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Senior Hurling Championship Preliminary Round (Second Leg)
Ballycastle 3-09 (29) Rossa 1-13 (41)
Brendan McTaggart reports from Paírc MacUílín
Rossa progressed to the round robin stage of the 2019 championship on Sunday afternoon after surviving a scare against Ballycastle in Paírc MacUílín. Despite opening with the first four points of the match in just six minutes, Rossa wouldn’t register another score until Tiarnan Murphy scored their major in the 26th minute. Between times, Ballycastle hit 2-4 and got the scent for blood with a dramatic comeback on the cards.
The potential turning point came in the 25th minute. The Town were throwing everything at the Rossa defence, including the kitchen sink. They reduced the aggregate lead to eight points when they were given a major lifeline through a penalty. Ciaran Clarke had already bagged a major from a 21 yard free and stood over the penalty. You would have put your house on him to find the back of the net but his effort went to the left of the posts and wide. They had Rossa against the ropes and the city side were all at sea, the penalty miss was the impetus they needed and from there they gained control, highlighted with Murphy’s major. They lost influential half forward Callum McVeigh to a second yellow card at the end of the half but half time came at the right time for Colly Murphy’s men as they reorganised at the break.
Ballycastle launched an aerial assault on the Rossa defence in the second half and but for the reflexes of Matt Devlin, they could have had more goals than that of Kevin Barry McShane’s in the second period, but Rossa did enough in the end. Thomas Morgan was once again their star player in attack, the lively forward finished with 0-5 to his name in another action-packed display. He was the one constant threat for the Jeremiah’s with other players coming in and out of the game while captain Stephen Shannon was immense and my choice for man of the match. As Ballycastle went in search for goals, the Rossa centre half was in the right place at the right time to repel the threat of the McQuillan’s.
Playing with the wind in the first half, Rossa made the perfect start. Thomas Morgan, Seaghan Shannon, Deaglan Murphy and Stephen Beatty all adding their names to the scoresheet by the sixth minute. Ballycastle couldn’t get a footing in the game and it looked like it was going to be a long afternoon for the McQuillan’s but they scored the first goal of the game in the 11th minute to get the scoreboard ticking. Saul McCaughan with the initial shot, bringing the best out of Matt Devlin who also saved the first rebound but Ronan McCarry swept home to boost the Town’s hopes.
The home side began to dream the impossible just two minutes later. McCaughan wa felled enroute to goal and Clarke stood over the 21 yard free. It wasn’t the cleanest strike the Ballycastle man has struck but it still managed to hit the back of the Rossa net. When Tiernan Butler split the posts with a massive point from inside his own half, the Ballycastle crowd found their voice and Rossa were stuttering. The Town were winning every ball and Rossa had no answer. A brace of frees from Clarke and a point from Diarmuid McShane had Ballycastle ahead by six and things were looking nervy for Rossa.
Those nerves would have been thread bear when the clocked ticked into the 25th minute. A long ball into Owen Kinney had Rossa in trouble and he was dragged to the ground with referee Kevin Parke awarding a penalty. Clarke stepped up and nailed the sliotar with a sweet strike but his effort went to the left and wide.
A let-off for Rossa and they made the most of it as just over a minute later they had their first goal. Callum McVeigh with the assist for Tiarnan Murphy to lift any pressure starting to mount. Ballycastle’s hopes were given another boost when Callum McVeigh saw red for a second yellow card in the last minute of normal time in the first half but Rossa responded well with Morgan and Deaglan Murphy (free) reducing the Ballycastle lead to the minimum before Clarke struck a free in the seventh minute of injury time to leave two between the sides at the interval.
Now with the wind at their back, Ballycastle were going to need something special to keep their championship dream alive. 12 points was the aggregate lead for Rossa but Ballycastle weren’t going down without a fight. They tackled, harassed and when Kevin Barry McShane doubled on the sliotar in mid-air to score their third goal in the 38th minute, the home crowd found their voice once more.
Ballycastle kept Kevin Barry McShane and Owen Kinney on the edge of the square and sent high ball after high ball into them. They went close on a number of occasions with Rossa ‘keeper Devlin showing some more than handy reflexes and outstanding bravery to keep them at bay.
They couldn’t get the goals that would make a further dent in the Rossa advantage however. Points from Clarke (free), Saul McCaughan and Tiernan Butler (free) were answered to by scores from Deaglan Murphy (two frees), Morgan (two) and Beatty in the time that remained.
A two point win for the Town but Rossa progress. A 100% improvement from Bamba McAuley’s side who will rue their performance in the City two weeks ago and look back on what might have been but the Shaws Road men progress to the round robin and a home meeting with Dunloy on Saturday afternoon.
TEAMS
Ballycastle: Ryan McGarry; Oran Kearney, Matthew Donnelly, Sean Kelly; Shane McCarry, TT Butler, James McLister; Ciaran Clarke, Conor Boyd; Eamon Elliott, Kevin Barry McShane, Ronan McCarry; Owen Kinney, Saul McCaughan, Dairmuid McShane.
Subs: Oisin McAuley for E Elliott (54); Lorcan Donnelly (59)
Scorers: Ciaran Clarke 1-5 (1-4 f’s); Kevin Barry McShane 1-00; Ronan McCarry 1-00; TT Butler 0-2 (2 f’s); Dairmuid McShane 0-1; Saul McCaughan 0-1
Rossa: Matt Devlin; Niall Crossan, Chris McGuinness, Aidan Orchin; Gerard Walsh, Stephen Shannon, Ciaran Orchin; Michael McGreevey, Michael Armstrong; Seaghan Shannon, Callum McVeigh, Stephen Beatty; Tiarnan Murphy, Thomas Morgan, Deaglan Murphy
Subs: Aodhan O’Brien for N Crossan (40); Conal Shannon for M McGreevey (50); James Connolly for T Murphy (inj).
Scorers: Thomas Morgan 0-5; Deaglan Murphy 0-5 (4 f’s); Tiarnan Murphy 1-00; Stephen Beatty 0-2; Seaghan Shannon 0-1
Referee: Kevin Parke (Naomh Éanna)
