Senior football league V Ballinteer St John’s in Loreto Park on 1 July 2023

Ballyboden St Endas 1 – 19

Ballinteer St Johns 4 – 8

Goals normally win games but luckily for the visiting team goals were not enough for Ballinteer in this game. Playing on a very small pitch, Ross McGarry popped over for a point in the first minute with Mick McDonald doing likewise a couple of minutes later. Ballinteer got one back but Ryan O’Dwyer quickly cancelled this out. The home team got their second point on four minutes but then Warren Egan and Ryan O’Dwyer again added points for Boden. Ballinteer stayed in touch with another point, but Boden kept the pressure on with points from Daire Sweeney (free), Ryan Basquel (free) and Mick McDonald from play. Then came the first major for Ballinteer when they finished to the net with 18 minutes gone. Two Ryan Basquel frees put Boden four points ahead, but Ballinteer got a point back before Ryan O’Dwyer and Daire Sweeney put Boden ahead by five points at halftime with a score line of 0 – 12 to 1 – 4. 

It took four minutes for the first score to be registered in the second half when Warren Egan pointed. The home team cancelled this out before a purple patch for the visitors saw a Luke O’Donoghue point, a Ryan O’Dwyer goal after a good cross by Céin D’Arcy and two points from Daire Sweeney to put Boden in what seemed like an unassailable lead. However, when Ballinteer scored two goals in quick succession, Boden found themselves in some difficulty as the game approached its closing stages. While Ross McGarry and Ryan Basquel (2) got three points back, Ballinteer cancelled two of these out. Ballinteer were then awarded a penalty well into added time, which they duly converted, to leave just two points between the sides at the final whistle.

TEAM Darragh Gogan; Brian Bobbett; Harry Donaghy; Leo McHugh; Kieran Kennedy; Josh Hayes; Alex Gavin; Michael McDonald; Céin D’Arcy; Luke O’Donoghue; Ross McGarry; Warren Egan; Ryan Basquel; Ryan O’Dwyer; Daire Sweeney. SUBS USED: Conor Hanrahan; Michael Darragh Macauley; Ryan Baines; Robbie O’Reilly; Mikey Dunne.

Report by Paddy Walsh

Photos by Cliona Mellett.