Ballybay push on from O’Doherty win
Masita Rice Cup All-Ireland semi-final
Ballybay CC (Monaghan) 1-8 Scoil Chuimsitheach Ciaráin (Galway) 1-6
A WELL worked point finished by Julius Sniauksta at the start of added time raised a huge cheer from the Ballybay supporters in Clooneen Roscommon on Saturday. That finish from the substitute came just after he had replaced for Daragh Dempsey and was Ballybay’s second point of the half, but it lifted the siege that their defence was under and stretched their lead to three points.
Joe Ó Giobúin hit a reply within a couple of minutes, but Ballybay, who had claimed a frist Danske Bank O’Doherty Cup just four days earlier, were not going to be denied at that stage.
They played with the breeze in the opening half and took a while to get going, Dempsey eventually opening the scoring after seven minutes.
Indeed after 20 minutes, Ballybay were only 0-3 to 0-1 ahead, but that all changed when the Galway school’s goalie Aonghus Ó Dubháin pulled down a 45 but couldn’t hold on to the ball and Joel Wilson stabbed it home. Ballybay then eased forward into a 1-6 to 0-2 interval lead.
Joe Ó Giobúin took advantage of a bad Ballybay kickout to fire home a goal for Scoil Chuimsitheach Ciaráin after 35 minutes, but the Monaghan side closed the game down and even had chances to add to their account before Darren McCann cleverly played James Hughes through for a fisted point and a 1-7 to 1-3 lead after 45 minutes.
They only conceded two Dillon Seoighe points from frees from then until Sniauksta’s injury-time intervention and were dangerous on the break with Michael Coyle blasting a shot off the post after 53 minutes.
Ballybay’s All-Ireland final opponents on March 23rd will be Boherbue Comprehensive School. Boherbue from Mallow in Cork who defeated Coláiste na hInse from Bettystown Co Meath by 2-11 to 0-7.
Meanwhile St Mary’s Magherafelt were well-beaten in the Masita Cusack Cup semi-final by Connacht champions Coláiste na Coiribhe 3-15 to 1-5 with Galway minor Donal O’Shea firing home 0-10 and all three goals coming before the break.
While the Convent were not in with any real chance of victory they missed a penalty, a couple of clear cut goal chances and also straightforward frees. Ciaran O’Neill was the goal scorer and Morgan Nelson scored three frees while Aaron Hughes and Ethan Carey-Small scored the other points.
Ballybay CC : S Black, E McPhillips, C Corrigan, T McPhilips, D McElearney, E Duffy, J Hughes (0-1), J Wilson (1-0), S Slevin, A Mulligan (0-3, 0-2 frees), P Quinn, J Duffy, M Coyle (0-1), D Dempsey (0-1), D McCann (0-1)
Sub : J Sniauksta (0-1) for D Dempsey (56)
Scoil Chuimsitheach Ciaráin scorers: Joe Ó Giobúin (1-1), Dillon Seoighe (0-2 free), Éanna Mac Cormaic (0-1 free), Warren Seoighe (0-1)
