Ballinasloe retain silverware for Galway with win over Kenmare Shamrocks

Ballinasloe (Galway) 0-14 Kenmare Shamrocks (Kerry) 0-10

Ballinasloe ensured All-Ireland Club JFC silverware stayed in Galway thanks to a four-point win at Croke Park this afternoon.

Twelve months ago, Naomh Padraig claimed honours and Sean Riddell's charges staged a masterclass to take a well-deserved first title.

What ended in joyous scenes as the club celebrated victory in their black and amber jerseys, started with a quick-fix solution, after the club forgot to bring their jerseys with Glasnevin club Na Fianna deputising.

Kenmare lorded possession in the first five minutes, but failed to make this dominance turn into scores.

Ballinasloe settled quickly with two swift points from Darragh McCormack putting them 0-2 to 0-0 ahead after five and a half minutes.

Kenmare battled back to rattle off four unanswered points between the eighth and 18th minutes as their captain Paul O'Connor and corner forward DJ Brennan shared four points equally.

But amazingly the Kerry and Munster champions, who needed three games to overcome Castleknock in the All-Ireland semi-final; failed to score again until the 43rd minute as Ballinasloe got firmly on top.

The Westerners claimed nine points without reply to take a 0-11 to 0-4 lead at that stage, five of those before the interval to ensure a 0-7 to 0-4 half-time lead.

The Ballinasloe scores arriving from a variety of sources, with Paul Whelehan, Darragh Burke, Gary Canavan and Keith Kelly all on target.

Ballinasloe also registered two wides in the early stages of the second half, before O'Connor broke Kenmare's scoring dead-lock.

This point would come in a bright spell for his side who claimed four of the next five scores to leave the score at 0-13 to 0-9 in the 53rd minute.

O'Connor added his sixth point with 90 seconds of normal time left on the clock, but Whelehan sealed victory for Ballinasloe with his third point ensuring wild celebrations at the full-time whistle.

Ballinasloe captain Keith Kelly accepted the cup from GAA President Liam O'Neill and in his speech dedicated the victory to fellow clubman Joe Keogh who passed away recently.

Scorers for Ballinasloe: P Whelehan, K Kelly (3f) 0-03 each; P Cunningham, D McCormack 0-02 each; J Shaughnessy, L Lynch (1f), D Burke, G Canavan 0-01 each.

Scorers for Kenmare Shamrocks: P O'Connor (2f) 0-06; DJ Brennan (2f) 0-03; S O'Leary 0-01.

BALLINASLOE: N King; E Fenton, D Nevin, J Shaughnessy; N Hynes, K Kelly, S Kenny; L Lynch, L Tierney; D Burke, P Cunningham, G Canavan; D McCormack, M Colohan, P Whelehan. Subs: C Casey for Kenny (53); S Cogavin for Colohan (56)

KENMARE SHAMROCKS: H Murphy; D Crowley, T O'Sullivan, C O'Sullivan; A O'Callaghan, S O'Leary, A Crowley; S Dalton, J Wharton; R O'Sullivan, M Crowley, A O'Leary; DJ Brennan, P O'Connor, K O'Sullivan. Subs: S Duncan for A Crowley (21); P O'Dwyer for R O'Sullivan (25); S Harrington for Dalton (45); S O'Brien for Harrington (54)

REFEREE: Ciaran Branagan (Down)