St Killian’s & St Patrick’s reach MacNamee Decider
Danske Bank MacNamee Cup semi-finals
St Patrick’s Maghera 2-5 St Mary’s CBS, Belfast 0-9
St Killian’s Garron Tower 8-5 St Louis Ballymena 0-4
St Killian’s Garron Tower and St Patrick’s Maghera will contest next Friday evening’s Danske Bank MacNamee Cup final after contrasting wins in the semi-finals yesterday afternoon.
Maghera and St Mary’s served up a thriller in Ahoghill with the two goals coming at the right time for Maghera and clinching the win.
St Mary’s were doing well in the opening half and led by 0-4 to 0-2 after 20 minutes, Dara Murphy scoring twice.
Shea Cassidy hit back with a point and then just a couple of minutes before the break, Cassidy latched on to a loose ball and fired to the net for a 1-3 to 0-5 interval advantage.
St Mary’s hit back on the re-start and re-gained the lead with points from Murphy and Ruairi Murray.
Back came Maghera with points from a Cassidy free and from Daire O’Kane, with Murphy levelling the game at 1-5 to 0-8 entering the last ten minutes.
Jamie Duggan then fired home a screamer from twenty metres with 8 minutes left and his defence weathered a storm until the final whistle, conceding just a free to Murphy a minute from the end.
In the other semi-final, St Killian’s attacked from the throw-in and pinned St Louis Ballymena into their own half for almost the duration of the first half, allowing them only two points, both scored by Padraig McGilligan from frees.
Garron Tower meanwhile made their dominance of possession count and led by 6-3 to 0-2 at the short whistle, with corner-forward Sean O’Boyle firing in a hat-trick of goals.
The game was a more even contest during the second half, but St Killian’s remained in control and goals each from the McKeegans, Pearse and Colm, sealed a comprehensive victory.
St Patrick’s : A Reid, M Downey, P Convery, M McEldowney, L Duggan, R Dillon, J McGurk, J McDermott, D O’Kane 0-1, S Cassidy 1-2, 0-1 free, S O’Neill, S McKenna, C O’Kane, J Duggan 1-2, 0-1 free, N Duggan.
Subs : R Henry for C O’Kane.
St Mary’s : C McShane, D Wilson, P McLaughlin, B McAuley, C Rooney, D Murray, D Magee, E Traynor capt. 0-1, L Carr, M McDaid, R Murray 0-2, F Mervyn, C Boyle 0-1, D Murphy 0-4, 0-3 frees, M Toner.
Sub : D Rogan for M Toner
Referee : Thomas McGilligan (Dunloy)
St Killian’s : J McAllister, M Emerson, L McLoughlin, C McCollum, C Hynds, C Magill capt., D Mort, F McQuillan, A Scullion, S McDonnell 0-1, G Leech 1-0, M O’Boyle 1-3, C McKeegan 2-1, P McKeegan 1-0, S O’Boyle 3-0.
Subs : D Kearney for M Emerson, S McIntosh for P McKeegan, S McKenna for D Mort, C Kilgore for S O’Boyle, E McSparran for C McKeegan.
St Louis : C Mullan, R Watson, E McFerran, T O’Kane, C Higgins, R McCloskey, D McMullan, P Dougan, P McGilligan 0-2, C Dickson, C McDonnell 0-2, C Healy, C McCloskey, R Mort, F Henry.
Subs : R Doherty for R Watson, S Higgins for P McGilligan, C McAllister for C Healy.
Referee : Owen Elliott (Ballymena).
Maghera photograph from Paddy McIlwaine
