Castlewellan Force Late Late Draw!
Date Filed: 20 March 2011
Ulster Senior Hurling League Castlewellan 0-11 Ballyvarley 0-11
A last gasp point from Castlewellan broke Ballyvarley hearts and denied them their second victory of the campaign as the home side came from behind to snatch a share of the spoils in this bruising and competitive all-Down Ulster Hurling League game. Leading comfortably by five points at the interval, Ballyvarley gradually lost their way in the second period and finally succumbed to a spirited Castlewellan revival that snatched a deserved point with the final puck of the game.
In the opening half there was no sign of the struggle that was to come as Ballyvarley dominated the play and eased into an early lead. The Reds defence was totally on top and Paul O’Neill and Colm O’Neill were in free-flow around the middle of the field. Paul soloed through for the opening point and then Colm weighed in with two more excellent scores from play to give Ballyvarley the start they needed. Paul added two further pointed frees to increase the lead to five points before Castlewellan slotted over two similar scores to gain a foothold in the game. Colm O’Neill placed James McConville for another minor score before linking up neatly with Jamie Murray to drive over his third point. Two further points from Paul O’Neill emphasised Ballyvarley’s superiority but two late pointed frees just before half time gave the home side a lifeline for the second half.
Half time: Castlewellan 0-4 Ballyvarley 0-9
The Reds lack of penetration was to prove their undoing and as Castlewellan gradually clawed their way back into the game their spirits rose and the game developed into a rumbustious high tempo affair with the referee struggling to keep the contest from boiling over. The home side gradually added three points to their tally and for the last twenty minutes Ballyvarley were literally hanging on to what they had got and showed few signs of creating further scores. A foul on Niall Savage gave Paul O’Neill the chance to slot over another point but three further points from Castlewellan brought the sides level with only five minutes remaining. A pointed free from Paul O’Neill, only their second in the second half, gave Ballyvarley the lead again with just two minutes remaining but their hopes of clinging on to a desperate victory were thwarted with the last puck of the game and Castlewellan got the point that their second half revival deserved.
Final score: Castlewellan 0-11 Ballyvarley 0-11
Cathal O’Neill; John O’Neill, James McGrath, Eunan McConville; Sean Kennedy, Thomas Lennon, Jamie Murray; Paul O’Neill(0-7), Ciaran Connolly; James McConville(0-1), Colm O’Neill(0-3), Niall Savage; Martin Connolly, Steven Daly, Tony Hegarty.
Subs: Patrick Mackin, Colin O’Neill, Michael McKay, Peter McConville, Ciaron Davis, Sean O’Neill