Champions Rangers back in SHC final but St Mullins and Bagenalstown must meet again after high scoring draw
Tony Lawlor from MLR clears his lines against Ballinkillen Photo: Pat Ahern
A 2-19 to 1-15 victory for Mount Leinster Rangers secured their place in the Carlow senior hurling final but they will have to wait a week before they know who they will be facing in the decider.
A 64th minute goal from a free by Craig Doyle earned Bagenalstown Gaels a deserved draw against St Mullins who got the shock of their lives at Netwatch Cullen Park. Seven days earlier in a fifth-round group game, St Mullins were runaway winners when the sides met. This time the two teams scored 4-14 each with Doyle amassing 2-7 over the course of the game.
St Mullins never looked comfortable and their rivals turned the screw. Three goals in the first half from Keelan Guidera, Andrew Kane and Doyle helped Bagenalstown into a 3-8 to 2-7 half-time lead. A point for Jason O’Neill and a John Doyle goal for the favourites looked ominous for Bagenalstown early on. Marty Kavanagh converting a penalty just before the break for St Mullins. Bagenalstown never dropped their heads and fully deserved to have another chance at making it into a second county final in three years.
There was no such drama in the second semi-final where Jon Nolan led the way with five points and a Man of the Match performance for Rangers over Ballinkillen. It was tight in the opening quarter with Jack Treacy, Sean Murphy and Shane Kelly all raising white flags for Ballinkillen. At the interval, Rangers led 0-11 to 0-9 with the key moment of the game early in the second half. The in-form player of the championship, Ted Joyce, picked out Eddie Byrne and the experienced full-forward found the net.
Late in the game Eoin Doyle also found the Ballinkillen net to cement the victory while Padraig Hynes deflected a ball past Rangers keeper, Dean Grennan, for a last ditch consolation score for Ballinkillen.
There was also further success for Rangers earlier in their day when their third team reached the Junior Championship final by virtue of a one point win over Ballinkillen, 1-18 to 2-14. They will meet Burren Rangers who beat St Mullins by 2-20 to 1-8.
Full details of these games, and much more, in Tuesday's edition of The Nationalist.
