Kinsale and Belgooly Set Up All-Blue South East Final

Ryan’s double inspires Kinsale as Belgooly overpower Valley Rovers

(JJ Hurley)

The stage is set for an all-blue showdown in the Ross Oil South East Hurling Championship final after Kinsale and Belgooly came through their semi-finals on Sunday.

Noah Ryan Kinsale's double goal hero in today's Ross Oil South East Junior A Hurling Semi Final.

In Minane Bridge, Kinsale overcame Ballymartle in a thrilling contest that produced four goals and a standout display from corner-forward Noah Ryan, whose two second-half strikes proved decisive.

Ryan opened the scoring for Kinsale with a fine early point, but Ballymartle took control in the opening quarter, leading 0-8 to 0-3 after just 12 minutes.

Leo Hennessy, Ronan Sheehan, and Ken O’Callaghan were all on target as the Riverstick men dominated the early exchanges, while Joe Butler and Senan Ahern impressed in defence at either end.

The game’s first goal arrived on 20 minutes when Timmy Broderick finished smartly from a Brian O’Neill pass, though Ballymartle still held the upper hand thanks to O’Callaghan’s unerring accuracy from frees.

Just before half-time, Kearney struck Kinsale’s second goal to close the gap, leaving the sides finely balanced at 2-7 to 0-13 at the break.

Early in the second half, Ryan buried from close range to put Kinsale in front, and moments later Daniel O’Leary pulled off a crucial save to deny Broderick.

By the 45th minute, Ballymartle had reduced the deficit to 3-10 to 0-17, with Hennessy, O’Leary, and Sheehan keeping them in touch.

However, Kinsale’s Michael Murphy was deadly from placed balls, helping his side extend their lead to 3-14 to 0-20 by the 54th minute before Ryan struck once more to complete his brace.

That final goal sealed a memorable win for Kinsale and a well-earned place in the South East decider.

Belgooly Finish Strong to See Off Valley Rovers

In Shanbally, Belgooly came out on top against Valley Rovers in a game where a stiff breeze had a major influence throughout.

The Rovers started brightest, moving 0-4 to 0-0 ahead after nine minutes, with Joe Twohig contributing three of those early points.

Belgooly got off the mark when Ryan Long forced a fine save from Matthew Kelleher, and Barry Dwyer converted the resulting 65.

With the Innishannon side leading 0-7 to 0-4 on 22 minutes, a moment of brilliance from Eoin O’Donovan brought Belgooly level shortly after.

Two points each from Twohig and Dwyer saw the sides go in level at 0-9 to 1-6 at the interval.

The Rovers again started well after the restart, with Kevin Duarte finding the net, while Arron Lyons went close to adding another but shot wide.

The game’s turning point came ten minutes later when Kevin Canty was sent off, leaving Valley Rovers down to 14 men. Belgooly seized control from there, with Long, O’Donovan, and Dwyer all adding to their tallies.

Valley Rovers could only manage three second-half scores as Belgooly finished the stronger to claim a 1-17 to 1-11 victory, booking their return to the South East Final — where Kinsale now await.

Barry Dwyer helped steer Belgooly to the Ross Oil South East Junior A Hurling