Mayo SHC Final

Tooreen 1-14 Ballyhaunis 2-5

By Mark Higgins at Tooreen

Tooreen retained their Mayo senior hurling title with a deserved six-point win over neighbours Ballyhaunis at a rain-soaked Freeman Park on Sunday afternoon. 

A third quarter in which the defending champions outscored their guests by 0-5 to 0-0 proved the game’s decisive period, establishing a gap on the scoreboard that Ballyhaunis were unable to bridge in the closing stages. 

Conditions were terrible in East Mayo, but the game began at a brisk pace nonetheless; after Keith Higgins had opened the scoring for Ballyhaunis in the first minute, Eoin Delaney raced clear of the visiting defence to flash home the game’s first goal a few moments later. 

The goal separated the teams through the remainder of the first half. Ballyhaunis were successfully keeping some of Tooreen’s big guns, such as Shane and Fergal Boland and Cathal Freeman, relatively quiet from play, although Daniel Huane did get up well from midfield to fire two good points, whie a couple of Shane Boland frees and a nice point from the impressive Delaney also added to the home side’s tally. 

At the other end, Ballyhaunis were largely reliant on the frees of Higgins to stay in touch; the former Mayo football star had three points to his name by the break. A beauty of a point from Kieran McDermott also helped to keep Ballyhaunis in the game, but they landed a major blow right on the stroke of half-time as McDermott set full-forward Adrian Philips clear for a well-finished goal. The strike cut the half-time deficit to a single point, 1-5 to 1-4 to Tooreen. 

The home side dominated the third quarter of the game. With Fergal Boland becoming far more involved in the half-forward line, they reeled off points from Joe Boyle, Shane Boland ( a ’65), Sean Kenny (a free) and Fergal Boland to extend their lead to six points by the 44th minute. 

Ballyhaunis eventually produced a response, Higgins clipping a badly needed free before Jason Coyne forced home a goal after a ball broke loose in the Tooreen square, to trim the arrears to two. 

Tooreen finished strong, points from Shane Boland, Kenny Feeney and Cathal Freeman leaving six between them at the final whistle and earning the Blue Devils their fifth TJ Tyrell Cup title in the last six season. 

They will go forward to defend their Connacht intermediate hurling title, beginning with a provincial quarter-final meeting with the Roscommon senior champions on the October Bank Holiday weekend. 

Scorers for Tooreen: Shane Boland 0-6 (5f, 1 ’45), Eoin Delaney 1-1, Daniel Huane 0-2, Joe Boyle, Sean Kenny (f), Kenny Feeney, Fergal Boland and Cathal Freeman 0-1 each. 

Scorers for Ballyhaunis: Keith Higgins 0-4 (4fs), Adrian Philips and Jason Coyne 1-0 each, Kieran McDermott 0-1. 

Tooreen: Bobby Douglas; Gary Nolan, Michael Morley, Oisin Greally; Joe Boyle, Stephen Coyne, David Kenny; Sean Kenny, Daniel Huane; Eoin Delaney, Kenny Feeney, Fergal Boland; Shane Boland, Cathal Freeman, Brian Morley. 

Subs: Liam Lavin for B Morley 42, Conor Henry for Coyne 58, Coyne for Nolan 59. 

Ballyhaunis: Donal O’Brien; Adrian Brennan, Mark Philips, Jack Coyne; Eoghan Collins, Cormac Philips, Brian Hunt; Damien Keadin, Kieran Kiely; Kieran McDermott, Keith Higgins, Stephen Hoban; James Lyons, Adrian Philips, Jason Coyne. 

Subs: Morgan Lyons for McDermott 45, Danny Hill for Hoban 55, Sean Griffin for Kiely 60. 

Referee: Eoin Shaughnessy (Castlebar).