Danske Bank Loch an Iúir Cup final: St Malachy’s, Castlewellan v St Patrick’s, Downpatrick (today, the Dub, 5pm)
THERE have been a couple of derby finals in Ulster Colleges competitions already this term with Patrician, Carrickmacross beating St Macartan’s, Monaghan to the Rannafast title and St Ciaran’s, Ballygawley collecting the Rafferty Cup at the expense of Holy Trinity, Cookstown.
Today’s Loch an Iúir Cup final is an east Down derby and sure to be hotly contested.
St Malachy’s, Castlewellan are in their first year of colleges competition and have made quite an impression, being edged out of the MacLarnon Cup quarter-finals by holders Castleblaney, losing the Rafferty Cup semi-final to eventual champions Ballygawley and now contesting a first final.
They have caught the eye at this level with comfortable wins in their league group against St Mary’s, Belfast, Viriginia, Cavan, Ballygawley and St Louis’, Ballymena.
Loreto, Coleraine led them going into the last quarter of the last eight game, but Castlewellan finished strongly to win 6-13 to 4-13, and they followed that with a 6-9 to 2-11 win over Cookstown despite losing key players to injury and a black card at the start of the second half.
Justin Clarke hit 2-2 in the semi-final before picking up an injury but is reported to be back to full fitness and ready to partner captain Gareth Fitzpatrick at midfield.
Shea Croskery scored a hat-trick of goals in the semi-final, but on other days the scores have come from other areas of a pretty impressive attacking sextet.
Red High’s passage to the final has not raised quite as many eyebrows, although that changed after a 7-11 to 1-7 demolition of St Malachy’s, Belfast in the semi-final a fortnight ago.
Like their opponents, scores have been coming from all areas of the attack, with midfielder Tom Smyth from the local RGU club hitting an impressive 2-3 in the semi-final.
Neither defence has so far been under a serious amount of pressure in any game, such has been the dominance of their attackers.
Today something has to give and, in a derby fixture, that could be anything.
Both sets of players know each other very well, sharing dressing rooms in the Castlewellan, Bryansford and Dundrum clubs.
Red High, however, seem to have the tighter defence and, with a high-scoring game in prospect, that could be the defining factor.
