Club News

30/06/02 Ballygalget send hurlers home beaten, as well as weather-beaten

The hurlers suffered their first defeat since mid-May when they travelled to Ballygalget last Sunday afternoon. And while the Brazilians were enjoying the heat and humidity in Yokahama during the World Cup Final the hurlers' experience couldn't have been more different. Cold, wet, windy, miserable are just a few of the ways to describe the awful weather endured by the senior hurlers as they played on the Down coast. Playing conditions were obviously very poor and ultimately this aided Ballygalget in their victory, as they appeared to cope with the elements better than St. Johns.

Despite dominating for much of the first half St. John's went in at half time two points the worse off. Colin Thompson scored a goal in the opening 10 minutes from 40 yards out as his relatively tame effort managed to give the Ballygalget keeper sufficient problems to creep over the line, whilst Paul Montgomery sent over a series of well taken frees. However the defence, which probably had its poorest game of the season so far, were caught napping on a number of occasions and Ballygalget capitalised sending 3 goals past the keeper, who could do nothing about it. The half-time scoreline 1-7 to 3-3.

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first half, Ballygalget edging the battle in midfield and putting the St. John's defence under almost constant pressure. Ronan Heenan was brought out of full forward as a third midfielder to try and help the other midfielders get the ball to the St. John's forward line but, Ballygalget stuck to their task well. The brightest moment of the second half for St. John's probably came with 10 minutes to go when Eamon Blaney's superb individual effort saw him kick the sliotar through a crowded Ballygalget square into the back of the net from over 10 yards out - ironically a better taken goal than anything seen this year from the senior footballers.

Paul Montgomery was back to his free-taking best missing on only two occasions from 8 frees, also adding a superb point from play from the tightest of angles at the top left corner of the field. He had a chance to level the match right at the end of the game from a free awarded just outside the Ballygalget square but was unable to find the back of the net. At the other end of the field Ciaran Cunningham produced a series of fine saves and arguably his best save of the season when he somehow managed to stop a 'rocket' unleashed by one of the Ballygalget forwards which looked certain to tear through the top left corner of the net. The match however finished up 2-10 to 3-10.

 

		St. John's
		C.Cunningham
N. Kelly		C. Clarke	S. O'Hara
C. Kelly		K. Rafferty	N. Reynolds
		D. O'Hara H. Kennedy
C.Thompson		E. Blaney	S. Thompson
G. Clarke		R. Heenan	P. Montgomery
(Subs: G. Hamilton for S. O'Hara)