PIHC: Ballinhassig impress again in defeating Ballincollig
Ballinhassig's Shane McCarthy and Ballincollig's Peter O'Neill trying to win the ball in the Co-op Superstores PIHC at Brinny. Picture Denis Minihane.
Ballinhassig 2-17 Ballincollig 1-13
BALLINHASSIG are through to the knockout stages of the Co-Op Superstores PIHC as they comfortably defeated Ballincollig at Brinny on Saturday afternoon.
Once Hassig settled into the game after the first quarter they were full value for the victory, far more clinical than Ballincollig and comfortable in front of Cork keeper Patrick Collins until a late consolation goal from David Bowen.
A clinical display from full-forward Conor Desmond, which saw him score 0-9 of his side’s total, including seven out of eight frees, was key as well, particularly as the Collig missed a series of placed balls. They also hit two goals in the second half through Cork sub keeper Ger Collins, operating at wing-forward, and Simon O'Neill.
The Muskerry outfit needed a win, having drawn 0-23 to 1-20 with Kilworth, while Ballinhassig had the comfort of a victory over Aghada in the bank.
Collig raced out of the traps here as they notched the opening two scores of the game with David Bowen and Barry Coleman brilliantly firing over twice from play.
Hassig soon settled into the game and by the sixth minute, they were level at 0-2 apiece thanks to points from the excellent Evan Cullinane and Desmond.
The two sides, who drew when they met at this stage last year, remained locked at 0-4 apiece by the first water break although Ballincollig ought to have been ahead as they hit 10 wides in the first half in total, five frees.
Desmond, by contrast, wasn’t having any issues with his dead-balls and he helped Ballinhassig lead at the half-time break 0-8 to 0-5.
From there the outcome of the game was never in doubt. The lead had been extended to four points by the 37th minute when they struck the first goal of the game with Ger Collins collecting Edwards Finn’s pass before drilling the sliotar into the bottom corner of the net.
Sub Simon O’Neill would soon raise their second green flag of the afternoon when he batted past the keeper from close range to help make it 2-14 to 0-8 by the end of the third quarter.
To their credit, Ballincollig never gave up and they outscored their rivals 1-5 to 0-3 in the closing stages - Bowen drilling the ball inside the far post in injury time - but it was too little too late as Ballinhassig claimed a seven-point triumph.
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