Ballinrobe CS get the better of St Colman’s

St Coleman’s Paul Gilmore gets past Ballinrobe’s Conor Jennings. Pic Conor McKeown

Connacht Post-Primary Schools Senior ‘A’ Football Championship

Round 1

Ballinrobe CS 2-9

St Colman’s 0-11

Michael Gallagher

Ballinrobe

A FINE all-round team performance from Ballinrobe Community School gave them a deserved victory in the opening round of the Connacht Post-Primary Schools senior ‘A’ football championship in Flanagan Park on Wednesday.

The result might be a shock to many, but those fortunate enough to be present at the South Mayo derby will undoubtedly concur that the home side were the better team over the hour.

Colman’s began well and were the dominant team on the scoreboard in the opening half as Ballinrobe CS failed to raise one single flag from play, but that was only half the story.

The home side might not have been lighting things up in attack, but they were still carving out goal chances and that pressure was rewarded after 27 minutes when Eoghan O’Halloran was fouled in the square.

He stepped forward himself to drill home the penalty and leave the homeside just one behind at the break, 1-2 to 0-6.

Dara Hurley, Niall Hurley and Adam Beirne had kicked the Colman’s scores while O’Halloran was the only flag-raiser for Damien Egan’s charges

The second half was an entirely different story.

Ballinrobe took just 38 seconds to hit the front when Tiernan Egan blazed the ball to the net and they never looked back.

Jack Keane was outstanding around the middle alongside Diarmuid Duffy and Oisin Joyce and, between them, they drove Ballinrobe forward.

Dara Hurley was the brightest light for Colman’s and tried to keep them in it, but the homeside were on a roll.

Tom Lydon excelled at full-forward, Owen Corcoran sparkled at wing-back, Duffy never stopped working and Robbie Hughes came off the bench to kick a classy point.

Colman’s never dropped the head but kicked a multitude of wide and was no way past a dogged Ballinrobe backline where Sean Biggins and Sean Flannery also caught the eye.

BALLINROBE CS

S O’Connor; C Geraghty, S Biggins, E Kinneavey; O Corcoran (0-1), C Jennings, S Flannery; O Joyce, D Duffy (0-1); R Corcoran, J Keane, T Egan (1-0); J Luskin, T Lydon (0-2, 1m), E O’Halloran (1-4, 4fs, 1-0pen).

Subs used: R Hughes (0-1) for Luskin, J Marrey for Kinneavey,  I Killeen for Joyce.

ST COLMAN’S

G Murphy; R Mortimer, C Lydon, C Morley; O McNulty, P Gilmore, D Gallagher; E Jennings, J Melvin; J Cummins, M Morris, D Hurley (0-2); P Gallagher (0-1f), A Beirne (0-4, 4fs), N Hurley (0-2).

Subs used: E McGreal for Melvin, D Beirne for Cummins.

Referee: S Corcoran (Islandeady)