Ballymartle end their group campaign with a great win over table toppers Valley Rovers

Ballymartle 0-21 

Valley Rovers 0-20 

Ballymartle produced an unbelievable performance coming down the home straight to beat Valley Rovers in a rip-roaring contest in the Co-Op Superstore Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship in Ballinspittle on Sunday.

Twice in this contest Bally looked dead and buried. 

In the opening eight minutes the Innishannon outfit had raced into a six-point lead as Bally couldn’t get to the pace of the contest.

However, driven by their young guns of Ryan Deasy, Cillian Lordan and Leo Hennessy they were leading at the break.

With 51 minutes remaining Valleys looked like they had this contest sown up, as they had a five-point advantage, but Bally’s three musketeers of Deasy, Hennessey and Deasy dragged their side back into contest, and when Hennessey put his side ahead on 60 minutes, the Bally’s supporters’ cheers could have been heard back in Riverstick.

It was Valleys supporters who enjoyed the early advantage they lead by 0-6, after eight minutes, as Chris O’Leary claimed two of the scores. 

Lead by Deasy, Ballymartle they had hit the front on 17 minutes as they scored seven without reply, including a fine score from the experienced Shane Cummins.

Valleys were level on 0-7 to 0-7 as the impressive Brian McCarthy levelled the contest on 20 minutes.

A brace of Lordan points to a single Evan O’Shea score had Ballymartle leading by one with seven minutes to break, before blood sub-Harry O’Sullivan and Cummins exchanged a point a piece to leave the score at 0-10 to 0-9.

With a heavy missed falling early in the second half it didn’t deter Valley's efforts as streaked in to a 0-16 to 0-11 lead after 45 minutes, as McCarthy continued to impress.

Indeed, it was the 46 minutes before the Ballymartle hit the second score of the second period as they trailed by four, but two more points from O’Leary to a single Desmond point were worrying times.

But their anxiety was short lived as three new heroes emerged from Ballymartle to fasten a famous victory, as they fired over eight points to two over the remainder of the contes. 

Fittingly, it was Hennessey and Deasy who secured the last two scores.

Scorers for Ballymartle: C Lordan 0-8 (8F) L Hennessey 0-4 R Deasy 0-3 (1f), Luke O’Callaghan 0-3, S Cummins 0-2, D Desmond 0-1.

Valley Rovers: C O’Leary 0-8 (8F), B McCarthy 0-5, E O’Shea 0-3, H O’Sullivan 0-2, J Twohig, J Walsh 0-1 each.

BALLYMARTLE: D McCarthy; E Deasy, C Coleman, E Healy; C Allen, R Deasy, F Desmond; R Cahalane, S Dorney, S Cummins, C Lordan, R Sheehan, L O’Callaghan P Geary, L Hennessy.

Subs: T J Murphy for E Healy (15 inj), J O’Dwyer and D Desmond for Shane Cummins and Paul Geary (40) 

Valley Rovers: M Kelleher; T McGrath, M O'Leary, C Johnson; C O'Shea, E Guinnane, W Hurley; S Ryan, M Woods; J Walsh, B McCarthy, J Twohig; C O'Leary, E O'Shea, E Crowley.

Subs: H O’Sullivan for B McCarthy (27 blood sub), H O’Sullivan for E Crowley (37), A Kenneally for A Woods (47), C Butler for Jack Walsh (50).

Referee: Joe Larkin, Ballinora.