In the early hours of Sunday morning, as the clocks were turning back the hour, the swirling arm of a low pressure blasted the Upper Ards for several hours with the result that Down GAA had to switch pitches for the final of the County hurling final from an unplayable Mitchel Park, Ballygalget to Páirc Esler in Newry. It has to be said though, that those clouds had a silver lining. Páirc Esler’s grounds team sprung into immediate action with grass cutting, lines were remarked and the premises coiffed in a manner that would welcome the supporters and befitting of a County final. Under the floodlights of a darkening autumnal sky, this was a gem of an outcome.
The match referee, Peter Owens, along with officials Paddy Branagan, Kieran Rice and John O’Connor set about arranging their duties after the toss as Portaferry called to play towards the east end of the grounds. Standing pitch side, their was no discernible wind and the setting sun was unlikely to have an impact on sight lines especially since the flood lights were working their illumination magic to replace the failing light and offering a blanket of brightness.
As Peter Owens rolled the sliotar amongst the heaving midfielders on the hour of four o’clock, the FSL scoreboard twitched into action and the game timer commenced. The first five minutes of play was akin to two Olympic Judo athletes grappling to test for a weakness before taking that advantage and it was Connor Mageean who found a weakness and won a high puck out and turned it around for the first score of the game. Minutes later, Phelim Savage levelled the opening score from a free.
With approximately seven minutes on the clock, Chris Egan found the high ball from a classy long puck dropped into his hand from Brett Nicholson and made a run at Portaferry’s goalmouth, managing to body swerve Paddy McNally rushing out from the goal line. The referee spotted Egan being wrestled off the strike by Portaferry’s Tom Murray and didn’t hesitate to call a penalty. Player of the match Conor woods, stepped up and placed the sliotar high and left just outside the reach of McNally’s keeper’s stick, which would bring the score to Ballycran 1-1 Portaferry 0-1.
Making his final debut, young James Clarke received a clever knocked on pass from Liam Savage, turning and on the run lifted the sliotar from near 60 metres high into the halloween sky for his first point of the game. Phelim Savage would step up to dispense another free from a foul on Egan but Portaferry’s Padraig Doran would pick up a back pass from just inside Ballycran’s 45m line for a fine point. At the first water break the score stood at Ballycran 1-3 Portaferry 0-2.
Ballycran would return to scoring form straight after the break as Phelim Savage converted another free from a barge on Niall Breen followed by points from Martin and a high ball caught by an outstretched arm was converted over the bar by Clarke.
Portaferry would start to place scores on the board again as the number 15 Niall Fitzsimmons picked up a bouncing ball and off loaded to a waiting Tom McGrattan who was gesturing for the pass. McGrattan took no time in slotting the sliotar at close range past Stephen Keith. Ballycran would respond by neutralising the three points from goal with points from Egan (2) and Martin again but Portaferry’s Matt Conlon and Padraig Doran pulled two of those back to bring the score to Ballycran 1-9 Portaferry 1-4.
As the game approached the dying minutes of the first half, Connor O’Prey played a clever long cross ball to a waiting Daithi Sands. Sands would slip his marker and from a short solo run, drilled the sliotar off the stick past a line of Ballycran bodies that would hamper Keeper Keith’s sight line, into the waiting net. With only two points the difference, Conor woods would find the uprights from the middle of the field and Portaferry’s Barry Trainor would drop a ball over the bar from a classy pass from Conor Mageean. With play now rolled into injury time, Conor Woods stretched to intercept a pass over his head and bringing the sliotar to his hand, looked for Clarke to receive the long pass. Portaferry’s Ciaran Savage shadowed Clarke to the sideline for an interception but Clarke slipped his marker and made a run straight for McNally’s nets. At the end of a 20m solo run, Clarke slotted the sliotar between McNally’s legs and the net rippled the receipt of the ball. That would essentially bring the first half to an end at 32 minutes with the scoreline Ballycran 2-10 (16) Portaferry 2-5 (11).
Niall Fitzsimmons would start the second half two minutes in with a simple flick of the sliotar over the bar but Ballycran’s Liam Savage responded with an airborne hand pass inviting James Clarke to catch, turn and score his third point from play.
A foul on Michael Hughes brought Conor Woods lining up over the sliotar from his own 45m line. The long haul point was quickly matched by Barry Trainor and this was very much an established hallmark of the game as both sides traded points.
Niall Milligan inched Portaferry to within a four point difference with a fine run ending in a flick over the bar from the 20m line. Again on the turn from a Stephen Keith puck out, Liam Savage under pressure, kicked the sliotar forward to the waiting stick of brother Phelim. Waiting on the edge of the 13m line, James Clarke called to be fed but Savage opted to lob it high to Niall Breen and wasted no time delivering the sliotar over the bar. Reflecting the ebb and flow of the game, Michael Ennis caught a high ball but overworked the hand pass that yielded to Portaferry’s Barry Trainor. Looking up at the long range, Trainor air mailed the sliotar and over the bar it went for a scoreline Ballycran 2-13 Portaferry 2-09.
Tom McGrattan was keen to offer his back to back free taking service after Daithi Sands was pushed in the back just beyond the Ballycran 45m line and McGrattan himself blocked out from a scoring opportunity. That brought Portaferry to within two points of Ballycran 12 minutes into the second half but the pace of the game meant that a hold on Chris Egan allowed Phelim Savage to cruise another free over the bar and in a copy cat fashion, tipped another over the bar after Michael Hughes was pushed to ground near the stand sideline. That cluster of frees brought the score to Ballycran 2-15 Portaferry 2-11.
Just before the second water break, drama unfolded as Michael Ennis gathered in a second yellow for a foul on Matthew Conlon. Peter Owens had no other recourse but to follow up with a red and Ballycran dropped to 14 men. The supporters knew what this could mean and the water break couldn’t come quick enough for them now.
Shortly after the game recommenced, Peter Owen halted play after Eoghan Sands was brought to a halt by Liam Savage, deemed by Owens as a charge. Ronan Blair stepped up and brought Portaferry back to within three again but the pace of the game was peaked again when Daithi Sands looked like he was going for the goal mouth but Ballycran’s Sean Ennis was determined to make sure not on his watch, standing Sands up for an eventual over carry foul.
Scott Nicholson, who has been resting out a previous injury got into the action when he took receipt of the sliotar as it dropped almost vertically from a Stephen Keith puck out. In a familiar Nicholson fashion, the hand pass to Ben Arthurs was over the shoulder but an alert Arthurs took the opportunity to fire down from the 45m line so that keeper McNally had no option but to parry it over the bar.
Twenty five gruelling minutes into the second half, Brett Nicholson picked up a red for an off the ball altercation with Niall Milligan. At this point in the game, the very vocal Ballycran support took stock of the situation and reassessing the challenge that lay ahead, went up several decibels in loudness to drive the dwindling Ballycran squad on.
Sensing the imbalance in resources, Portaferry went on the offensive with focus again, though Eoghan Sands was shuffled to the ground by Gerard Hughes just outside the box. Ronan Blair stepped up and cruised the sliotar calmly over the bar to take the score line to Ballycran 2-15 Portaferry 2-13. No one at this point in the game could have predicted the next four minutes of normal time.
Eoghan Sands picked up a running low sliotar from Keith’s puck out and returned it back over the bar from a hefty 75 metres out. The air by now was electric all around, punctuated by fireworks across Newry, amplifying the sense of magnitude that the game was taking. Just seconds into injury time, Conor Woods was blocked to the front and referee Owens blew for a foul. From Ballycran’s 45m line, Woods cruised another sliotar right down the middle of the uprights. Paddy McNally returned the puck out to a waiting Ciaran Savage and wasted no time sending it wide to make Daithi Sands work for the catch, but Sands delicately controlled the sliotar down onto the stick and within a few steps, the sliotar was on it’s way over the bar for an undeniable smashing point. This was now almost, end to end hurling.
As the injury time was flashed up for 4 minutes, a Keith puck out dropped onto a Portaferry stick just in front of the Ballycran stand and as Phelim Savage snatched the sliotar out of space, the supporters rose to their feet. Savage dropped the ball into the half forward position and there Niall Breen took receipt and placed the sliotar over the bar. The intensity of the game was in the red by now. Ballycran 2-18 Portaferry 2-15. The question on everyone’s mind was could Ballycran hold off Portaferry for the next three minutes as Jaimie Fowler paced the dugout with a blend of internal nervous energy and outward calm as he shouted commands to the players. Three minutes and three points. Surely it was too much to expect.
Paddy McNally rushed the sliotar out to a waiting Barry Trainor and quickly off loaded to a running Fitzsimmons like a passed baton in a relay race. Fitzsimmons would solo run almost 25m but sensed the closing posse of Ballycran’s defence and off loaded across the bar. The pressure though was mounting on Ballycran and Caolan Taggart was offered a free in return for being fouled on the edge of the box. Ronan Blair converted that easily to bring Portaferry within one point. Ballycran 2-18 Portaferry 2-17.
Within touching distance of the final whistle and despite protests from Ballycran’s full back line, Portaferry would win a 65 and Ronan Blair would convert that to bring the game into extra time. The FSL scoreboard burned everyone’s retina in the dark night sky with Ballycran 2-18 Portaferry 2-18.
With the first half of extra time underway, Ronan Blair would convert a foul on Matthew Conlon to take a one point lead for the first time in the game. Ballycran feeling a revival of the odds being at least evened up, couldn’t take advantage of a dangerous ball dropped in to the edge of McNally’s square from Conor Woods’ free. With a scramble to clear the danger, Ciaran Savage volleyed the ball off his right foot that would eventually fizzle out to a Portaferry free as Conor Woods spun Eoghan Sands for a foul, although Ronan Blair had a rare wide, letting Ballycran momentarily off the hook.
As Cormac McAlister was dispossessed of his hurl, Referee Owens blew for another Ballycran free. Phelim Savage wasted no time floating another sliotar over the bar. Such was the high work rate of the game, no one could afford to drop their focus for one second, as McNally’s puck out found Martin, to Breen on a short pass, into a dispossessed Arthurs, Caolan Taggart to McGrattan and a loose Milligan cruised the sliotar over the bar.
Portaferry applied more pressure as a clever pass by Daithi Sands found Fitsimmons and on to a unmarked Blair but Stephen Keith pulled off a miraculous save for a missed 65. Keith hurriedly ushered the sliotar out to the waiting hand of Liam Savage and offered out to Scott Nicholson who found the uprights off his backhand. Ballycran 2-20 Portaferry 2-20.
An off the ball infringement by Portaferry’s Callum Smyth was spotted by the officials and Peter Owen felt it warranted a red card. The Ballycran supporters felt that perhaps this could ogre some luck as the resource imbalance favoured Ballycran now. As Niall Breen paced towards the half forward area, Caolan Taggart halted his progress but Owen spotted an infringement that gave Phelim Savage the opportunity to advance Ballycran’s score by one point back into the lead and would take the game into the break. Ballycran 2-21 Portaferry 2-20.
Despite over 70 minutes of high intensity play, there would be no letting up from either side. Eoghan Sands was making a deadly run for an on target point when Gerard Hughes lunged at the sliotar to block the danger. The loose ball was picked up by his brother Paddy with a short puck to Phelim Savage and onwards to Scott Nicholson who blistered another fine long range sliotar over the bar. Another Portaferry advance was neutralised by Ballycran’s defence and the sliotar found its way into a packed Portaferry box where Francis Caldwell swung on a ground ball with one hand as Ronan Smyth managed to block the goal attempt.
With the work rate needle bending at the end stop, Ballycran squashed another Portaferry advance, this time from a close quartered Matthew Conlon. Gerard Hughes picked up the loose ball to Michael Hughes offering a high sliotar into the hands of Liam savage, hand passed to Martin and onto Niall Breen who shrugged off the challenges for another point. Ballycran 2-23 Portaferry 2-20 with 5 minutes of extra time left on the clock.
A well won sliotar by Gerard Hughes found the eager hands of Liam Savage to Scott Nicholson but dropped by Aaron O’Prey under the close eye of Peter Owens, who blew for the foul. Phelim Savage wasted no time in delivering the sliotar giving Ballycran what felt like a comfortable lead of four points with two minutes on the clock, but with the high class hurlers on the Portaferry squad, you can expect them to want to claw it back, because they can. Knowing that a goal would be the only stepping stone back to Jeremiah McVeagh, Caolan Taggart pushed up and took advantage of a dropped sliotar by fellow team mate Matthew Conlon, fired the sliotar hard and wide of Stephen Keith’s stick for a goal. With just one point in the game, Ballycran would need cool heads to preserve that precious lead.
Stephen Keith picked up the sliotar and sent it piercing through the sky like a firework to Sean Ennis who has now advanced to the half forward position. After a short ground battle, Phelim Savage took possession and making a run towards Paddy McNally’s box, was taken down by Ciaran Savage and then converted the free with one minute or so left on the FSL clock. With a two point lead and seconds on the clock now, it was a big ask for a Portaferry goal as Ballycran bodies swung back to make an impenetrable wall. Peter Owen took a glance at his watch and brought the game to an end. Ballycran 2-25 (31) Portaferry 3-20 (29).
Two exhausted teams, two exhausted supporter groups but one amazing game to witness. Let’s see if we managed to capture any of that with the pitch side photos.
Connor O’Prey from Portaferry, Referee Peter Owen and Liam Savage from Ballycran (SHC – 1)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 2)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 3)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 4)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 5)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 6)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 7)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 8)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 9)
Chris Egan infringement – Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 10)
Conor Woods penalty – Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 11)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 12)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 13)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 14)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 15)
Tom McGrattan goal – Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 16)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 17)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 18)
Daithi Sands Goal – Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 19)
James Clarke solo goal run – Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 20)
James Clarke goal – Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 21)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 22)
Viper’s save – Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 23)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 24)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 25)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 26)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 27)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 28)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 29)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 30)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 31)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 32)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 33)
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 34)
Thanks to Down GAA for organising the Championship, Páirc Esler grounds team and staff for making the pitch playable and to our supporters for travelling down and staying with the lads until the final whistle. Commiserations to our neighbours, Portaferry. We know and understand the loss and we thank you for your composure and gestures after the game was over.
It started with Joe and it finishes with Joe.
Down Senior Hurling Championship 2021 (SHC – 35)
