St Mullins get the better of Ballinkillen after Championship classic
Marty Kavanagh scores one of three goals for St Mullins during their win over Ballinkillen
This senior hurling championship fourth round game at Netwatch Cullen Park on Saturday produced an enthralling encounter. For the purists it was a game to thoroughly enjoy. On the other hand, you can be sure the respective managers of both sides will look at their defences and suggest there were issues to be dealt with. They would probably be right but it was an absorbing encounter.
Marty Kavanagh started after missing the first three games. Wearing an unfamiliar 27 shirt he mixed the very good with the not so good. In the opening seconds, his brother, Jack targeted him with a cross-field pass from right to left into the O’Hanrahan end of the ground.
The “Mouse” took possession but, initially, was unable to find the net. He got a second chance and didn’t err that time. If they were shell-shocked, Ballinkillen didn’t show it and they hit back with a Ciaran Whelan free and a Jack Treacy point.
When Ted Joyce beat his marker and fired over a Rangers point, the scene was set for the evening where both sides would build up big scoring totals. At the other end, Treacy off-loaded to Padraig Hynes after St Mullins failed to clear and Ballinkillen had their opening goal.
Both goalkeepers earned their keep in the opening quarter with Kevin Kehoe saving from Whelan who will probably rue not off-loading to a player in a better position. He also saved brilliantly from Treacy. Not to be outdone, Tommy Dowling, the Ballinkillen net-minder dived to his right to save a rocket from James Doyle. In between those two goalkeeping feats, Treacy scored a Ballinkillen goal but in the nature of what was happening Kavanagh scored his second goal of the game on 15 minutes.
Despite the two Kavanagh goals, Doyle was very much the St Mullins player in great form. Not everything that he was doing was sticking but in the frenzied exchanges space and time were at a premium. At the interval, St Mullins led 2-11 to 2-5.
Even though Doyle scored the opening point of the second half, Ballinkillen appeared unfazed. Sean Murphy, Treacy and Whelan (2) hit St Mullins with four unanswered points. The St Mullins star fired over a wonderful point from way out from the left. Eric English did something similar for Ballinkillen.
A great catch over his head by the experienced David English indicated that the outsiders were going all the way here.
Despite some great defensive play, the scores kept coming and coming. Shane Kelly fired over two Ballinkillen points. With three minutes to go, Kavanagh completed his hat-trick when he rose high, took possession and found the net from close range.
Ballinkillen hit back straight away and Whelan’s strike beat Kehoe all ends up. The final score for St Mullins, another classy James Doyle point was needed by his side. Kelly scored a Ballinkillen goal in injury time. There was time for the puck-out but St Mullins did enough to dampen Ballinkillen endeavour and saw out the game with that narrow three-point margin.
Marty Kavanagh was playing his first game of the year for his club and he comes in and scores three goals. All those three-pointers were badly needed. Yet knowing him he will surely be concentrating on what he did wrong. There is enough there for him to work on. Just lacking his usual crispness a few passes were not executed well and even the first goal needed a number of extra swipes of the hurl before he finished the job.
A goal inside the opening seconds. One side looking as if they are going to pull away but back come Ballinkillen to score a goal of their own. Even when St Mullins pulled away again, their rivals came back at them. Three goals in the final minutes told a story where both sides concentrated on their hurling and produced a riveting encounter.
The centre-half back had it all to do when he took possession deep inside his own half. Galloping forward it looked as if he was going to be pinged for overcarrying but cleverly he got the sliotar out on his stick. His subsequent strike was pure perfection as the ball flew over the crossbar. Not quite a score to win a game but it put St Mullins six clear when they were building momentum midway through the second half.
