Danske Bank MacNamee Cup final
Cross & Passion, Ballycastle 2-10
St Patrick’s, Maghera 3-1
THE hurlers of Cross and Passion were even more emphatic winners of the Danske Bank MacNamee Cup yesterday in Ballymena than the scoreline suggests.
They dominated the early stages of the game, but were pulled back by two Maghera goals in the second quarter and before they could get into their stride again their most dangerous forward John Óg Darragh picked up a second yellow card.
Darragh had been the star of the game up until that point, but for the final 20 minutes the whole team dug in and kept their opponents under pressure, the third Maghera goal coming two minutes from time.
By the end of the first quarter, Darragh had already made his mark with a goal and three points, while Killian Cassidy brought CPC’s tally to 1-4 before Patrick O’Loughlin opened the St Patrick’s account with a goal 10 minutes from the break.
Darragh responded with two monster frees before Harry McCloskey’s 55-metre free for Maghera made its way through a crowded goalmouth and over the line. With O’Loughlin adding a point it seemed that Maghera were back in the game.
However, Darragh had the last score of the half, his second goal, a minute from the short whistle and Ballycastle led by 2-6 to 2-1, with the Naomh Pádraig player accounting for 2-5 of that.
The scoreline didn’t change up until his second yellow. After it, you certainly noticed the contribution of the rest of the team, with Iarlaith O’Kane and Ben Linton in charge at the back, Tom Richmond and Killian Cassidy driving ball through the middle and Pearse McMullan taking over as the go-to player.
Richmond pointed three frees and McMullan added a point before Maghera came with a late burst that saw Adam Mulholland find the net.
Scorers
Cross & Passion J Óg Darragh 2-5 (0-3f); T Richmond 0-3f;
K Cassidy & P McMullan 0-1 each
St Patrick’s P O’Loughlin 1-1; H McCloskey (f) & A Mulholland 1-0 each
Danske Bank Leonard Cup semi-final
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire 3-12 Cross & Passion, Ballycastle 2-7
THERE was a shock in yesterday’s Leonard Cup semi-final at the university grounds in Coleraine.
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire led Cross & Passion from the 10th minute through to the finish to reach their first-ever top-flight hurling decider.
An early goal from Aodhán Ó Ceallaigh settled the Dungiven side, but CPC hit back with a point from Páidí O’Kane and then a goal from Ronan Elliott.
However, the rest of the half belonged to the gaelscoil and they turned around at the break with a lead of 3-8 to 1-3.
Their second goal came in the 14th minute from MJ Mac Oscair and Kian Ó Ceallaigh grabbed a third to give them a cushion for the second half.
Although Fionn Ó Conaire pointed on the re-start, Charlie McAuley goaled soon after for Ballycastle. It failed to ignite a comeback, though, with the Gaelcholaiste defence tightening up again and there were few clear-cut goal chances for the rest of the half.
Harry Ó Cearnaigh pointed twice in the final quarter to set up the final against either their neighbours St Patrick’s, Maghera or St Mary’s CBGS, Belfast. They face off on Thursday.
Scorers
Gaelcholáiste H Ó Cearnaigh 0-5; MJ Mac Oscair & K Ó Ceallaigh 1-1 each; A Ó Ceallaigh 1-0; P Ó Ceallaigh & F Ó Conaire 0-2 each; SP Ó Ceallaigh 0-1
Cross & Passion P O’Kane 0-5; C McAuley 1-1; R Elliott 1-0; C McCloskey 0-1
Junior Medallion Shield final
St Patrick’s, Dungiven 5-4 St Columba’s, Stranorlar 2-7
GOALS from Cheyenne Moore and Amy Deighan in the final minute of the first half were decisive scores for the St Patrick’s camogs in this final in Celtic Park yesterday.
For most of the previous 20 minutes, St Columba’s had carried the game to St Patrick’s despite playing into the stiff breeze coming from the Brandywell end.
But those goals opened a gap at the break, 4-1 to 1-3, and it was wide enough to keep Dungiven ahead for the rest of the game.
The excellent Allison Tourish opened the scoring with a point for Stranorlar, but Teagán Anderson equalised and then crossed from the left wing for Clodagh Ferris to hit the net.
Although Eimear Whyte goaled in response, Cassie Darren’s goal after 16 minutes was the difference between the teams until those late strikes from Moore and Deighan.
Tourish closed the gap with a point on the re-start, but the Dungiven half-forwards went into defensive mode, preventing long deliveries with the wind, and after 50 minutes no headway had been made on the half-time gap.
Allison Tourish then blasted a goal for Stranorlar and only four points separated the teams with six minutes left.
However, Dungiven drove up the pitch and Teagán Anderson flashed a shot across the goals and into the net to leave her team in the safety zone again.
Scorers
St Patrick’s T Anderson, C Ferris & A Deighan 1-1 each; C Darren
& C Moore 1-0 each, E O’Kane 0-1
St Columba’s A Tourish 1-6 (0-2f); E Whyte 1-1
