Newmarket were defeated by a strong Ballincollig side in the semi final of the County Under 21 Football Championship on a scoreline of 2-10 to 0-7 at windswept Mallow on Sunday afternoon.

Newmarket played with the aid of a hugely advantageous wind in the first half but from the outset struggled to turn this to their favour. Ballincollig managed to get off the mark within the first minute but Newmarket were on terms in the fourth minute thanks to a converted free from John Ryan. The Muskerry champions edged in front again in the seventh minute but once more John Ryan gained parity on pointing in the thirteenth minute. Newmarket took the lead for the only time in the contest when Nicky Flanagan pointed on fifteen minutes but Ballincollig soon ensured the sides were on level terms for a third time.

The physically strong and athletic Ballincollig mastered playing against the elements and the game took a significant twist in the twenty third minute when they were awarded a penalty which was dispatched emphatically to the roof of the net. A buoyed Ballincollig further enhanced their strong position when they struck for a second goal just prior to the interval. A shell shocked Newmarket finished the half with a point when Bart Daly pointed a monstrous free from distance but faced a major uphill battle on trailing 2-3 to 0-4 at half time.

Newmarket defended resolutely for the second half hour and withstood several periods of Ballincollig pressure. They forced their opponents into wayward shooting and conceded just two points in the third quarter while John Ryan was on target at the other end. A five minute spell yielded Ballincollig’s best period of the half and four points followed. A resilient Newmarket battled hard throughout and Bart Daly scored his second point with seven minutes remaining. The sides went on to exchange points before the finish with John Ryan registering the final point of the game.

This proved to be the end of another immensely successful season for Newmarket’s under 21 football team who claimed a third successive Duhallow title in the process and proceeded to their third successive County semi final.

The Newmarket team was…

David Quinlan
David Guiney		Brian O’Riordan		Brendan Stack
Conor Cronin		Paul Cashman		Robert Stack
	Kevin O’Sulllivan		Bart Daly (0-2)
Ian Flanagan		John Ryan (0-4)		Jerry McCarthy
John Scanlon		John Lane		Nicky Flanagan (0-1)
SUBS: Anthony Lynch, Michael O’Leary, Eddie Allen, Eugene Bodie, Kieran Lehane