REPORTS: Ballyduff And Abbeydorney Make County Hurling Final

Mike O’Halloran reports on the two Kerry SHC semi-finals in Austin Stack Park on Saturday…

Ballyduff GAA 2-18

Ballyheigue GAA 3-12

Ballyduff are through to the County Hurling final where they will play Abbeydorney Hurling Club in two weeks.

Ballyduff only won by three points on the score board but their win was more emphatic than that as Ballyheigue got two goals at the death.

The win for Ballyduff was forged by the players from number two to eight as well as being clinical up front.

Continued below…

The first half was pretty poor, Ballyheigue led at halftime six points to five.Ballyduff did not  score for fourteen minutes and by twenty five minutes Dylan Moriarty had drawn Ballyduff level five points all, Felim O’Sullivan put Ballyheigue ahead by one at halftime.

Tomas Gaynor pointed for Ballyheigue after the break, Ballyheigue brought a great save from Darragh Quinlan and within thirty seconds Aiden O’Connor had Ballyduff ahead for the first time when he blasted to the net, a lead they were not to relinquish.

On thirty five minutes Padraig Boyle was introduced, his first touch was to result in a point.
The score on forty eight minutes read Ballyduff 1-12 Balllyheigue 0-08.

Ballyheigue then added a point from Felim O’Sullivan and a goal from Colin Walsh, within a minute Killian Boyle hit a long ball that deceived the Ballyheigue keeper and ended up in the net.

Ballyheigue plugged away and added two goals and three points but Ballyduff added six points, three from their subs two from Steafan Carrig and one from Kieran O’Carroll.
Great to see Stephen Molumphy at the game.

Abbeydorney 4-15

Kilmoyley 1-15

Abbeydorney sent out a very clear signal that the will not be dethroned as champions very easily.

Goals win matches and if you get four you should win most matches, Mike Slattery scored four goals for Abbeydorney, he also added two points.

The goals were important but the work done by the Abbeydorney backs between the thirteen meter line and the sixty five meter line was the foundation for their win.

Abbeydorney were four up in seven minutes with points from Mike O’Leary 3 and one from Jack Sheehan.

Mike Slattery’s first goal came on twenty two minutes to put Abbeydorney ahead 1-07 to 0-05.

Maurice O’Connor replied with a goal for Kilmoyley six minutes later, the score at halftime Abbeydorney 1-08 Kilmoyley1-08.

Mike Slattery goaled again on thirty three minutes. The sides were level on forty four minutes when Robert Collins pointed a free Abbeydorney 2-11 Kilmoyley 1-14.

Kilmoyley were only to score one more point before the end, Abbeydorney scored four points along with two goals from Mike Slattery.

Abbeydorney now face Ballyduff in two weeks in a repeat of last years final.
It should be a cracker.