Kilkenny SHC Final/James Stephens 1-18 Ballyhale Shamrocks 2-12: For most of the hour you could here the Ballyhale contingent pleading for their two most potent marksmen to step up their games. "Come on Cha", "Lift it Henry!", they cried but the on-field reply never arrived.
It wasn't through lack of effort, it's just that the All-Ireland club champions refused to be broken down. The Village retained one of the three titles they won last season by repeating the industrious hurling from square to square that reaped the ultimate reward last St Patrick's Day.
The best hurler in the country, Henry Shefflin, was kept to 0-2. Both frees. That says a lot really but an example of James Stephens' fierce intensity must be supplied in further detail.
In the 53rd minute, trailing 1-15 to 1-10, Ballyhale attacked with real menace. The sliotar came to Shefflin. He glanced up and saw team-mate Mark Aylward all alone on the edge of the square but the hand-pass was plucked from the air by Donnacha Cody.
The clearance came to James "Cha" Fitzpatrick who streaked past a couple of defenders before firing a low shot at goal. It was deflected by goalkeeper Francis Cantwell back into the path of Shefflin. It seemed a certain goal but again a James Stephens player was willing to put his body on the line. Take a bow Philly Larkin. He who had diligently tracked the Shamrocks' trump card all afternoon.
And that's how it went. Early on Fitzpatrick struck two wides and was moved back to midfield where he eventually found his form with two quality scores. Shefflin switched from centre forward to full forward and while he provided some decent ball for others his scoring breaks never came. On the final whistle he looked devastated as he headed for the dressingroom.
Ballyhale started well with both David Hoyne and TJ Reid profiting from Shefflin deliveries to establish an early three-point lead. Then Eoin Larkin took off. This time last year he couldn't make the Kilkenny under-21 team, never mind becoming the most deadly assassin in hurling. A free from the sideline was particularly impressive but it's his natural touch that will always allow him the crucial extra space.
So many seminal moments in this game centred around the influence, or lack thereof, of Eoin Larkin and Shefflin.
Midway through the first half Shefflin hit three wides on the trot. Possession shifted up the other end and Eoin Larkin ended the pretenders' early dominance with a neat score to make it 0-6 to 0-4. The midfield breaks were also going with The Village. Paddy O'Brien even outshone his more illustrious partner Brian McEvoy, but he too came good as the pressure mounted.
Shefflin got his first score on 24 minutes but moments later McEvoy dropped a bomb into the square, Hayes gathered and his lay-off to Eoin McCormack was buried past James Connolly.
The result was never going to be comprehensive. Ballyhale regained the momentum 30 seconds into the second half when TJ Reid pounced on a deflection from an Eoin Reid shot to make it a goal each. A single point separated them but this was pushed out to three by McEvoy clipping two from distance.
The reply came again but a golden opportunity for Ballyhale to regain the lead was fluffed by none other than Shefflin. After spinning off full back Martin Phelan the ball slipped from his grasp and a flailing shot went into the side-netting. It was a remarkable sight considering the level of expectations placed on the man. One set of supporters in the 11,000-strong crowd went silent.
Eoin Larkin added more scores but no club team in Ireland could reply to scoring cameos from David McCormack and substitute Shane Egan down the stretch.
They almost grabbed another goal but Connolly made a heroic block on Larkin's point-blank shot. Hayes inexplicably fired the rebound wide. That seemed to be it but Eoin Reid kept it interesting to the death with a scrappy goal in the third minute of injury time.
The victors rubbed more salt in the defeated team's wounds by being the first club to win back-to-back county titles since Ballyhale achieved the feat 1988-'89.
JAMES STEPHENS: F Cantwell; D Cody, M Phelan, D Grogan; J Tyrrell, P Larkin, P Barry (capt); P O'Brien (0-1), B McEvoy (0-2); J Murray, E Larkin (0-9, six frees), G Whelan; E McCormack (1-2), R Hayes, D McCormack (0-2). Subs: S Egan (0-2) for J Murray (42 mins).
BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS: J Connolly; P Shefflin, E Walsh, P Holden; K Nolan, B Aylward, M Fennelly; A Cummins (capt), TJ Reid (1-2); E Reid (1-1), H Shefflin (0-2, two frees), D Hoyne (0-3); P Reid, J Fitzpatrick (0-2), M Aylward (0-1). Subs: T Coogan (0-1) for P R Reid (40 mins), L Grant for D Hoyne, B Costelloe for M Aylward (both 57 mins), T Shefflin for J Fitzpatrick (63 mins).
Referee: E Crowley (Mooncoin).
