Ballinagore make history in cracking premier final

St. Pats 2-5, St Marys 2-4

What a game of hurling these two team put on show, a St. Mary`s team full of swagger and the young men from Ballinagore, in their first season playing hurling in Cumann na mBunscoil.

St. Patrick`s got the scoring underway with a point from Michael Heeney, The lads from the banks of Lough Lene started to gain a foothold in the game and only a great save from Cathal Daly after a shot from the brilliant Shane Fitzsimons. Shane sent over the resulting `45.

Against the run of play Ballinagore`s Brendan Heeney got a sweet goal on 9 minutes and straight from the puck out, St. Mary`s scored a goal of their own through Shane Fitzsimons. Little Cormac Deegan had a chance of a goal, but his shot was well saved. On 12 minutes Fitzsimons sent in a long ball, which was deflected to the back of the net by Padraig Grace. Soon after Cormac Deegan made a great catch and scored a brilliant point from distance.

David Keenan added another point with time nearly up in the half, to leave the score 1-3 to 2-1 in favor of St. Mary`s.

Collinstown got the second-half off to a great start, when Shane Fitzsimons went on a long solo run and sent the sliothar over the bar. One score each from Mary`s Peter McGuigan and Patrick`s Cormac Deegan kept the game tight. A good point from Collinstown`s Michéal Daly put St. Mary`s two points up going into the last minute.

With Ballinagore pushing forward in search of the goal they needed, the sliothar fell to Michael Heeney, who went past man of the match, Shane Fitzsimons and Colin Kennedy and dispatched an unstoppable shot to the back of the net from twenty yards out to send the crowd wild. Altough tough on St. Mary`s, you would have to say that St. Patrick`s deserved the title for their all round team effort.

The Downs National School: Dylan Carroll, Jack Lynch, Stephen Colgan, Conor Murray, Conor Coughlan, Derek Conroy, Shane Conroy, Ian Martin, Jack O`Leary, Philip Doherty, Eoghan Moore, John McCann, Conor Duncan, Jack Kennedy, Richie Corroon, Paul Mooney, Jonathan Raleigh and Daniel Lynch.

St Clare`s National School Tubberclare: Breen Elliot, Lorcan Seery, Ódhrán Daly, Douglas O`Shea, Ross Cooper, Seán Kilgarriff, Dermot Treacy, Shane Donoghue, Iarlaith Ryan, Austin Murphy, Cathal Maleady, Seán Baker, David Deehan and Tristram Ryan.