AIB Leinster Club SHC: Ballyhale defeat The Harps

AIB Leinster Club SHC Quarter-Final

Shamrocks Ballyhale 3-19 The Harps 1-16

By Barry McEvoy at Laois Hire O'Moore Park

Shamrocks Ballyhale opened their Leinster Club Senior Hurling Championship campaign with a nine point win over The Harps in Laois Hire O’Moore Park.

While the Kilkenny champions are in search of their 13th Leinster crown, this was completely new territory for a very youthful Harps outfit who clinched the club's first ever Laois title in October.

Tipperary’s Ken Hogan took charge of the Laois champions this year and they were a potential banana skin for Ballyhale having won the last four U20 championships in their county and they hurl with a fearless style.

The underdogs kept Ballyhale under wraps for the opening 20 minutes of the game and even held a one point lead at that stage but the difference in experience and quality showed when TJ Reid won a penalty for their first goal and just two minutes later pulled of a great flick to Darragh Corcoran for their second to turn the game on its head.

Seven points was the gap by half time, but the young men from Laois bounded out for the second half and cut the gap back to three within 10 minutes of the restart before Brian Cody took the reins for Ballyhale with a quick 1-2 to quell the resurgence.

Next up for the Kilkenny men is the visit of Kilmacud Crokes in a fortnight after the Dublin champions defeated Mount Leinster Rangers in Carlow.

The brilliant TJ Reid opened the scoring in the game with a free before Ross Deegan got the game's first score from play to level in the fourth minute.

The Harps needed to avoid an early onslaught from the Kilkenny champions and they succeeded in that by replying to scores from Eoin Cody and Brian Cuddy with three in a row from Ciaran Comerford, Eoin Delaney and James Duggan.

Cody Comerford was called into action on his goal line during that period to block a shot from Brian Cody, and the hosts led by a point at the midway stage of the half, with both sides guilty of handling errors and poor strikes at goal.

Niall Shortall and Ciaran Comerford traded points moments before disaster struck when TJ Reid caught his first high ball of the afternoon and drew a foul for a penalty from Cody Comerford and Reid stitched it in the net.

On his first appearance since his retirement from the intercounty scene Reid wowed the crowd in the stands with an scarcely believable flick behind his back to Darragh Corcoran who was bounding down on goal and the centre back netted their second from close range.

Points from Killian Corcoran and Jake Mullen brought the Ballyhale lead out to seven points after a crushing four minutes of hurling for The Harps, undoing all the good work put in early on.

Ciaran Comerford got them back on line with a couple of frees, but his efforts were cancelled out by Reid and Eoin Cody points, with Cody's coming off the back of a quick break off a Dean Mason save from a shot by Eoin Delaney destined for the top corner.

Despite a huge amount of effort and dogged work put in by The Harps in the first half they trailed 2-8 to 0-7 at half-time.

Eoghan Murphy gave The Harps a huge lift early in the second half with a pointed 65 from right under the stand and followed it with a monster score from play in midfield.

Service resumed for the visitors with a quick trio of points in reply, one each from play by Reid and Niall Shortall and a free from Reid.

The Harps continued to refuse to lay down as Mark Downey eventually found the net from close range after efforts from Justin and James Duggan were stifled by the Ballyhale backs.

Justin Duggan followed with a great score from the left wing and Comerford cut the gap to three with a point from play, drawing a huge roar from the home support who began to believe again.

That belief took a major hit when again TJ Reid latched onto a high ball and played it inside to Eoin Cody to passed on to Brian Cody to raise their third green flag with a powering finish.

Brian Cody added two more points from awkward angles, though The Harps drew replies from Ross Deegan and Comerford.

Despite the replies, the wheel was really beginning to turn in favour of the Kilkenny men with Ronan Corcoran slotting twice and Reid adding his second from play under serious pressure.

Scorers for Shamrocks Ballyhale: TJ Reid 1-8 (1-0 penalty, 6fs), Brian Cody 1-3, Eoin Cody, Ronan Corcoran and Niall Shortall 0-2, Killian Corcoran and Jake Mullen 0-1 each.

Scorers for The Harps: Ciaran Comerford 0-6 (5fs), Mark Downey 1-0, Ross Deegan 0-3, Eoghan Murphy (1 65) and Justin Duggan 0-2 each, Eoin Delaney, James Duggan and John Brophy 0-1 each.

Shamrocks Ballyhale: Dean Mason, Killian Ryan, Joey Holden, Killian Corcoran; Evan Shefflin, Darragh Corcoran, Richie Reid; Ronan Corcoran, Liam Barron; Brian Cody, Eoin Cody, Adrian Mullen; Jake Mullen, TJ Reid, Niall Shortall.

Subs: Brian Butler for Shefflin (6, inj), Cathal Coogan for Barron (37), Michael Barren for J Mullen (53).

The Harps: Bobby Murphy; Eoghan Doheny, Cody Comerford, Jack Kennedy; Ciaran Flynn, Podge Delaney, Eoghan Murphy; Rian Edwards, Padraic Dunne; Ross Deegan, Ciaran Comerford, Mark Downey; Justin Duggan, Eoin Delaney, James Duggan.

Subs: John Brophy for Delaney (38), Tiarnach Doheny for Edwards (50), Donal Deegan for Flynn (54).

Referee: Adam Kinihan (Offaly).