Match Report

Battling Reds beaten at the 'Point.

Date Filed: 17 July 2008


Down Senior Hurling League
Warrenpoint  2-19  Ballyvarley  2-11
 
A fighting performance from an injury-hit Ballyvarley team produced an exciting and competitive game at Moygannon but they had no answer to a Warrenpoint surge in the final ten minutes that opened up a daunting eight point winning margin. Both sides were looking for championship pointers ahead of their “big” clash at the beginning of August and on the evidence of this game Ballyvarley will have it all to do to upset an unbeaten Warrenpoint side that are going for a league and championship double.
            As usual, Ballyvarley proved to be a very competitive side and their fighting spirit brought the game to the home side in the opening half but from start to finish this proved to be the John O’Kane show as the Warrenpoint and South Down star proved to be a thorn once again in Ballyvarley’s side and his 1-13 in this game was the difference between the sides. Eight of those fourteen scores came from placed balls and in the opening minutes he signalled his intentions with a goal and two points, all from frees, to give the home side the lead. However, after that initial set-back it was the Reds who took the initiative and four points from Paul O’Neill(2). Niall Savage and David McGovern reduced the arrears to the minimum. Two further points from O’Kane and another from Tommy Mulligan widened the gap to four but once more Ballyvarley fought their way back into contention. Paul O’Neill struck over three further points and then Cathal O’Neill put the Reds in front for the first time with a close-range finish to the net. Ballyvarley were good value for their lead but then it all went wrong for the visitors when some strange refereeing decisions handed the initiative back to Warrenpoint and they managed four late points to go into the interval with a two point lead.
            Half Time:  Warrenpoint  1-9   Ballyvarley  1-7
Ballyvarley were stung by the decisions before the interval and emerged in the second half with renewed vigour. Two points from Paul O’Neill and a stunning goal from Cathal O’Neill saw them surge into a three point lead but back came that man O’Kane with four unanswered points as the lead changed hands for the fifth time in this thrilling game. Still the Reds fought gamely and a Paul O’Neill point from play levelled it once again but that was to prove as near as Ballyvarley were to come to winning this game. The harsh dismissal of Sean Kennedy, a few minutes later, totally unsettled the Reds and in the last ten minutes Warrenpoint swept the visitors aside with worrying ease, scoring a goal and six points to the Reds solitary point in reply.
            Final Score:  Warrenpoint  2-19   Ballyvarley  2-11
Team: James McGrath; Pat McGrath, Niall Higgins, John O’Neill; Conor McClorey, Sean Kennedy, Thomas Lennon; Niall Savage(0-1), Ciaran Connolly; Conor Grew, Paul O’Neill(0-9), Cathal O’Neill(2-0); Colin O’Neill, David McGovern(0-1), Jamie Murray.  Sub: Stewart Cartmill