Ballincollig Community School make hurling history with incredible comeback

Ballincollig Community School 3-6

Scoil Ruáin, Killenaule 1-10

BALLINCOLLIG Community School made history at Cappoquin, coming from five points down to capture the Corn an Darra Uí Dhonabháin for the first time.

A hat-trick from Killian Lee, two goals in the frenzied finale, proved decisive, as well as some super saves from Dara Dorgan and the clinical free-taking of Stephen Willis. Centre-back Colin O’Leary and captain Mark Kelleher impressed too in this U16.5 C Munster hurling final.

They rode their luck at times – with Dorgan turning three great goal chances into just two points. Special mention must go to 13-year-old Tadhg O’Connell, a second-half sub whose smart first-time off-load to Wills led to Lee’s third goal to snatch the lead, while Jack Hurley, Stephen Linehan, Evan Lucey and Chris Twomey had their moments as well.

The first half was even, Lee feeding off a break from Stephen O’Donoghue for the opening goal, but a Michael O’Shea goal – after Dorgan had already twice denied Scoil Ruáin – left BCS 1-6 to 1-4 down.

They looked in trouble by the 38th minute when Killenaule’s go-to forward O’Shea forced Dorgan into a terrific stop. The sliotar curled up and over the bar when a goal appeared inevitable. It was a let-off but the Ballincollig side still trailed 1-10 to 1-5, with Eoin Walsh and Kyle Shelly dominating in the middle third.

Kelleher earned a free soon after to trim the gap and then came a 10-minute period where the scoring dried up even if the rain certainly didn’t. In the 53rd minute Lee buried his second goal after O’Leary and O’Donoghue combined, and three minutes later he blasted the winner, a rocket into the roof of the net.

Josh Ambrose came close to another goal, while at the other end Killenaule were held at bay by BCS’s resolute defending before an outpouring of joy at full-time from the school and its noisy supporters.

Scorers for BCS: K Lee 3-0, S Wills 0-5 f, M Kelleher 0-1.

Killenaule: M O’Shea 1-6 (0-3 f), K Shelly 0-4 (0-2 f).

BCS: D Dorgan (Ballincollig); E Cunningham (Inniscarra), E O’Herlihy (do), J Hurley (Valley Rovers); P Sheehan (Inniscarra), C O’Leary (do), C Twomey (Ballincollig); S Linehan (Inniscarra), S Wills (Ballincollig); E Lucey (Gleann na Laoi), M Kelleher (Éire Óg, c), J Ambrose (Ballincollig); K Lee (Ballincollig), S O’Donoghue (Cloughduv), S Ahern (Inniscarra).

Sub: T O’Connell for Ahern (36).