Ballinora edge out Cloughduv in hurling cracker to secure Féile double

Ballinora 0-12 Cloughduv 1-8 

BALLINORA completed the second leg of a memorable double after winning a thrilling Premier 2 Féile hurling final against Cloughduv at Ovens.

This was a gripping contest that went right down to the very wire, with Ballinora overcoming the challenge of Douglas and Cloughduv coming out on top against Mallow in the semi-finals beforehand.

After winning the football last Monday, Ballinora will remember this week for a long time.

Ballinora opened the scoring thanks to a lovely Billy Mehigan point and Cloughduv got off the mark when Jacob Barry slotted a neat point. Ballinora then edged back in front as Mehigan went on a dashing run through the defence before pointing and Cathal Murphy then added a lovely score from distance, 0-3 to 0-1 after 10 minutes.

Cloughduv responded well though Tadhg Murphy scoring from distance, followed by Barry's second. A few minutes before half-time, Cloughduv hit the back of the net, following a strong spell of attacking pressure Noah O’Callaghan finished from close range.

At the interval, Cloughduv were 1-4 to 0-5 up.

Cormac Murphy got Ballinora off to the perfect second-half start as he was coolness personified from a free. Cloughduv, however, kept their heads in front courtesy of a Liam Buckley point.

Ballinora levelled at the midway juncture of the second half, a Cormac Murphy point, followed up by a cracker of a point from distance by Cathal Murphy: 1-6 to 0-9.

Another Tadhg Murphy point edged Cloughduv back in front, with the game now heading into the closing stages. When their backs were against the wall, Ballinora duly responded and showed the character of champions.

A pair of frees by Cormac Murphy saw Ballinora retake the lead but the response was a Tadhg Murphy free.

With extra time on the horizon, Ballinora grabbed the winner in stoppage time As the sliotar broke into his path, Cathal Murphy showed wonderful agility and converted. It was a fitting score to decide what was a wonderful contest.

At the end of an action-packed weekend and a compelling final, it was Ballinora that were the last team standing to claim the silverware.

Scorers for Ballinora: Cormac Murphy 0-7 (0-5 f), B Mehigan, Cathal Murphy 0-2 each, B Hegarty 0-1 f.

Cloughduv: T Murphy 0-4 f, N O’Callaghan 1-0, J Barry 0-2, L Buckley, B O’Leary 0-1 each.

BALLINORA PANEL: P McCoy; L Gaffney, M Cremin, J O’Sullivan, P Twohig, B Hegarty, F Murphy, A Lehane, Cathal Murphy, O Murphy, Cormac Murphy, D O’Mahony H McCoy, B Mehigan, O Kingston, T Mahon, T O’Reilly, P O’Regan, P O’Mahony, D Conway, B Murphy, C Noonan, C Murphy, D Fenton.

CLOUGHDUV PANEL: F O’Leary; L Buckley, J Bruen, T Murphy, S Collins, B O’Leary, C Bateman, J Twomey, D Fehily, D O’Driscoll, K Delaney, J Barry, F O’Callaghan, C Feeney, D Cotter, J Phelan, M Kiely, R Madden, T Lehane, N O’Callaghan, E Van Der Westhuizen, G Shanahan, A Hayes, C Healy.

Referee: John Horgan (Gleann na Laoi).