Killimor 2-12 Pearses 1-12: Our U21 hurlers were unlucky today in the 2017 Championship Quarter-Final played in Duggan Park, Ballinasloe. Pearses came from behind to hit the front with five minutes to play. However, a penalty at the other end sealed the win for Killimor.
Pearses led 0-3 to 0-2 after seven minutes, with Ronan Bellew on target from placed balls. The game continued in this evenly balanced fashion and after the first quarter Killimor were ahead by the minimum, 0-6 to 0-5. There were just three more scores in the first-half, but significantly one was a Killimor goal. They led 1-7 to 0-6 at the break. Ronan Bellew with all six Pearses points.
Soon after the restart sub Kevin Clancy had the ball in the Killimor net, after trojan work by Brian Sweeney. Just one between the sides again. At the end of the third quarter a Ronan Bellew white flag drew the teams level, 1-9 apiece. Bellew (who would finish with 0-11) pointed again and then Dermot Byrnes put Pearses two up, with seven minutes left. Byrnes’ point was one of the scores of the day, after a great team move involving Lee Murphy and Brian Sweeney, 1-12 to 1-11.
With five minutes to go Killimor managed to pull it out of the fire and Referee Christy Browne awarded a penalty at the town end. Cian Lawless in the Pearses goal did superbly to get a stick to it, but the ball crept in, 2-11 to 1-12. Killimor added another point in injury time to secure the win. Our men were massively unlucky to lose this game by all accounts. Good luck to Killimor in the semi-final.
Pearses: C Lawless; P Lally, R Flannery, R Carr; D Grady, R O’Neill, L Murphy; C Fahy, E Lawless; M Walsh, R Bellew (0-11), C O’Neill; B Sweeney, K Connell, D Byrnes (0-1). Sub used: K Clancy (1-0).