Dominant Ballyboden cruise to provinicial decider
Ballyboden St Enda's 2-19 Tullamore 0-10
Leinster championship favourites Ballyboden St Enda's produced a top-quality performance to qualify for the final with an easier-than-expected win over an emerging Tullamore in O'Connor Park on Saturday afternoon.
The visitors were almost unstoppable and had one foot in the final when they led by fourteen points at half-time.
They were pushed onto the back foot in the second half as Tullamore finally produced the type of football they are capable of for 15 minutes, playing with the wind.
They scored six points without reply, three of them Harry Plunkett frees, but the gap was still a prohibitive eight points.
Colm Basquel celebrated scoring Ballyboden's second goal, a penalty in the 21st minute
A 47th-minute point from Daire Sweeney settled Ballyboden, took the sting out of Tullamore and the winners sauntered home with the last six points as they extended their half-time lead by one, to fifteen points.
It was a very impressive display by Ballyboden while it just didn't happen for Tullamore – their brightest emerging talent Cillian Bourke is heading to Australia to take up a professional playing contract with Essendon on Sunday - while defensive lynchpin John Furlong was an early injury casualty, going off after 17 minutes.
The Dublin club played some great attacking football once they settled in the first half, striding into a 2-12 to 0-04 half-time lead.
The home side started well and led by 0-02 to 0-01 after five minutes but a goal from Ross McGarry after just eighth minutes swung the momentum. They almost followed up with a second goal when Ryan Basquel blasted over with the goals at his mercy, and dominated until the half-time whistle.
With the wind on their backs, Colm Basquel got their second goal from a 21st minute penalty when the superb Ryan O'Dwyer was fouled by Michael Brazil. That gave Ballyboden a 2-08 to 0-03 lead and they went for the jugular.
O'Dwyer added his third and fourth points as Ballyboden strode into that fourteen point half-time lead.
Ballyboden St Enda's : Hugh O'Sullivan; Brian Bobbett, Cathal Flaherty, Ryan Baynes; James Holland, Patrick Warren, Peter Healy; Cein D'Darcy (0-01), Alex Gavin; Patrick Dunleavy, Colm Basquel (1-00, p), Ryan O'Dwyer (0-05); Ross McGarry (1-01), Daire Sweeney (0-09, 3f, 1tp) Ryan Basquel (0-03, 1f).
Subs: Harry Donahy for Gavin (35'), Luke O'Donoghue for Leavy (51'), Callum O'Dwyer for Colm Basquel (52m), Kieran Kennedy for Healy (55'), Darren O'Reilly for Ryan Basquel (58'),
Tullamore: Corey White; Ben Heffernan, Declan Hogan, Daire McDaid; Cormac Egan, John Furlong, Oisin Keenan-Martin; Cillian Bourke (0-2), Aaron Leavy; Diarmuid Egan, Michael Brazil, Niall Furlong (0-02); Mike Fox, Luke Plunkett (0-01), Harry Plunkett (0-05, 5f).
Subs: Luke Bourke for John Furlong, inj. (17'), Liam Dillane for Brazil (52'), Shane Dooley for Luke Plunkett (62').
Referee: Brendan Cawley.
