Padraig Pearses U21s exited the 2012 Championship after having almost pulled off an unlikely comeback against Ballinderreen in Ardrahan on Saturday last. They trailed by 13 points at half time, but managed to pull back the margin to just 5 in the closing stages and were unlucky not to have gotten even closer or maybe even nicked it, when a Ferghal Flannery free was stopped on the line and substitute Daragh Kelly hit the post. It would have been interesting if there had been 5 more minutes on the clock. Ballinderreen were completely on top in the opening period putting 1-15 on the board, to Pearses 0-5. Most of the Ballinderreen total were excellent scores from play. They could have had more, but for the efforts of the under pressure Pearses backline.
It was almost like a different Pearses team took to the field for a second half and they began chipping away at their opponents lead, mainly from frees, with Ronan Skehill and Colm Raftery on target from play. Indeed Pearses outscored their opponents 2-8 to 0-7 in the second half. The switch of Raftery from centre-back to centre-forward boosted the Ballymacward/Gurteen attack and when they ran at the Ballinderreen defense, they looked vulnerable. They fouled and the resulting frees were converted. Then keeper Ferghal Flannery came forward to find the net from a 21 yard free and soon after Raftery buried a 25 yard shot from play. There was a real chance of a dramatic turnaround at this stage, but time ran out for Pearses and Ballinderreen had kept the scoreboard ticking over, adding to their big first half total, to make it through to the Quarter-Final.