Maghera reach Gallagher final
Danske Bank Gallagher Cup semi-final
St Patrick’s Maghera 4-18 St Mary’s Belfast 1-4
St Patrick’s Maghera are through to the Danske Bank Gallagher Cup final following a very strong showing against a fancied and hitherto unbeaten St Mary’s Belfast in the semi-final in Ahoghill.
Paddy Quinn was dominant presence at half-back, while Seamus McKenna pushed through at midfield and Fintan McGrath led a very accomplished forward line all of whom as well as the four substitutes that came in during the second half made the score-line.
Se Cassidy and Callum Murray scored the goals in the opening half that put Maghera into a comfortable 2-7 to 1-2 interval lead, with Paul Smyth the Belfast goal-scorer.
Maghera through pushed on during the second half with goals from Enda Downey and Fintan McGrath and easily reached next week’s final.
Also yesterday Cross and Passion Ballycastle defeated St Louis Ballymena 4-8 to 2-3 in their delayed quarter-final at Loughgiel.
All six goals came in the opening half with strikes from Cathal Hargan, Oisin Elliott, Seamus McAuley and Conor O’Mullan enough to take Ballycastle through.
Cross and Passion now go into a second north Antrim derby on Monday with a semi-final clash against St Killian’s in Cushendun (2pm).
On paper unbeaten St Killian’s will start slight favourites, but, as Maghera have shown, that tag can count for nothing in the white-heat of a semi-final.
St Patrick’s Maghera : E Downey 1-3, C Murray 1-1, S Cassidy 1-1, F McGrath 1-0, S Martin 0-3, C Glass 0-2, C Higgins 0-1, R McGill 0-1, J McDermott 0-1, S Convery 0-1, C McGuigan 0-1, P Quinn 0-1, H O’Donnell 0-1, J Duggan 0-1.
St Mary’s : P Smyth 2-0, D McKeogh 0-2, J Burns 0-1, R Crossan 0-1.
