Holycross Ballycahill blow Moycarkey Borris away in extra time thriller

Centenary Agri Mid Senior Hurling Championship Quarter-final

Holycross Ballycahill 5-21

Moycarkey Borris 2-21

By Noel Dundon

Goals win games and when Holycross Ballycahill flashed five of them past Tipperary goalkeeper Rhys Shelly in the Centenary Agri Mid senior hurling championship quarter-final at Boherlahan on Saturday afternoon, it was always on the cards that they would defeat neighbours and bitter rivals Moycarkey Borris, though it took extra time to separate them.

Not only did they hit 7-42 between them, but they also shared 38 wides with the victors, managing 18 of those in a very open game, though the breeze played a major role in the contest.

Holycross Ballycahill had that breeze in the first half and their 2-11 to 2-6 interval lead didn’t exactly flatter them with their goals coming from Jack Dwan after just two minutes and Darragh Woods from a 21-yard free in the 18th.

Moycarkey Borris responded with goals from Kieran Morris in the 6th minute and Liam Corcoran at the end of the first quarter – a score which tied up the match – but Holycross Ballycahill hit four points in succession through Ben Hennessy and Darragh Woods (3) after that Woods goal, to get themselves back on track.

And, by the interval, Bryan O’Mara and Hennessy again traded with Liam Corcoran and Stephen Walsh to go along with two from Kieran Morris frees.

Moycarkey Borris were well within striking distance of their neighbours and considering the breeze which would assist them in the second half, they were being tipped to win out.

And, when they hit six points in a row within twelve minutes of the restart to claim the lead, the ball was very firmly in their court. Those points from Kieran Morris, Kyle Shelly (3), Liam Corcoran, and Eoghan Hayes, should have been the platform to victory, but Holycross Ballycahill had other ideas and they somehow managed to halt their momentum.

Luke O’Mara and Darragh Woods traded points with Kieran Morris and Kyle Shelly and despite Max Hackett’s two points before the end of normal time, Holycross Ballycahill rallied with sub Jimmie Lahart flashing over two lovely scores and one for Darragh Woods to force extra time - Moycarkey Borris were left to rue the ten second half wides they amassed.

Extra time then and as in the first half it was Holycross Ballycahill who took the initiative – a Jimmie Lahart goal in the 2nd minute more than cancelling an early Joe Egan point for Moycarkey Borris. And three minutes later, Holycross Ballycahill again had the ball in the net when Darragh Woods bagged a beauty after a Luke O’Mara knockdown from a long Ewan Bourke delivery.

It was advantage Holycross Ballycahill as they held a 4-17 to 2-18 lead – Moycarkey Borris managing just 0-2 in the first ten-minute period with their second point coming from Kyle Shelly.

Kyle Shelly and his brother Rhys had scores either side of a Darragh Woods point for Holycross Ballycahill upon resumption and as cramped bodies crashed to the ground with great regularity, it was clear that the bench and reserves of energy would play a major role in the outcome of this one.

On that score, Holycross Ballycahill were the better with Lahart and Tadhg Gould impressing while Cathal Barrett really came into his own when required. Ben Hennessy returned to the field and bagged a third point from play while Moycarkey Borris sub Joe Egan was putting in a great shift.

But, the Holycross Ballycahill side, despite losing their captain Luke O’Mara to injury, finished the stronger with Barrett, Joe Caesar, and sub Aidan Stakelum coming good with a fifth goal right at the death.

A fine victory for Holycross Ballycahill who will be well pleased with their approach. Certainly, they have aspects of their game to work on but the infusion of youthful legs with the more battle-hardened warriors was a key feature of their win which was hard fought for and could be significant in terms of boosting confidence for the season.

Moycarkey Borris will be concerned about the number of goal chances their rivals were privy to and they will have to tighten up going forward. However, they too will be pleased with the contribution of their younger players – Joe Egan and Liam Corcoran, in particular, doing well for them.

Teams and Scorers: Holycross Ballycahill: Ewan Bourke; Cathal Barrett (0-2), Conor Ryan, Jimmy Ryan; Mickey Jo Doyle, Bryan O’Mara (0-1), Jim Ryan; Eoin Craddock, Shane Ryan (0-1); Jamie Woods, Luke O’Mara (0-1), Ben Hennessy (0-3); Darragh Woods (2-10, 1-9f), Joe Caesar (0-1), Jack Dwan (1-0).

Subs used: Jimmy Lahart (1-2), for Dwan; Gavin Dunne for Shane Ryan; Tadhg Gould for Jamie Woods; Aidan Stakelum (1-0) for Luke O’Mara; Jack Dwan for Ben Hennessy; Liam Doyle for Jim Ryan.

Moycarkey Borris: Rhys Shelly (0-1f); Chris McCullagh, Rory Ryan, Kevin Hayes; Rory O’Regan, Tom Hayes, Eoghan Hayes (0-1); Max Hackett (0-2), Jack Fallon; Kieran Cummins, Liam Corcoran (1-2), Stephen Walsh (0-1); Bill Flanagan, Kieran Morris (1-4, 0-3f), Kyle Shelly (0-9, 0-5f).

Subs used: Joe Egan (0-2) for Fallon; Joe Maher for Bill Flanagan; Joe Doran for McCullagh; John Bergin for Corcoran.

Referee: Kevin Jordan (Thurles Gaels)