Ballincollig roar back to edge classic PIHC semi with Carrigaline
Dave Griffin, Carrigaline, and James Dwyer, Ballincollig, battle for the high ball in the PIHC semi at Ovens. Picture: Jim Coughlan.
Ballincollig will face Dungourney in the Co-op Superstores Premier IHC County Final after a sensational comeback against Carrigaline at Ovens.
They trailed by eight points midway through the second half and were struggling all over the field.
But the introduction of Cork senior panelist Brian Keating changed everything, and his brilliant goal gave Ballincollig a lifeline while the redeployment of James Dwyer to centre-back shored up the defence as they dominated the closing 10 minutes. Carrigaline had a couple of injury-time 20-metre frees attempts but Collig held firm for a famous victory.
Carrigaline opened the scoring from the puck-out with a fine Eanna Desmond point before Stephen Wills replied within seconds. The lively opening continued with another Carrigaline score through Finn O’Connell. The teams looked very well-matched early on, and Ballincollig edged in front with points from Cian O’Driscoll and Danny Miskella.
Carrigaline got back on level terms with a lovely equaliser from Kevin O’Reilly. This was real helter skelter hurling and Carrigaline tacked on a brace with a Brian Kelleher 65 and a superb point from O’Reilly out on the wing.
Ballincollig enjoyed their best spell and landed four points without reply with a brace from Wills, Darragh O’Mahony and Miskella to lead by two. A lovely long-range point from David Drake reduced the gap to the minimum, 0-8 to 0-7 after 15 minutes.
Carrigaline really seized the initiative at his stage and a super catch and score from O’Reilly set the tone. A Kelleher free levelled before O’Connell, Kelleher and Desmond edged the South East men in front. Ballincollig goalkeeper James Linehan then got dispossessed and the resultant penalty was smashed home by Kelleher.
Darragh O’Mahony, who had a fine game until he went off injured, tried to get Ballincollig a lifeline with a marauding run but his shot was brilliantly flicked away by Rob Foster. Wills converted the resultant 65 which left it 1-15 to 0-11 at the break.
On resumption, O’Mahony landed a nice score which was cancelled by the impressive Kelleher. Another key moment followed when Linehan made a top-drawer save to deny Rhys McCarthy a goal. Ballincollig landed the next three points with a lovely long-range effort from Kevin O’Leary and a pair of Wills free.
Carrigaline struck back with a goal from Finn O’Connell after Linehan had initially denied McCarthy after an electric defence-splitting run from Drake. At 2-17 to 0-15, it looked like game, set and match.
Ballincollig supporters needed something and the introduction of their talisman Brian Keating resulted in a point which left seven between the sides after 46 minutes. Another Collig point from the impressive youngster Miskella was cancelled out by another Kelleher free.
Slowly but surely Ballincollig were winning mini battles around the field and midfielder Theo Morgan clipped over. Crucially, the goal arrived when Keating was sent wide by Adam Willis and using a burst of speed he finished brilliantly to the net.
Ballincollig were dominating possession now and landed the next four points from Wills, Morgan, Miskella and another Wills free put them in front. Kelleher landed an equalising free with a couple of minutes remaining and we wondered it extra time was becoming.
Ballincollig were relentless now though and sub Peter Kelly landed a beauty while Brian Keating and Adam Wills gave them a three-point cushion with superb scores from tight angles.
There was time for injury-time drama but a couple of Kelleher frees were comfortably dealt with by some heroic Ballincollig defending.
S Wills 0-8 (0-4 f, 0-1 65), B Keating 1-2, D Miskella 0-4, D O’Mahony, T Morgan 0-3 each, P Kelly, K O’Leary, D O’Leary, A Wills, C O’Driscoll 0-1 each.
B Kelleher 1-7 (1-0 pen, 0-3 f, 0-2 65) F O’Connell 1-3, E Desmond, K O’Reilly 0-3 each, D Drake 0-2, R McCarthy 0-1.
J Linehan; R O’Donovan, F Denny, K O’Leary; B Coleman; D O’Sullivan, D O’Leary; B Dore, T Morgan; C O’Driscoll, S Wills, D O’Mahony, A Wills, J Dwyer, D Miskella.
T O’Connell for C O’Driscoll (27 inj), B Keating for B Dore (40), P Kelly for D O’Mahony (45 inj), C Dalton for B Coleman (50), J Murray for R O’Donovan (55).
R Foster; D Stack, D Griffin, S Williamson; K Kavanagh, N Coleman, D Green; E Desmond, R Kelleher, O O’Connell, B Kelleher, D Drake; K O’Reilly, Rhys McCarthy, F O’Connell.
C Kearney for D Drake (50), R O’Shea for O O'Connell (55).
C McAllister (Aghada).
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