Hurling & Camogie

Conor Doran helps Ballygalget over line against Portaferry

Down Senior Hurling Championship semi-final: Ballygalget 2-13 Portaferry 0-18

After 32 minutes of play in the first half Connor O’Prey notched his sixth point and the reigning Down and Ulster champions had slipped into a one point lead despite playing against the wind.

Portaferry had been the more composed side throughout the half and the fact that they had shot just one wide was evidence of their confidence and focus. But mere seconds before the half time whistle the Portaferry defence failed to deal with a long dropping ball and the alert Brooks Byers swept the loose ball to the Portaferry net. So the teams turned round separated by two points and Ballygalget with a margin they would doggedly protect throughout the second half.

The opening half lacked the intensity one might have expected in this battle of next door neighbours. Instead the play was fairly open and the marking a times quite loose. When Portaferry won the toss they elected to play against a stiffish breeze in the opening period and they got off to the perfect start when in their first attack Eoghan Sands slotted the first point.

Ballygalget responded immediately and Danny Toner found the target from wide on the left. Paul Braniff eased Portaferry ahead with a delightful point from play after three minutes before Conor Doran sent over a free from midfield to bring the sides level. Connor O’Prey pointed frees in the 5th and 6th minutes before Toner hit his second point from 70 yds. Ballygalget were struggling with the movement of the Portaferry forwards and Conor Mageean burst through to make the score 0-5 to 0-3 in favour of the champions.

James McGrath steadied things for Ballygalget with a long range free before Gareth Johnson split the posts with a 80 yd free. Conor Mageean found himself at the end of an another incisive Portaferry attack and he slotted over from Andy Savage’s pass when a goal might have been on. Conor O’Prey (2) and Conor Doran (1) exchanged points and approaching 20 minutes Portaferry led by 0-8 to 0-6.

Then we had our little piece of magic for the day and not from Gareth Johnson rather it was Danny Toner whose dancing feet bamboozled his markers before he found the top corner of the Portaferry net; a score to grace any game. Soon after Conor Doran pointed a free and B’Galget led 1-7 to 0-8. But the chamoions still looked composed and in control and points from Kevin McGarry and Aaron O’Prey levelled matters again. Conor Doran’s free put Ballygalget back in front before Conor O’Prey scuffed a goal chance just wide from 10 yds. O’Prey’s two frees put Portaferry ahead but Balygalget had the last word of the half when Byers’ goal sent the outsiders into the break ahead on a scoreline Ballygalget 2-8 Portaferry 0-12.

If the first half lacked the intensity one looked for in a championship clash then the second was a more dour and rugged affair. Ballygalget have been playing in a division below the Ulster champions this season and it perhaps took a half of hurling to believe the match was there to be one. We saw 22 scores in an open first half but would only see 11 scores in the second half; most importantly we would only see 6 scores from the favourites. Conditions were made more difficult by a squally shower but Ballygalget in the second half won more and more of the difficult and dirty ball. They stifled the free running Portaferry forwards and veteran Graham Clarke was rarely threatened in the second period.

Brooke Byers stretched the gap to three points after five minutes of the half while Conor O’Prey responded from a free. Declan McManus pointed for Ballygalget after 11 mins but after 13 and 15 mins Conor O’Prey added two frees and the gap was back to just one, B’Galget 2-10 Portaferry 0-15.

Conor Doran pointed a Ballygalget free before Danny Toner laid claim to the best point of the day by converting after James McGrath’s driven cross field pass. Andy Savage after 23 and 24 mins brought the gap back to a single point, 2-12 to 0-17. Conor Doran had missed just one free but after 25 he sent a 40 yd free inexplicably wide; would this be a crucial miss. Portaferry pressed upfield and after Peter McManus collected a second yellow card Conor O’Prey scored the resultant free to level the game with two minutes of the three minutes of additional time left. Both teams were desperate to avoid the mistake that could cost the match and it was an illegal hand pass that gave Conor Doran a free with just thirty seconds left; this time he made no mistake. Portaferry had perhaps thirty seconds to find the equaliser but they just couldn’t win clean possession and the final chance fell to Gareth Johnson but his free slipped wide.

There were jubilant scenes on the final whistle as Ballygalget celebrated a victory that few outside the club could have foreseen. They had grown in confidence throughout the game and once they realised they were in with a chance of victory they played with more determination and hunger than their opponents. In the early stages of the game the Portaferry forwards were moving slickly and at pace but once Ballygalget came to terms with the withdrawn half forwards and midfield they started to dominate possession. Midfield and the Portaferry half back line were very congested and they players who dominated in last year’s championship run struggled to influence today’s game.

It would be unfair to single out players on the Ballygalget team but it would also be unfair not to mention again the dazzling goal scored by Danny Toner. This was a team effort full of heart and commitment and with plenty of skill to back that up. Outside of their own club there weren’t many backing Ballygalget today but there mightn’t be too many backing against them the next day.