Nolan's nine send Rangers to Senior Final
That way to the final! Chris Nolan scored nine points to help Mount Leinster Rangers' past Ballinkillen Photo: ©INPHO/Evan Treacy
There was an explosive start to this senior hurling championship semi-final at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday when Ballinkillen’s Craig Wall ran through a static defence and beat Frank Foley in the Mount Leinster Rangers goal.
After that, it was point for point with both sides not giving an inch.
Chris Nolan converted six Mount Leinster frees in the half while Ballinkillen replied with three Ciaran Whelan frees and three more from play for Jack Treacy. At the interval, with Jon Nolan also firing over two great points, Rangers led 0-12 to 1-8.
Ballinkillen suffered a hammer blow when Sean Murphy was shown a red card before play had even begun in the second half. Rangers played the extra man in defence and from there Ballinkillen were unable to press home the advantage the breeze had given them.
The key moment of the half came on 37 minutes when Nolan off-loaded to Ted Joyce and he found the net. The eventual winners did enough to see a way through to the final and even a late Dion Wall speculative effort from well inside his half which produced a Ballinkillen goal was not enough to hurt a confident Rangers.
Chris Nolan 0-9 (8fs), K McDonald 0-6 (4fs 2-65s), T Joyce 1-0, J Nolan, D Murphy 0-2 each, R Murphy, C Fitzpatrick, T Joyce, D Tobin 0-1 each
C Whelan 0-7 (fs), J Treacy 0-3, C Wall, D Wall 1-0 each, E English 0-2, C Lomax 0-1.
Frank Foley; Michael Doyle, Tony Lawlor, Sean Joyce; Richard Coady, Kevin McDonald, Conaill Fitzpatrick; Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Tim Brennan; Ruairi Murphy, Jon Nolan, Donagh Murphy; Chris Nolan, Eddie Byrne, Ted Joyce. Subs: Eoin Doyle for Brennan (39), Evan Kealy for T Joyce (47), Dean Tobin for R Murphy (57), Joe Dundon for Byrne (62), Michael Joyce for M Doyle (63).
Tommy Dowling; Mark Foley, Dion Wall, Ciaran O’Neill; Eric English, David English, Fionn Hickey; Jamie Wall, Cormac Lomax; Ciaran Whelan, Sean Murphy, Craig Wall; Kevin Kavanagh, Padraig Hynes, Jack Treacy. Subs: Adam Ryan for C Wall (57), Sean Brennan for Foley (62).
Jonathan Murphy (St Mullins).
