It may take quite a while before they make it back north to Ballinderry. Yesterday, in delivering their first AIB All-Ireland club championship against heartbroken Nemo Rangers, the delighted northerners liked the Thurles life just fine.

Their long and unforgettable season ended as it had begun against Bellaghy in the Derry championship last year, with a fearless and exhilarating approach to a match that they weren't fully fancied to win.

For a second successive year, there was a tightness to Nemo Ranger's play and having so bravely earned a passage back to the St Patrick's Day sporting showcase after their disappointment last year, they again leave with a feeling that they sold themselves short.

Nemo can point to the unfortunate circumstances of the second and definitive Ballinderry goal in mitigation, which emphatically pulled the carpet from under a convincing Nemo period of domination. Substitute Stephen Callanan's fine point on 48 minutes was his team's fourth unanswered score and Ballinderry looked an uncertain unit.

With Martin and Alan Cronin running amok along Ballinderry's left flank and Derek Kavanagh and Kevin Cahill getting to grips at midfield, Nemo began to move with purpose. Indeed, just after the restart, Derek Kavanagh found himself at the end of a sweeping movement but hammered his goal chance wide.

Ballinderry were, throughout this final, more economic and, despite being gifted with the second goal, the finish was flawless. The Cork side's insistence with playing short from defence had, at various times, a nervous edge to it and, when they were eventually caught, the consequences were fatal.

After a moment of confusion arising from Garry Murphy's harassed back pass, Declan Bateson toe-poked a loose ball towards goal, Adrian McGuckin retrieved it and stranded Nemo goalkeeper Don Heaphy with a clever handpass to Gerard Cassidy, who gratefully slotted the open goal.

That score, putting it 2-7 to 0-9 with 12 minutes remaining, utterly stunned the Nemo players, who failed to score again while Cassidy continued on something of a personal scoring rampage as the Ulster side belied their novice status and ended the year in style.

That Ballinderry achieved this title despite a fairly quiet afternoon from the talismanic Enda Muldoon and semi-final hero Conleth Gilligan was noticeable. Big Muldoon did assume his customary position on the edge of the square for the initial throw in, but was soon sent on a roving expedition with the result that he was, save one typically easeful point, often behind the play.

Half back Paul Wilson had an exceptional hour along with his line-companion Ronan McGuckian. The sharpness of Bateson and company at the front was also a key difference. It was Bateson's first goal that settled Ballinderry's big-day nerves in the first half.

Trailing 0-3 to 0-1 - Nemo hitting the front with two lordly Corkery dead-ball strikes - Ballinderry found voice after Bateson got a fist to Darren Conway's looping ball after 21 minutes to give his side a lead they never lost.

The closing 10 minutes of the first half were the most free-flowing, with Joe Kavanagh and Conleth Gilligan both drawing gasps from the crowd of 16,112 with two sublime points.

Ballinderry led by 1-3 to 0-5 at the break and, although possession was evenly spread in the 10-minute period after the restart, the Ulster side nimbly extended their advantage while Nemo were slow to find themselves.

Attractive and flowing as the Cork side were in their brief moment of pomp, the fact that they didn't seek to involve Corkery more often was a mystery. Nemo's captain has, on this campaign and others, shown himself to be a veritable scoring machine and only once yesterday was he given the sort of ball that he loves. And with that he hit a point.

After Ballinderry's second goal, Nemo initiated emergency surgery, with the gallant Steven O'Brien dropping deep and JP O'Neill, skilful but too light for Ballinderry's ravenous defensive pack, replaced.

It was to no avail.

If any club has the resilience and temerity to come back from two All-Ireland final losses it is Nemo, but they looked an understandably shattered team leaving Thurles.

Ballinderry's future is equally unreadable, given the wolfish nature of the Ulster game, but they certainly have a club strong enough to challenge again next season.

Provided they make it home in time.

BALLINDERRY: M Conlan; K McGuckin, N McCusker, J Bell; P Wilson, R McGuckin, D Crozier; S Donnelly, E Muldoon (0-1); B McCusker (0-1), C Gilligan (0-1), D Conway (0-2); D Bateson (1-1), A McGuckin, G Cassidy (1-4, one free). Subs: M Murray for B McCusker (54 mins).

NEMO RANGERS: D Heaphy; L Kavanagh, Seβn O'Brien, M Cronin; G Murphy (0-1), Stephen O'Brien, M Cronin; K Cahill, D Kavanagh (0-1); D Meighan, JP O'Neill (0-1), M McCarthy; J Kavanagh (0-1), C Corkery (0-4, 3 frees), A Cronin. Subs: S Callanan (0-1) for D Meighan (45), L O'Sullivan for JP O'Neill (53).

Referee: S McCormack (Meath).