St Louis Ballymena into 1st Mageean final since 1996

October 19, 2015

Danske Bank Mageean Cup semi-finals

St Louis Ballymena 1-18 St Patrick’s Maghera 1-14

IN a game that turned out to be a battle of wits between the free-takers, St Louis Ballymena’s scoring barrage in the opening six minutes was the main reason that they have reached their first Danske Bank Mageean Cup final in almost two decades.

Long range free-taker Sean Duffin opened with two scores, Conal Cunning made it three-up and James McNaughton added another free in the fifth minute, before a cross from the left wing was batted to the net by the in-rushing Ronan Graham.

A seven points lead in any game is a big gap to close and St Patrick’s Maghera never really recovered in a match in which there was little continuous flow to the play.

Indeed, with only 1-4 scored by each team from open play, it came down to the free-takers. Sean Duffin’s long-range shooting for St Louis was top of the range. He popped over nine, while James McNaughton added five more from closer range.

For Maghera, nine of Odhran McKeever’s ten points came from placed balls and he opened Maghera’s account with three points in response to that sixth minute goal from Ronan Graham.

From then until the half-time break, scores were traded with Maghera getting a break in the 29th minute when a high ball broke favourably for Shane McGuigan to smash to the net and the teams turned over at 1-9 to 1-6 for the Ballymena school.

Although Sean Duffin extended that with two free on the re-start, St Patrick’s hit the next four points – two from McKeever frees, and one each from Seamus Higgins and Shane McGuigan – to make it a single-point game.

The teams then traded two points each, the last score possibly the pivotal moment with Ryan Elliott in the Ballymena goals turning Maghera goalie Seán Ó Caiside’s penalty over the bar with ten minutes remaining.

Although Richie Mullan shot a point soon after, two frees each from Duffin and McNaughton pulled St Louis clear and into their first Mageean Cup decider since 1996, when St Mary’s Belfast were their final opponents as will be the case this Friday evening 7.30pm at the Dub.

St Louis : R Elliott, C rice, D Martin, S McKinley, C Ferris, C McMullan, R McGarry, S Duffin 0-9 frees, E O’Neill 0-1, R Graham 1-0, K Molloy, C Cunning 0-1, C Elliott, J McNaughton 0-6, 0-5 frees, S Elliott 0-1.

Sub : M O’Connell for C Elliott (45).

St Patrick’s : S Ó Caiside 0-1 pen, F O’Kane, P Turner, R McCartney, K Feeney, C Kelly, D McPeake, C McAllister, S Higgins 0-1, T Walsh, S McGuigan 1-1, O McKeever 0-10, 0-9 frees, C Hunter, L Cassidy, R Mullan 0-1.

Sub : S Downey for L Cassidy (ht), P McLaughlin for C Hunter (ht), T McHugh for S Higgins (55).

Referee : Brendan Toland (Lámh Dhearg).