Liam Mellows 0-11
Beagh 0-10
It was as dramatic a finale as you could hope to wish for from a game that rarely rose above the ordinary for the preceding 60 minutes. Beagh’s John Moylan had just brought the sides level with a fantastic point from the right touchline and a replay looked ominous, with injury time almost elapsed. But Mellows were to get one last chance for a win which seemed unlikely throughout when Conor Hynes won a free five yards inside his own half.
John Hughes stepped up, confidence high having just rattled over two points from a similar distance, to keep his side in the hunt in the closing stages. All gathered knew it was the last puck of the game and a decisive strike was needed. It duly arrived when Hughes split the posts with ease, and the scenes of elation that erupted moments later among the Mellows panel were obviously a mixture of joy and relief that they had won through despite playing so poorly.
Unlike the nervewracking conclusion, the remainder of this quarter final will fade quickly from the memory of those in attendance. A first half littered with bad wides – 15 in total – saw only three scores registered by the 25th minute. Jamie Diviney and a Rory Gantley free pushed Beagh two in front, before Brian Lee eventually replied for Mellows in the 23rd minute.
Rory (2 ) and Joe Gantley added further points before the half but Mellows kept in touch thanks to efforts from Jeffrey Lynskey and a long range John Hughes free. Had Beagh’s Padraig Landers converted a goal chance on the stroke of half time it would have been hard to picture a Mellows recovery, as Kieran Diviney had marked Mellows’ sharpshooter Aonghus Callanan out of the tie in the opening period.
Rory Gantley stretched the lead to three on 37 minutes, but their hand-passing, which had worked so well against Athenry, was not half as effective this time out. Conor Hynes, Callanan, and Lynskey brought the sides level by the 48th minute as the game finally began to resemble a spirited championship battle.
Beagh looked to have made the crucial burst when Rory Gantley’s two frees plus Joe Gantley’s elegant strike restored their three-point lead with five minutes to play. Callanan, now deployed in the corner, sprung to life with two vital scores which, along with Hughes’ accuracy from another placed ball, saw the teams level at 0-9 apiece as the clock ticked into the 60th minute.
Joe Gantley then shot narrowly wide before John Lee’s astute handpass gave Hughes the chance to put Mellows in front for the first time and he made no mistake. Moylan’s swift response looked favourite to be the last score before referee Sean Moran awarded Man of the Match Hughes the opportunity to clinch it and he seized the opportunity, keeping Mellows’ hopes of a first County title since 1970 alive, but only just.
Liam Mellows: K Walsh; S Hynes, E Ryan, R Bennis; K Murphy, J Lee, J Hughes (0-4, 3f ); M Grealish, B Howley; Conor Hynes, J Lynskey (0-2 ), N McInerney; S Minton, A Callanan (0-3 ), B Lee (0-1 ). Subs: Ciaran Hynes for Minton (39 ), D Kelly for B Lee (54 ).
Beagh: K O’Grady; M Geoghan, K Diviney, P Diviney; F Gantley, A Diviney, E Tuohy; J Morris, B Gantley; J Moylan (0-1 ), R Gantley (0-6, 4f, 1’65 ), K Keehan; P Landers, J Gantley (0-2 ), J Diviney (0-1 ). Subs: S Diviney for Morris (39 ).
Referee: Sean Moran.
