Ballinrobe singing in the rain as they down Castlebar Mitchels

GAA - MAYO INTERMEDIATE CHAMPIONSHIP

Ballinrobe 0-15

Castlebar Mitchels ‘B’ 0-8

In Ballinrobe

A solid, if unspectacular, second-half performance was enough to pave the way for Ballinrobe to open their championship account with a win on Sunday afternoon.

The performance was not the prettiest, and there will be plenty for Eoin Hughes and his backroom team to pore over if they're to have a cut at going all the way.

Regardless, a win is a win, and when yesterday's game 

Brendan Gaughan’s fine kick from inside the arc opened the scoring for the visitors, and before long it was level when a Diarmuid Duffy run from deep culminated in the Robesiders first score of the tie.

Within 30 seconds, Cian O’Connell put Ballinrobe ahead.

Twice in a row, James Murphy fed his full-forward Kevin Quinn, and he duly obliged on both occasions, to put Ballinrobe three clear.

Two Calum Filan frees kept the visitors ticking over, but Evan O’Brien got in on the act for Eoin Hughes’ troops.

Ballinrobe skipper Ewan Duffy kicked a free to leave three in it again, and Mitchel’s, much like their senior counterparts the night before, were having issues finding their range.

However, as the game progressed Declan O’Reilly and Eamonn Smith’s men found a touch more of a foothold.

Fionán O’Reilly found space on the periphery of the defensive screen to curl over with the outside of the right boot, before Kevin Quinn and Calum Filan exchanged frees.

Another Duffy point put three between the sides, but with the last kick of the half, Conor Kavanagh cut down the deficit as each side made their way to the dressing rooms under the terraces.

Both sides struggled to keep their hands on the ball early in the second period, with the O’Neill’s bearing more resemblance of a bar of soap.

That didn’t stop Ballinrobe from wreaking havoc, as Evan O’Brien’s missile found the gloves of Liam Burke, clean through. Oran Burke’s double save was exceptional, and the home crowd had to settle for a point.

Another white flag from Duffy followed, while the travelling soldiers struggled to find the same form they were showing before the changeover.

The final pass seemed to be evading both sides on occasion, but you couldn't blame either team given the conditions.

A Ewan Duffy kick off the carpet bisected the sticks and had the lead out to six with eight minutes to go, before a Kevin Quinn outrageous acute effort had seven between them, and the game beyond the county town lads.

A full report, plus reaction, will be carried in Tuesday’s edition of The Mayo News