Dermot McGill; Sean Lowry (0-8, 7f 1 65), Aidan Heffernan, George Lanham (0-2); Richie Downey, Eddie Fitzpatrick (2-0), Gareth Behan. Subs: Evan Coogan for T McHugh (36min), John Joe McHugh (1-0) for Heffernan (55min).

COLT: Paddy Brennan; Ivan Ryan, Bosco Grant, Pat Connor; Brian Keegan, Colin Ryan, John Stackpool; Eddie Dunne, Anthony Dunne; Brian McDermott (0-8, 4f 1 65), Jimmy Farrell (0-2), Michael Grant; Gearoid Parkinson, Padraig Dunne (0-3), PJ Moffit (2-0). Subs: Shane Mullins for Stackpool (34min).

Ref: Liam Dunne (Clough-Ballacolla).