Ballyfin 3-19 Borris-Kilcotton 2-15
ACHL Division 6 Final
Ballyfin were crowned Laois Shopping Centre ACHL Division 6 champions following victory over Borris-Kilcotton this evening.
This was a meeting of Ballyfin’s second team against Borris-Kilcotton’s third in the bottom division but it was still a very entertaining affair.
Two goals from Sean Duff and excellent displays from Chris Dunne and Shane Connolly were ultimately the difference on the evening.
This game burst into life with four goals in the opening 12 minutes.
Borris-Kilcotton were playing against the breeze and they struck first when a long range free from David Scott ended up in the net.
Ballyfin responded with a goal from Kevin O’Rourke and then added a second when Sean Duff managed to pluck the ball out of a ruck and slam it to the net.
Points from Duff and Ronan Carroll moved them 2-3 to 1-1 ahead after eight minutes but back came Borris-Kilcotton.
Scott was involved again as he sent in a long ball which was gathered and then dispatched to the net by David Ryan.
And they took over then as points from Daire Fogarty, Chris Jones and David Ryan moved them 2-5 to 2-4 in front by the midpoint of the half.
But Ballyfin enjoyed the better of the remainder of the half and outscored their opponents by 0-8 to 0-3.
Shane Connolly came to the fore at this stage as he dominated the middle of the pitch and fired over five points.
Chris Dunne picked off frees while Steven Bergin also scored as they led 2-12 to 2-8 at the interval.
The opening ten minutes of the half were level but then Ballyfin made what would be a decisive step.
Sean Duff won a long ball and charged towards goal before unleashing a thunderbolt of a shot to the roof of the net.
The sides largely traded points from there to the finish as Ballyfin won by seven points in the end.
SCORERS – Ballyfin: Chris Dunne 0-8 (five frees), Sean Duff 2-1, Shane Connolly 0-6, Ronan Carroll 0-2, Kevin O’Rourke and Steven Bergin 0-1 each Borris-Kilcotton: Daire Fogarty 0-5 (frees), David Ryan and David Scott (frees) 1-2 each, John Wall 0-3, Kyle Abraham, Chris Jones and Jack Finnegan 0-1 each
BALLYFIN: Eoin Connolly; Jordan Egan, Dermot McGill, Thomas Lynch; Conal Rowney, Richard Downey, Ciaran Quinn; Shane Connolly, Sean Duff; George Lanham, Glen Connolly, Ronan Carroll; Chris Dunne, Kevin O’Rourke, Steven Bergin. Subs: JJ McHugh for G Connolly (25), Oran Callaghan for Bergin (40), Cian Brennan for Dunne (55), Sean Dunne for Lynch and Darragh Kelliher for O’Rourke (both 59)
BORRIS-KILCOTTON: Timmy Guidera; Alan Drennan, Des Daly, Eoin Brennan; Ryan Hanlon, David Scott, Ian Kennedy; DJ Kelly, Daire Fogarty; Jack Finnegan, Chris Jones, John Wall; Kyle Abraham, David Ryan, Darragh Fitzpatrick. Subs: Daire Quinlan for Jones (20, inj), Ben Quinlan for Drennan (40), Scott Abraham for Brennan (55)
REFEREE: Ronan Devanney (Camross)
Man of The Match
Chris Dunne, Sean Duff and Shane Connolly were Ballyfin’s main men and the award is between them.
Connolly, who was a Laois minor last year, just about edges it. When Ballyfin fell behind in the first half, he wrestled control of the game in that period.
He fired five points in that half and added another in the second half to lead his side to glory.
SEE ALSO – Check out previous editions of Laois Abroad here
