Club round-up: Picky strike sees Clough-Ballacolla back on top in Laois
There were also football finals in Leitrim and Carlow.
Laois star Stephen Maher fired 1-13 as Clough-Ballacolla blew Rathdowney-Errill away in the second half to take a fourth county title in five years.
Trailing by 0-15 to 1-8 at half-time, with Stephen Bergin netting the goal in the 14th minute, Clough-Ballacolla quickly set about whittling that away with the wind behind them and Maher’s 37th minute goal put them in front at 2-12 to 0-16. They never looked back from there as they kicked on to win by 2-22 to 0-22 at Laois Hire O’Moore Park.
“We got off to a good start in the second half, a couple of frees, a couple of points and the goal, it probably came at the right time,” Maher told TG4. “It put us two up and we drove on from there and kept tipping over the points and thankfully we got over the line at the end.”
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The success continues a terrific era for the club, who won their first title in 91 years in 2009, with this their seventh since and 12th in all.
“We have Darren [Maher] and Willie [Dunphy] there, that could be their seventh title,” added ‘Picky’. “They were there in 2009, that’s the only two that’s left, but we’ve a great mixture of young lads coming through as well Cormac Hogan and there’s a few more alongside him ready to step up so it’s great to have that injection of youth.”
There was high drama in Clare, where the semi-final between Sixmilebridge and Inagh-Kilnamona went to penalties after the sides finished level, 0-28 to 1-25, after extra time. It required sudden death before the sides could be separated, with Clare star David Fitzgerald driving his effort over the bar before Jamie Shanahan converted for the ‘Bridge, who prevailed 4-3 on penalties.
Their final opponents will be Feakle, who prevailed by two points against Cratloe yesterday to reach their first decider since 1988.
In Offaly, Ballinamere finished strongly, scoring the last seven points without reply, to beat St Rynagh’s by 1-21 to 2-14 and reach their first county final since 1908. They’ll have it all to do against a rampant Kilcormac/Killoughey, the holders ruthlessly putting Coolderry to the sword in the other semi-final in the Tullamore double-header by 4-21 to 1-11, with Charlie Mitchell hitting 2-5.
In football, there will be another day out for holders Mohill and Sean O’Heslin’s in the Leitrim final after their 0-14 to 1-11 draw, with Matthew Murphy’s late fisted point salvaging it for the defending champions.
There was a stalemate in the Carlow final too, with Rathvilly and Palatine playing out a 1-10 to 2-7 draw.
There will be new champions in Armagh, where Crossmaglen were beaten in the semi-final by Clann Eireann by 1-11 to 0-10, meaning Cross will not contest the final for the first time since 2017. The decider will be an all-Lurgan affair, with Clan na Gael progressing against Madden yesterday evening.
There will be some novelty to the Dublin final too, with Cuala seeing off Ballymun Kickhams yesterday to reach their first decider since 1988, but they’ll have a formidable task against four-in-a-row chasing Kilmacud Crokes, who beat Na Fianna by 1-12 to 0-12 yesterday.
Breaffy’s bid for a first ever Mayo SFC fell short once again as Knockmore edged them out in extra time. They looked set to prevail when leading by two points with an extra man at half-time in extra after Pearse Ruttledge’s dismissal, but they were soon reduced to 14 themselves as Conor Beirne was dismissed and late goals from Charlie Bourke and Billy Ruane saw Knockmore through to the final against Ballina Stephenites on October 20.
Two goals in extra time helped send Wolfe Tones into the Meath final at Skryne’s expense. Level at 2-8 to 0-14 at the end of normal time, further goals from Kyle Moran and Sean Penny propelled the Tones to a 4-11 to 0-17 win.
Dunshaughlin reached their first final in 22 years yesterday when squeezing past Dunboyne by 0-11 to 0-10.
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