The year’s last knockings are for the hardy only. Six days before Christmas and Ballyhale are Leinster club hurling champions again as they torched Laois champions Clough-Ballacolla by 6-23 to 0-14 in a frigid Croke Park. It’s their third provincial title on the spin, their 11th in all – yet they attacked it like they’d never seen a medal in their lives.
Two first-half goals in the space of four minutes from Colin Fennelly turned what had been a close enough encounter into a cakewalk. Clough-Ballacolla picked the exact wrong day to start dropping balls in defence and leaking wides under no pressure. Picky Maher, so brilliant for the Laois champions all through autumn and winter, shot six wides here and didn't score from play. That's chum in the water for sharks like Ballyhale.
"We had set up playing with a third midfielder to limit the possession going inside," said Clough-Ballacolla manager Declan Laffan afterwards. "Turn it into a battle zone. But we didn't look like having a goal inside. Once they hit us with the goals, we had to open up and change our system. They're ruthless. They tore us to shreds.
“You go through their forwards and one is scarier than the other. They’re exceptional. We felt we marshalled them pretty well for 20 minutes. that’s what class does, it comes to the fore eventually. They got chances and punished us.”
Up north, Slaughtneil made it four titles in the past five runnings of the Ulster competition with a 1-14 to 0-10 win over Ballycran in Corrigan Park, Belfast. Brendan Rogers – better known as a Derry footballer – scored a fantastic solo goal just after the second water-break to put Slaughtneil in the clear after some spirited Ballycran resistance.
Their footballing counterparts Glen Watty Grahams had less luck, ultimately going down to defending champions Kilcoo after extra-time. The Down champions led most of the way through a typically knotted game of Ulster football, only to be caught by Glen, who scored the last two points of normal-time.
But a goal from Jerome Johnstone decided matters, the willowy Down forward capitalising on a botched kick-out to rifle home and send Kilcoo into their third final in five seasons. They will meet Fermanagh champions Derrygonnelly there in the decider, making it the first ever Down v Fermanagh final pairing in the history of the Ulster club championships.
In Munster, the Kerry and Cork powerhouses asserted themselves, meaning Austin Stacks will meet St Finbarr’s in the final after Christmas. Tralee side Stacks ran up a convincing 1-15 to 0-8 win over Limerick champions Newcastle West. Former Valentia stalwart Brendan O’Sullivan ran in a second-half goal to cherry the cake, albeit Stacks were comfortably ahead by that stage anyway.
Meanwhile, Cork champions St Finbarrs ran up a 2-14 to 0-12 victory of Éire Óg of Clare, with two first-half goals from transplanted Down county player Conor McRickard making all the difference in Páirc Uí Rinn.
