Mike O’Halloran reports on an exciting Garvey’s Supervalu Kerry SFC clash between Ballyduff and Crotta O’Neill’s in Lixnaw last night…

Ballyduff 2-20

Crotta O’Neill’s 1-17

Crotta have played nearly four hours of hurling in the 2015 championship between draws, extra time and added time. Tonight again, in Lixnaw, they lost out in extra time to Ballyduff.

I said in my preview of this game that I expected Crotta to win. They had a golden chance to win the game in normal time when they were presented with a free about 45 metres out from the Ballyduff goal. Up stepped the great Shane Nolan and every house in the Kilflynn area was put on him to convert the free, but he was just wide.

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I had also warned in the preview that a wounded Ballyduff was a dangerous animal and they played with the ferocity of a wild beast to try to quell the threat of this Crotta team.

I felt that if Crotta could supplement Shane Nolan’s scores and could use the talents of Jordan Conway they could win. Crotta did both. Jordan was awesome early on in the game driving at Ballyduff at every opportunity.

Within a minute of the start Jordan Conway had a beautiful point. Michael Boyle replied for Ballyduff but by the sixth minute, Crotta had four points on the board – three from Shane Nolan.

A minute later Michael Boyle had one back for Ballyduff. Adrian O’Mahony, Shane and Ian McCarthy made it 0-7 to 0-2.

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Bobby O’Sullivan and young Eoin Ross added two in reply before Philip Twomey drove over a beauty. Bobby added three more before the break with Jordan Conway having one for Crotta. Crotta went in at halftime 0-9 to 0-7 up.

Ballyduff had the wind at their back for the second half and the talk was that a two point lead mightn’t be enough to withstand the Ballyduff challenge.

Within 30 seconds of the restart, Garry O’Brien had flashed over a point. By the 13th minute of the half, Ballyduff led by 1-11 to 0-11 after the ball ended up in the Crotta net through a forest of players.

But on 20 minutes, Shane Nolan struck for goal when the ball came off the post to him. It was nip and tuck to the end of normal time with points being traded between Bobby O’Sullivan, Barry O’Grady, Shane Nolan, Jordan Conway and Adrian O’Mahony.

It was 1-15 to 1-15 on 32 minutes when Crotta worked hard to to win the free that could have won it. But alas for Crotta, the great man (Nolan) was wide and so to extra time.

Garry O’Brien, who had rolled back the years with his display, struck for a goal for Ballyduff. Shane Nolan had a point in each half of extra time for Crotta but O’Brien added another point as did Tomas Rourke, Bobby O’Sullivan had three points to see Ballyduff run out winners in a great contest played in a sporting manner.

Final score 2-20 t0 1-17.

Crotta must wait another year for success in the championship. That success is not far away with the talent they have in the pipeline.

Ballyduff will now play Abbeydorney in the next round in a double header on August 16, with St Brendan’s taking on Causeway on the same day.

Lixnaw and Kilmoyley are already through to the semi-finals.

Scroll down for more photos plus teams and scorers

Teams

Ballyduff: Joe Bunyan, Cathal Kearney, Anthony Carroll, John Hussey, Barry O Grady,(1pt)( Jack Goulding) Padraigh Grady, David Grady, Daniel O Carroll, Giles O Grady,(1pt) Liam Boyle, Aiden Boyle, (1pt) Bobby O Sullivan, (11 pts) Michael Boyle (cpt) (2pts) Gary O Brien (1gl 2Pts) Eoin Ross.(1pt) (Tomas Rourke 1pt)