Masita Paddy Buggy Cup (All-Ireland senior schools B hurling) final: St Killian’s, Garron Tower (Antrim) 4-13 Blackwater CS, Lismore (Waterford) 0-13
AFTER waiting 60 years since the last Danske Mageean Cup success for Garron Tower, this year’s crop in St Killian’s moved up a gear in the All-Ireland series and collected the Masita Paddy Buggy Cup in Abbottstown with an assured performance in the opening quarter.
They had three goals and three points registered before Ben Cummins got Blackwater Community School off the mark. Although the Waterford school kept chipping away with points, there was never a chance of multiple goals to give them a chance of rescuing the game.
Inside 40 seconds, Niall Hynds won a free on his way to goals and Joseph McLaughlin opened his account with a point. 90 seconds later the Ruairí Óg forward finished a fine move involving Cormac McKeown and Oran McCambridge by bulging the net and the north Antrim school was on its way.
By the fourth minute they had a second goal when Callagh Mooney’s high ball was taken down for McCambridge to find the net. The third goal in the 12th minute was very similar with McKeown’s high ball dropping in on the Lismore goalie and McCambridge diverted it over the line.
Blackwater shot back into the game with four unanswered points between the 20th and 27th minutes, but St Killian’s finished the half strongly with points from McCambridge and McKeown and then another McKeown point in injury time that hit the cross bar on the way over.
The Ulster champions led by 3-8 to 0-6 at half-time.
Lismore started the second half with three points inside six minutes from Charlie Lineen, Joe O’Keefe and a Cummins free, but McLaughlin landed three points in reply before the three quarters stage.
Murphy, Adam Cummins and O’Keefe closed the gap once more to make it 3-12 to 0-12, but any lingering hope the Waterford boys had of a late miracle was quashed in the 54th minute when a lightening move from St Killian’s saw Cormac McKeown put Orrin O’Connor through for the fourth goal of the game.
Blackwater lost their discipline a little towards the end with two players seeing red. It was more frustration than malice because the Tower was already over the line. The likes of Joseph McDonnell, Joseph O’Keefe and Jake Henley got on a lot of ball, but the gap the Tower opened in the first 12 minutes was just too much for them to close.
McLaughlin again was a star up front for St Killian’s, the pace of McKeown earned him the Player of the Match award and McCambridge was another who made life very difficult for the Lismore defence. At the back, Niall Magee, Charlie McAuley and both corner backs snuffed out any danger.
St Killian’s: O McCambridge 2-1, J McLaughlin 1-8, 0-5 frees, O O’Connor 1-0, C Mckeown 0-3, C McAuley 0-1
Blackwater: B Cummins 0-5 frees, J O’Keefe 0-3, 2 frees, A Cummins 0-2, S Murphy, B O’Sullivan and C Lineen 0-1 each.
St Killian’s: T McLaughlin, C Ward, C Devlin, J Scullion, A Birt, C McAuley, N Magee, C McIlwaine, C Mooney, C McKeown, J McLaughlin, O O’Connor, M Furey, O McCambridge, N Hynds.
Subs: E Ward forC Devlin (48), P McDonnell for M Furey (59), A McCambridge for N Hynds (60 + 2), C Graham for N Magee (60 + 3)
Blackwater: B Murphy, J Twomey, T Ahern, C Lynch, T Duffin, J Henley, C McCarthy, Joseph McDonnell, J O’Keefe, C Lineen, A Cummins, J Hickey, S Murphy, B Cummins, B O’Sullivan.
Subs: S Barry for C Lineen (50), H Quinn for J Hickey(59), Jack McDonnell for C McCarthy (60 + 2)