Bally no longer whipping boys

Cork SHC semi-final

That’s what makes Sunday interesting as they face favourites Sarsfields at Páirc Uí Chaoimh tomorrow(2pm).

Ballymartle’s form this year suggests they mean business. Blackrock and St Finbarr’s – two of the three most successful sides in the championship’s history – as well as Douglas, have fallen to them.

It’s been an awesome growth and club stalwart Brendan Murphy succinctly captures the increase in profile of the Riverstick club: “If someone in the club had said 15 or 20 years ago that we’d be beating teams like that, they’d have been taken away and locked up.”

No matter what happens tomorrow, these are the good times for Ballymartle. Inter-parish matches were played by teams from there as far back as the early 1800s and while junior county titles were won in 1952, ’58 and ’86 – when Murphy was a member of the side – a lack of belief always impeded progress.

“We just kind of plodded away at junior,” Murphy said, “and to be honest, we always underachieved.

“Ballinhassig won two intermediate counties in the 1970s and while we’d have been able to beat them in the Carrigdhoun Cup, there was always a hard-luck story in the championship.

“The 1986 win was only repeating history really, we had a very good team but all we have to show for it was two South Easts and a county. In ’87, we played Erin’s Own in an intermediate semi-final and we were quite capable of winning but it was as if we knew going out that we wouldn’t.

“We had them on the floor and couldn’t kill them off and then about 10 or 11 of their team were on the side that won the senior county in 1992.”

Murphy, who managed the club to IHC victory in 2006, cites the influence of two successive club chairmen, Gabriel Coleman and Joe Hallissey, in helping to bring about a change in culture.

“They were central in improving the facilities,” he said, “and having good facilities gave us a bigger profile and brought about a real pride in the club.

“The club bought land in the 1990s, when it mightn’t have been trendy to do so. It cost IR£32,000 but even then there was opposition, a meeting was held and it was only just short of people rolling around on the floor fighting.

“Gabriel held his own and eventually the land was bought, and if it hadn’t been it would probably have been developed for other purposes.”

One of the best pieces of construction, in Murphy’s view, was the indoor hurling alley.

“It really helped players to play all year round, hitting off the left and right and just developing as hurlers,” he said.

“I know if I went down there now I’d find fellas there and they’re there until 10pm. You couldn’t stress the difference that comes from having good facilities.

“It might only be subconsciously but players realise that you’ve become a serious outfit, you’re no dead-duck crossroads crowd.”

Of course, human resources remain the most important, and Ballymartle struck (green and) gold there too.

“The current crop all came through together at underage,” Murphy said, “and did well from an early age. We had Tom Nott down coaching the coaches, whereas before we’d have been fairly haphazard and that was a big difference too.

“This group held their own with the city teams at underage so there was never a fear there, they’d never be overawed. In our day, you wouldn’t even ask the big sides for a game because you knew they’d say no.

“The day against Douglas was one of my best ever at a Ballymartle match. There was never any panic among the team.”

Ballymartle’s run this year is arguably all the more impressive given that it has been achieved after the departure of coach Eddie Murphy, who formed an excellent double-act with manager Anthony McCarthy for the PIHC win and the first two years at senior.

“Eddie was fantastic,” Brendan Murphy said, “and was really good for the younger players.

“He injected a real pace into the play and he cared outside of hurling too. He laid a foundation and Anthony has carried it on on his own this year.

“He has been manager since 2007, straight after he finished playing but he has been brilliant.”