Hard-working Castlehaven get reward
It wasn’t a stone-cold classic – Castlehaven were far stronger in the first half and led from the 17th minute until the end – but the opening 21 minutes of the second period provided as a good a tussle as seen anywhere else this year. Fourteen points were scored in that time, only one from a placed ball, as Ballincollig sought to battle back from a four-point half-time deficit.
Unfortunately for the reigning champions, the nearest they came – on two separate occasions – was within one and their predecessors from 2012 and ’13 were able to close out the game. Their manager Jim Nolan knew that his side had been in a battle.
