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Mike O’Halloran was at Austin Stack Park to see Ballyduff advance in the opening round of the Kerry SHC on Friday evening…
Ballyduff 1-20
Ballyheigue 0-15
The Ballyduff team. Photo by Mike O’Halloran
There’s a saying in north Kerry, “you can’t bate the youth”, well the youth of Ballyheigue and Ballyduff really showed their elders how to play hurling.
Colin Walsh and Nathan Guiren carried the fight to Ballyduff while at the other end Dylan Moriarty and Kevin Goulding impressed for Ballyduff. Ballyheigue left Austin Stack Park losing by eight points.
But the scoreboard does their efforts no justice and only for a bit of naivety they could be three or four points nearer Ballyduff.
Ballyduff led by a point at halftime 0-10 to 0-9, Ballyheigue had started very well and led by three points within six minutes with two points from Nathan Guiren and one from Michael Leane.
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The Ballyheigue team. Photo by Mike O’Halloran
Ten minutes later Kevin Goulding had Ballyduff level four points all. After the first water break Junior O’Connor put Ballyduff ahead by two from distance.
On twenty-one minutes Colin Walsh put Ciaran Casey in for a point to level matters at six points all. The sides were level twice more before Padraig Boyle pointed to put Ballyduff ahead by one at halftime.
Ballyheigue failed to convert two frees on the resumption, then with seven minutes gone in the second half Dylan Moriarty blasted to the net to move the score to 1-11 for Ballyduff Ballyheigue 0-09.
A misdirected puck out made its way to an unmarked Padraig Boyle and he split the posts. Padraig Boyle scored some wonderful points for Ballyduff but the point of the game from Dylan Moriarty when he wove his magic to tap over on sixteen minutes to put Ballyduff ahead by five points 1-14 to 0-12.
Nathan Guiren added four points and Michael Leane had two to complete the Ballyheigue tally.
Dylan Moriarty, Kevin Goulding and Padraig Boyle were the top scorers for Ballyduff. Surely the Ballyduff full forward line is the most lethal in Kerry. A loss for Ballyheigue but boy did they do their club and their families proud. In a year or two the sea-siders will be serious contenders.
