Clough/Ballacolla power past Rathdowney-Errill to make it two from two
John Dwyer’s two goals, along with a green flag from Chris Rafter saw them win by nine points
Clough/Ballacolla made it two wins from two in the Laois Shopping Centre Premier Intermediate Hurling Championship after a blistering second half performance carried them to a convincing nine-point victory over Rathdowney-Errill in Colt on Sunday afternoon.
Despite trailing by three points at the interval, Clough/Ballacolla completely turned the contest on its head after the restart. Three second half goals and a dominant display saw them outscore Rathdowney-Errill by 3-9 to 1-3 to secure an impressive win.
Padraigh Brennan opened the scoring before James Keegan quickly replied for Rathdowney-Errill. Brennan added another point before converting a 65 to edge his side back in front. Aaron Costigan registered his first score from a free for Rathdowney-Errill, while Paddy Hassett also split the posts.
Kevin Hyland kept Clough/Ballacolla ahead with a free before Gary Whelan added one from play. Rathdowney-Errill then enjoyed their best spell of the half, with John Keane, Costigan from another placed ball and Oisin Moore all finding the target.
Sean Corby halted that momentum with an excellent score after being picked out by a superb puck-out from Peter Rafter. Chris Rafter followed with a point before Hyland landed a superb long-range effort to restore Clough/Ballacolla's lead. Hyland added a free and John Coonan also chipped in, but Rathdowney-Errill finished the half strongly. Keegan, Joe Sherman, Jordan Kavanagh twice, Joe Fitzpatrick and another Costigan free ensured they went into the dressing rooms holding a 0-13 to 0-10 advantage.
The game looked very different after half-time as Clough/Ballacolla returned with far greater purpose. Whelan, Brennan from a free and John Coonan wiped out the deficit before they struck for the opening goal. Canice Coonan's gave a great pass to John Dwyer, who made no mistake with the finish to fire his side into control.
Hyland added another free before Kavanagh briefly stemmed the tide with a point for Rathdowney-Errill. However, Clough/Ballacolla quickly landed another goal Whelan's superb pass found Dwyer and although his first effort was brilliantly saved by Ben Campion, he reacted fastest to blast the rebound to the net.
Brennan extended the lead with another free before Rathdowney-Errill were handed a lifeline when Hassett rifled a stunning effort from outside the 'D' beyond the Peter Rafter. Corby answered with a point at the opposite end, while Keegan and a Costigan free kept Rathdowney-Errill within sight entering the closing stages.
Clough/Ballacolla finished with another flourish. Hyland rounded off an excellent personal display with two further points, one from play and another free, while Ben Delaney also got on the scoresheet. The final word came in emphatic fashion as Whelan supplied his second assist of the afternoon, setting up Rafter to clinically finish Clough/Ballacolla's third goal and put the seal on a deserved victory.
The result leaves Clough/Ballacolla with maximum points from their opening two games ahead of a winner-takes-all clash with Castletown in Round 3. Victory there would send them directly to the semi-finals, while defeat would still earn a home quarter-final. Rathdowney-Errill, meanwhile, must overcome Colt-Shanahoe after both sides lost their opening two outings. The winners will progress to the quarter-finals, while the losers will be forced into the relegation final
FINAL SCORE
Clough/Ballacolla 3-19
Rathdowney-Errill 1-16
SCORERS — Clough/Ballacolla: John Dwyer 2-0, Kevin Hyland 0-6 (four frees), Padraigh Brennan 0-5 (one free, one 65’), Chris Rafter 1-1, Gary Whelan, Sean Corby and John Coonan 0-2 each, Ben Delaney 0-1. Rathdowney-Erill: Paddy Hassett 1-1, Aaron Costigan 0-4 frees, Jordan Kavanagh and James Keegan 0-3 each, Joe Sherman 0-2, John Keane, Oisin Moore, and Joe Fitzpatrick 0-1 each.
CLOUGH/BALLACOLLA: Peter Rafter; Eoin Duggan, Emmet Saunders, Sean Hayes; Paddy Meade, Kyle Handcock; Padraigh Brennan, Ben Delaney; John Coonan, Sean Corby, Kevin Hyland; Gary Whelan, John Dwyer, Chris Rafter. Subs: Canice Coonan for Saunders (HT)
RATHDOWNEY-ERRILL: Ben Campion; Harry Wynne, Ben Campion, John Purcell; Jimmy Corrigan, Joe Fitzpatrick, Oisin Moore; John Keane, James Keegan; Harry Campion, Joe Sherman, Jordan Kavanagh; Aaron Costigan, Paddy Hassett, Darren King. Subs: Marc Tracey for Moore (43 mins), Oisin Smeaton for King (45 mins), Daniel Bowe for Hassett (46 mins), Patrick Wright for Kavanagh (51 mins), Gearoid Campion for Costigan (58 mins)
Referee: Ronan Devaney (Castletown)