Ballina progress to final

Ballina Stephenites (Mayo) 0-10 Kilmurry-Ibrickane (Clare) 0-08

Beaten 1999 finalists Ballina Stephenites will contest this year's AIB All-Ireland Club football decider next month after they ended Kilmurry-Ibrickane's odyssey with a 0-10 to 0-08 decision in Salthill.

Liam Brady was their scoring star, hitting 0-05 (2f). Clare's Kilmurry lost crucial ground in the second half as corner forward Michael Hogan was one of two players sent off by Cavan referee Joe McQuillan.

Kilmurray captain Odran O'Dwyer inspired them to an early 0-04 to 0-01 lead as following Brady's 2nd-minute score, Johnny Daly, Shane Hickey, O'Dwyer and his brother Michael kicked overs for the Munster champions.

Four points on the bounce from the westerners got them right back in it, and Stephenites were 0-07 to 0-05 in front at the break.

David Brady, Ronan McGarrity and Liam Brady were all on target for Ballina, who had goalkeeper John Healy to thank on 18 minutes when he pulled off a brilliant save from the advancing Declan Callinan - set up by a fist pass from teenager Hickey.

Michael O'Dwyer fired over the west Clare side's first point for 19 minutes from a 40-metre drive on the half-hour.

It was 15 minutes and some ten wides split between the sides before Daly opened the scoring for Kilmurry in a disappointing second half.

Patrick Harte turned in a great performance though for the Mayo men in the closing stages, scoring three times - including a final punched point in injury time - to secure their St Patrick's Day outing at Croke Park.

With Hogan dismissed for a head-butt on Mayo midfield star McGarrity, Kilmurry did keep in the hunt with Michael O'Dwyer again on target, and goalkeeper Dermot O'Brien saving from Liam Brady with the tie poised at 0-08 to 0-07.