Leinster Club HC Semi-final/Ballyhale Shamrocks 2-14 Rathnure 1-10: It was expected that yesterday's AIB Leinster club hurling semi-final at Wexford Park might need a bit of a handicap. Ballyhale's superiority on paper looked all too likely to transfer onto grass but the fact they had just won the Kilkenny title for the first time in 15 years a mere week previously might have disrupted their focus.
A long shot maybe and so it proved, as the stylish Kilkenny champions eased to victory against opponents reduced to 14 men for three-quarters of the match.
Rathnure battled hard to limit the damage but for all the bustle and energy they lacked the cutting edge to threaten the outcome. From the moment Henry Shefflin speared home a 12th-minute goal from an acute angle after a good run by TJ Reid, the Wexford champions were chasing the match and apart from three minutes at four behind, they spent most of the rest of the match trailing by at least two goals.
Ballyhale were stabilised by solid displays from their big names. Henry Shefflin led the attack, James Fitzpatrick was deft and influential - in one passage dodging out of defence to launch a dangerous ball into attack and popping up seconds later to pick up a stray clearance and drive it back over the bar from 80 metres - in the middle and TJ Reid hit a couple of tasty points and moved to centrefield for the second half to supplement Fitzptarick, whose regular partner Michael Fennelly hadn't been feeling well and was eventually replaced.
Rathnure's Anthony O'Connell got the line in the 15th minute for a straight red card after pulling down the back of Henry Shefflin under a dropping ball. Referee Barry Kelly didn't hesitate.
The Wexford club's manager, Teddy O'Connor, said afterwards that the dismissal had ruined the game but, to be fair to him, he also said he hadn't seen the incident.
As sometimes happens the reduced team seemed to receive an adrenalin boost and tore into the match.
They withdrew Seán O'Neill from attack and Ballyhale played the cards as dealt leaving the immensely capable Paul Shefflin to patrol his defence between the half backs and full backs.
Nigel Higgins was the most impressive of the Rathnure forwards, taking on Eamonn Walsh for two great points in the first quarter. Switched to the half forwards after the break he caused more problems when running from deep and added two more points.
At the back, Brendan O'Leary put in some storming resistance at full back. His colleagues chased and blocked eagerly but O'Leary was immense fastening onto ball - apart from one spill from a long Michael Fennelly delivery - and clearing it.
But the problem with the rally after O'Connell's dismissal was that for all the passion and commitment it had little impact on the scoreboard. Three frees from Paul Codd kept the deficit at six points by half-time but it was hard to see how a serious challenge to Ballyhale would materialise even with a stiff breeze against them to come.
"Even at half-time we weren't that worried," said the winners' manager Maurice Aylward. "We play better against the wind."
Rathnure responded well to the concession of a second goal, Patrick Reid getting to a ball squirting around the square and converting, by scrambling one back through Trevor Hogan.
Ballyhale eased off in the final quarter, their productivity stretching to only a couple of points and had Rathnure been more accurate there might have been quite a climax.
"The last six or seven minutes we had the opportunity of getting two goals," said O'Connor. "If we'd got them you wouldn't know."
Ballyhale are now on the trail of a first Leinster and All-Ireland title in 17 seasons. "We're delighted to be back in a Leinster final," said Aylward. "We've got a great tradition in it and that game will do us good after all the celebrations."
O'Connor was magnanimous but added a note of caution: "They're a good hurling team and good sportsmen. I wish them well but it's a long road to Patrick's Day and there's a lot of hurdles between then and now."
BALLYHALE: J Connolly; P Shefflin, E Walsh, P Holden; K Nolan, A Cummins, B Aylward; J Fitzpatrick (0-3, one free), M Fennelly; E Fitzpatrick (0-1), H Shefflin (1-3, 0-1 free), TJ Reid (0-2); P Reid (1-1), E Reid (0-2), M Aylward (0-1). Subs: C Fennelly (0-1) for M Fennelly (43 mins), D Hoyne for E Fitzpatrick (47 mins), B Costelloe for E Reid (54 mins).
RATHNURE: D Flynn; S Somers, B O'Leary, A O'Connell; J O'Connor, M O'Leary, P Whiteley; P Codd (0-5, all frees), M Redmond; R Flynn, M Byrne, R Codd; T Hogan (1-1), N Higgins (0-4), S O'Neill. Subs: A Codd for R Flynn (34 mins), C Byrne for R Codd (52 mins).
Referee: B Kelly (Westmeath).
