HALE & HEARTY

Shamrocks into Leinster final after thrilling victory over classy Clough

- BY GARRY DOYLE

THERE was a moment, just after Willie Dunphy clipped his fourth point from play and Stephen Bergin had bisected the posts yet again, when the script nearly tore in two.

Ballyhale Shamrocks, those perennial kings of winter, were suddenly level with Clough-Ballacolla, five minutes left, the momentum all with the Laois champions.

And in that moment, you wondered if the old order was shifting, if the giants were about to fall.

But Ballyhale have lived too long in the white heat of knockout hurling to be rattled by a gust of wind, no matter how fierce.

They steadied themselves, rediscovered their rhythm, and struck three points in succession to survive a ferocious scare and book their place in the Leinster final, 1-18 to 1-15.

On balance, they deserved it. On effort, Clough could not have given more.

If the final scoreline hints at a routine Shamrocks win, the game itself told a far more chaotic, thrilling story — one where Clough-Ballacolla hurled with ambition, energy and imagination, matching their illustrious opponents stride for stride, and at times surpassing them.

Because the first half was by no means all Ballyhale.

TJ Reid (inset), the ageless wonder, gave them the perfect start, tapping over frees in the 2nd, 4th and 7th minutes, with Evan Shefflin chipping in from play for a 0-4 to 0-1 advantage.

But it was a brittle sort of lead, and Clough sensed it. Cillian Dunne’s outrageous sideline cut, struck with swagger, provided the spark they needed.