It is a time of healing in the Ballygarvan camp. By gliding past the threat posed by Ballinhassig in the opening battle of the 1988 South-East junior championship campaign at Carrigaline last Saturday the hurlers of Ballygarvan largely erased the psychological wound, felt at the time, when bundled out of the 1987 championship by an unrated Tracton second string. Fears of repeat humiliation, this time at the hands of the understudy cast of their fellow parishioners, Ballinhassig, had mounted in the last month as the preparations of the team were stricken by an unprecedented epidemic string of injuries... During these weeks the club had to suffer a critical build-up of physical adversity affecting nine of the team in all and including those players regarded as indispensable to the championship ambitions of the team. Barry Ryan, the regular goalminder notched up a broken ankle bone playing squash while his chief protector Jim O'Halloran suffered a torn tendon playing with Carrigdhoun against Kerry which caused him to miss the Divisional team's championship tilt with Cloughduv. The 'B' F.C. tilt with Shamrocks dealt up another serious threat to the superstructure of their defence when star recruit from St. Finbarr’s, Jimmy Kelly, broke a finger - an injury which rendered him unable to come to Carrigdhoun's assistance a fortnight ago against Na Piarsaigh. The Jack Barrett hurling league encounter against Tracton generated more alarm when wing-back Robert Foster was injured with a broken finger and Paudie Butler had his nose broken. The catalogue of disasters was further enlarged by the broken wrist sustained by Barry Kidney, when opposing Ballincollig in the league, and the pervasiveness of the hoodoo that seemed to be enveloping Ballygarvan's aspirations was emphasised by the training ground accidents which left defender Vincent Hurley nursing a finger fracture, and player team manager David O'Sullivan with the impairment of a broken bone in the collar bone. Then ace marksman Joe Kennefick had to undergo a nose operation after having it damaged while assisting Carrigdhoun in a S.H. challenge against Glen Rovers and the Ballygarvan mentors must have felt like crying to have this cross lifted from their shoulders. A training ground accidents which left defender Vincent Hurley nursing a finger fracture, and player team manager David O'Sullivan with the impairment of a broken bone in the collar bone. As it happened, diligent hours in the treatment room reduced the calamity to manageable proportions and last Saturday all but three of the casualties Hurley, O'Sullivan, and Butler were able to participate. Having overcome such hardships and advanced to the semi-finals with comfort Ballygarvan will now face the remaining tests with renewed heart and two of the injured Butler and O'Sullivan may be tempted to suspend their resolve to go into retirement.