Ballinlough travelled to Ballivor to collect their second win of the Division 6 B-league on Wednesday evening. The winners put in an accomplished team display and led from start to finish as they ran out twelve point winners.
Ballinlough……………….….3-14 Ballivor…………………………1-8
Regular intermediate goalkeeper Kevin Mallen lined out at full-forward for Ballinlough and he proved a useful target man in their attack, scoring 2-4 and providing plenty of openings from which his colleagues prospered.
Kevin Mallen, Seamus Byrne and Conor Briody were all on target twice as Ballinlough combined good movement with clinical finishing as they established a 0-8 to 0-2 lead after 21 minutes. Just before half-time the quick thinking of Kevin Devine found Kevin Mallen in space and he flicked the ball onto James O’ Higgins who finished brilliantly to the net as the North Meath outfit led, 1-8 to 0-3, at the switch of ends.
Kevin Mallen netted early in the second-half which gave Ballinlough a comfortable 11 point lead, 2-8 to 0-3, but they went on to endure a 16 minute scoreless spell as Ballivor registered 1-3 without reply to offer themselves a glimmer of hope, they trailed 1-6 to 2-8 after 47 minutes. However Ballinlough responded positively with points from James O’ Higgins and Kevin Devine and then Kevin Mallen was once again to the fore, with 1-2 in a four minute spell, as the winners closed out the game with good scores from substitutes Joe Farrelly and Niall Farrelly.
Kevin Mallen was outstanding for Ballinlough, other to impress were Joey Byrne, Conor Briody, Seamus Byrne and James O’ Higgins.
Ballinlough: K. Mc Guinness, E. Smith, J. Byrne, Jonathon O’ Reilly, D. Lynch, S. Deevey, C. Briody (0-2), S. Byrne (0-2), D. Muldoon (0-1), J. O’ Higgins (1-1), Junior O’ Reilly, B. Smith, K. Devine (0-2), K. Mallen (2-4, 1 ’45), M. Mc Cullen. Subs: P. Briody for Lynch, N. Farrelly (0-1) for B. Smith, S. Smith for J. Byrne, A. Kellett for Devine and J. Farrelly (0-1) for O’ Higgins.