All County Hurling League Division 2
Tir na nOg 3-12 Portaferry 0-17
Tir na nOg’s Kevin Sheerin in action during his team’s win over Portaferry
When I left Randalstown on Wednesday evening after seeing Tir na nOg being put to the sword by St John’s I honestly thought that it would be a serious set-back for the club, and that their bubble had well and truly burst. They had recorded impressive wins over Glenariffe, St Gall’s and Armoy which turned their season around but when they shipped 4-28 to a highly impressive Johnnies side on Wednesday night they looked all at sea. One of the fans I spoke too at the end told me that the worst thing about it was that they had to face joint leaders Portaferry on Sunday, a team that had beaten them by 3-16 to 0-12 when the sides met in the first half of the league down on the Ards Peninsula
Hopes would not have been high among their followers going into Sunday’s game but the men in blue showed great spirit and resilience to grab a remarkable win end Portaferry’s unbeaten run and get themselves back on track. The visitors led in the early stages but three pointed frees by Kevin Sheerin kept the Whitehill men in contention and when Ciaran McKeown grabbed a goal in the seventeenth minute the belief began to seep through the team. Portaferry went back ahead and picked off the points but a point from play by Kevin Sheerin just before the break left the home side trailing by just two at the short whistle. (1-5 to 0-10)
Portaferry struck first in the second half and extended their lead to 3 before Kevin McCann bagged a goal for the home side, levelling the game once more. Pearse Sheerin then hit two points in quick succession to put the Blues one point up 2-7 to 0-12. Sean Duffin and Kevin Sheerin added points from frees then on forty four minutes Pearse Sheerin plucked a high ball out of the air on the edge of the Portaferry square and batted it to the net, to give his team a 3-9 to 0-14 lead
The Down men fought back, but the excellent free taking of Kevin Sheerin, who hit three more points to bring his tally to eight, saw the Whitehill men hold on comfortably for a remarkable victory and a well-deserved two league points, which keeps them in third place in the table.
Tír na nÓg
- R. Graham 2. B. Kerr 3. T. Martin 4. S. Carey 5. R. O’Neill 6. C. Duffin 7. C. Fitzgerald 8. S. Duffin 9. E. Martin 10. C. McKeown 11. P. Sheerin 12. C. Logan 13. S.Donnelly 14. K. Sheerin 15. K. McCann 17. D. Mallon 18. K. Kerr 19. R. Bonnes 20. E. Heffron 21. N. Shannon
Scorers: K. Sheerin (0.8- 6 frees), P.Sheerin (1.2), C. McKeown (1.1), K. McCann (1.0), S. Duffin (0.1- 1 free)
Subs: D. Mallon for K. McCann (53mins), K.Kerr for S. Donnelly (63mins)
