This article is from page 67 of the 2011-04-19 edition of The Clare People. OCR mistakes are to be expected so download the original SWF or the rendered page 67 JPG
Ballyea 0-18 – O’Callaghan’s Mills 0-05 at Cusack Park, Ennis
THESE are heady days for hurling out Ballyea way – just because they expect to win county titles and because of the strong pool of talent that’s come through the underage ranks in the club.
Much of that talent was on show at headquarters on Sunday as they clinically dispatched the O’Callaghan’s Mills challenge to claim their second under 21 title in three years.
And, like previous rounds of this year’s campaign much of the credit for Ballyea’s hegemony rested on the considerable shoulders of midfielder Tony Kelly – this year’s Clare minor captain who had accounted for 4-29 before this decider.
To say the 0-10 he contributed here was crucial is putting it midly – he was the talisman, the thorn in the Mills’ side, the match-winner as Ballyea bade farewell to the under 21 B ranks for 2012 (they have to be in the A grade) with this comprehensive 13-point victory.
It was the Tony Kelly show, with a considerable supporting cast that overwhelmed an O’Callaghan’s Mills that tried hard, but was limited in many departments and second best in nearly every departmeant by the end as Ballyea cruised to victory.
The gulf between the sides was really shown up in the second half when Ballyea hit ten points without reply, with Kelly being difference as he ripped the Mills apart and killed the game with the three brilliant points from play inside the first ten minutes.
Indeed, it was Kelly who had them on their way with a point inside two minutes, while he added two more by the seventh as Ballyea made a fast start to this county final.
The Mills did stay with them in the first half and three-in-a-row from Eoin McInerney, Aidan O’Gorman and a Jamie Lynch free did have the sides level by the 13th minute, but in truth it was as good as it got for them.
Ballyea edged 0-5 to 0-3 clear by the 15th minute thanks to points from Martin O’Leary and Niall Griffin. All the Mills could muster for the rest of the half were two Jamie Lynch frees as Kelly (2) and Martin O’Leary with the point of the half eased Ballyea into an 0-8 to 0-5 interval lead.
There was still much to play for, but once Kelly got into his stride in the second half this game had an inevitability about it as Ballyea were shooting for fun long before the end.
With Ballyea leading 0-11 to 0-5 by the 40th minute, that there was a lull was no surprise as they went ten minutes without a score before they cranked it up again in the final the final ten minutes.
Kelly reached double figures with another point on the run after 20 minutes and a free five minutes later; Niall Deasy produced a closing cameo of three points, while Paudge McMahon and Gearóid O’Connell also got on the scoresheet.