Ballyhale Shamrocks 0-18 Borris-Ileigh 0-15: Henry Shefflin's side retain crown
Sunday 19 January 2020 15:37, UK
Ballyhale Shamrocks are All-Ireland club champions for a record eighth occasion, beating Borris-Ileagh 0-18 to 0-15 at Croke Park.
It capped a dream weekend for Kilkenny clubs on Jones' Road, following the victories of Conahy Shamrocks and Tullaroan in the junior and intermediate finals on Saturday.
Borris-Ileagh started the stronger, suffocating their opponents and depriving the Kilkenny men of any space. Their dominance yielded dividends, but it was not entirely reflected on the scoreboard as it was 0-1 apiece after eight minutes.
Jerry Kelly led the line for the Tipp outfit, scoring five eye-catching first-half points, as Brendan Maher and Dan McCormack cleaned up at the back, alternating as spare men.
However, the tide began to turn throughout the opening stanza as Henry Shefflin's charges came to terms with the Munster champs.
County stars Maher and McCormack were both shown yellows for fouls, and both could have considered themselves lucky Colm Lyons did not produce different coloured cards.
The momentum shift was evident, as TJ Reid and Patrick Mullen began to pick off scores for Ballyhale. They scored seven of the last eight points in the half, to establish a 0-10 to 0-6 lead at the break.
The second half was a tale of missed opportunities for Borris. Their four wides only told half the story, as several long balls fell through to Ballyhale keeper Dean Mason, and numerous shots dropping short.
Ballyhale opened up a six-point lead, but finally Borris-Ileigh corrected their radar. Johnny Kelly's side hit four points on the bounce to make it a two-point game.
However, Shamrocks responded through TJ Reid - with the former Hurler of the Year finding two timely points.
Brendan Maher did have a late free attempting to level it, but his optimistic goal-bound shot was blocked.
Referee: Colm Lyons (Cork)
Scorers for Ballyhale Shamrocks: TJ Reid 0-8 (0-5 frees), Patrick Mullen 0-3, Evan Shefflin 0-2, Adrian Mullen 0-2, Eoin Reid 0-2, Colin Fennelly 0-1.
Scorers for Borris-Ileagh: Jerry Kelly 0-7 (0-1 side-line), Brendan Maher 0-6 (0-4 frees), Tommy Ryan 0-1, Kevin Maher 0-1.
Ballyhale Shamrocks
1. Dean Mason
2. Darragh Corcoran
3. Joey Holden
4. Darren Mullen
5. Evan Shefflin
6. Michael Fennelly (captain)
7. Richie Reid
8. Ronan Corcoran
9. Patrick Mullen
10. Adrian Mullen
11. Brian Cody
12. TJ Reid
13. Eoin Reid
14. Colin Fennelly
15. Eoin Cody
Subs:
Joseph Cuddihy for Ronan Corcoran (47th minute)
Mark Aylward for Eoin Reid (54th minute)
Conor Walsh for Patrick Mullen (61st minute)
Borris-Ileigh
1. James McCormack
2. Séamus Burke
3. Paddy Stapleton
4. Liam Ryan
5. Seán McCormack (joint-captain)
6. Brendan Maher
7. Ray McCormack
8. Tommy Ryan
9. Dan McCormack
10. Kieran Maher
11. Niall Kenny
12. Conor Kenny (joint-captain)
13. Kevin Maher
14. Jerry Kelly
15. James Devaney
Subs:
Jack Hogan for Kieran Maher (47th minute)
Ciarán Cowan for Tommy Ryan (52nd minute)
Matthew Stapleton for Niall Kenny (54th minute)
