It was a smooth cruise to the All-Ireland club hurling title for experienced Ballyhale in Croke Park, as Kilmallock failed to fire.

The Kilkenny’s side greater experience was seen to good effect as they had twelve points to spare at the end of a disappointing final.

Paudie O’Brien opened the scoring with a first-minute point for Kilmallock but then Ballyhale, as you might expect from such a vastly experienced side, took the reins. They only got three points in the first ten minutes but they had four wides as well, and ominously for Kilmallock, Joey Holden was dominant at full-back for the Kilkenny champions.

On four minutes a Jake Mulcahy delivery from distance ended up in the Ballyhale net but was ruled out for square ball, and Kilmallock had to wait until the 17th minute to get their second score, a Robbie Egan point.

Colin Fennelly started to come into the game more for Ballyhale and pointed, and Eoin Reid and Paudie O’Brien exchanged points before the game’s first goal.

A Ballyhale puck-out broke perfectly for Colin Fennelly, who tore through the middle before stitching the ball into the corner of the net. TJ Reid added a point before half-time, but unfortunately for the Limerick men, they hit five wides in a row before the break, bringing their first-half total to ten in all: 1-7 to 0-4 at the half.

The second half continued in similar fashion - Ballyhale had three points on the board before Kilmallock’s Eoin Ryan pointed a 40th-minute free, only for TJ Reid to restore Ballyhale’s advantage to nine points, 1-11 to 0-5.

The Kilkenny side didn’t ease up, either, hitting seven points to Kilmallock’s one as the game wound down, TJ Reid pulling the strings cleverly around the middle. Robbie Egan’s late goal was very much in the consolation category, with Kilmallock twelve points adrift of the winners at the final whistle.

Scores and teams:

Scorers for Ballyhale: TJ Reid 0-6 (0-3 fs), C. Fennelly 1-3; E. Reid 0-3; H. Shefflin, M. Aylward 0-2 each; A. Cuddihy, B. Aylward 0-1 each.

Scorers for Kilmallock: R. Egan 1-1; G. Mulcahy (0-1 f), E. Ryan (0-2 fs) 0-2 each; P. O’Brien 0-1.

BALLYHALE SHAMROCKS: R Reid; K Nolan, J Holden, A Cuddihy, P Shefflin, M Fennelly, A Cummins, B Aylward, C Walsh, J Fitzpatrick, H Shefflin, TJ Reid (c), P Reid, C Fennelly, E Reid.

Subs: M. Aylward for P. Reid, HT; T. Coogan for Nolan, 57; D. Hoyne for Walsh, 58; M. Dermody for P. Shefflin, 59.

KILMALLOCK: B Hennessy, L Hurley, M O’Loughlin, A Costello; L Walsh, Philip O’Loughlin, K O’Donnell; P O’Brien, B O’Sullivan; J Mulcahy, G. O’Mahony, R Egan; E Ryan, K Kennelly, G Mulcahy (c).

Subs: P. O’Loughlin for Kenneally, 24; R. Hanley for Egan, 44; C. Barry for O’Sullivan, 56.

Referee: J. Owens (Wexford).