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Senior Hurling Championship Group 2
St Gall’s 0-15 Loughgiel 3-23
Friday August 16
Brendan McTaggart reports from De La Salle Park, Belfast
Loughgiel became the first team to book their place in the semi-finals of the senior hurling championship with a resounding win over St Gall’s on Friday evening. Two first half goals put the Shamrocks in control, Eddie McCloskey and Shay Casey finding the back of Kurtis McGreevy’s net after a close opening to the match with St Galls matching their opponents score for score. Jackson McGreevy from placed ball and Kieron McGourty prominent throughout the first half. But a late scoring burst and a goal from Shan McGrath at the death added gloss to the score line
Loughgiel turned the screw in the second half and began to stretch their lead with man of the match Mark McFadden hugely influential while the Shamrock defence didn’t give St Galls an inch. They held St Galls to just five points after the interval, all from Jackson McGreevy while James McNaughton top scored for the north Antrim men with 0-7 (four frees) over the hour. The most notable stat from Friday evening is the number of men in a red and white shirt who added their name to the list of scorers. 10 different scorers with an impressive 3-18 of their overall tally coming from play in a dominant performance as the Shamrocks advance to the last four ahead of steam.
Loughgiel showed three changes from their win over St John’s with Declan McCloskey, Odhran Laverty and Donal McKinley making the starting 15 while St Galls weren’t at full strength themselves. Rumours beforehand were rife and the absentees were confirmed with CJ McGourty started on the bench.
The home side made an encouraging start to their opening championship match and went toe to toe with the Shamrocks in the opening quarter. Karl Stewart, Kieron McGourty and Jackson McGreevy (four frees) finding the required range while Barney McAuley, James McNaughton (two), Mark McFadden (two) and Eddie McCloskey landed points for the Shamrocks as the sides were tied at six points each after 15 minutes.
Loughgiel scored the opening goal of the tie in the 16th minute with Eddie McCloskey firing to the back of the net, Duck McFadden with the assist and it signalled a change of gears for the Loughgiel men. St Galls responded with Jackson McGreevy (free) and Kieron McGourty but McNaughton (free) opened a two point lead before Shay Casey scored their second goal in the 22nd minute. Callum McKendry’s initial shot saved by Kurtis McGreevy but Casey was first to the loose sliotar and made no mistake to put the Shamrocks in control.
McNaughton and Eoghan Farrelly swapped scores in the 25th minute but Loughgiel finished the half on top. A brace of frees from McNaughton with McAuley and Donal McKinley also splitting the posts left the Shamrocks eight points ahead at the interval.
The late scoring burst gave Loughgiel the cushion they needed to control the tie and after a sedate start to the second half, they began to find their range once more. Odhran Laverty, Casey, substitute Shan McGrath and McAuley splitting the uprights while the home side responded with four points (three frees) from Jackson McGreevy in the same period to leave nine between the sides going into the final quarter. The Galls man took his personal tally to 0-11 for the match in the 51st minute but Loughgiel went through the gears in the time that remained. They maintained their intensity and were unyielding with their attacking play in the closing stages. Crisp passing, direct ball, cross field passes and all with intensity, Loughgiel went through their array of hurling prowess in the final ten minutes. McGrath and Odhran McFadden along with substitute Odhran McMullan took the Loughgiel lead to 12 points before Casey took his tally to 1-2 for the match.
The third Loughgiel goal came in the last minute of normal time, McGrath also taking his tally to 1-2. Collecting a long ball, he was initially hooked by Joe McDaniels but he collected the loose sliotar and fired a rasping drive to the bottom corner. James McNaughton rounded off the scoring in injury time with his seventh white flag of the match as the Shamrocks booked their spot in the last four with 17 points to spare.
The last five minutes of the first half and those closing stages of the game proved to be the difference. St Galls battled impressively between times and maybe the score line gives an unfair reflection of what they brought to the game on Friday evening. Defensively they were disciplined but the Shamrocks had too many threats all over the pitch. The visitors curtailed the influence of Kieron McGourty in the second half while Gregory McGreevy and Anthony Healy never stopped in the engine room. The Loughgiel defence was once again on top form, not conceding from open play in the second half while Donal McKinley and Mark McFadden complemented each other well in the first half and gives them another option going forward but as it is, Loughgiel roll on and have their sights firmly set on a semi final once again.
TEAMS
St Galls: Kurtis McGreevy; Stephen Morrison, Joe McDaniels, Liam McCluskey; Niall O’Neill, Aodhan Gallagher, Ciaran McCaffrey; Gregory McGreevy, Anthony Healy; Karl Stewart, Kieron McGourty, Jackson McGreevy; Jack Hopkins, Antoin McCaffrey, Eoghan Farrelly.
Subs: Lorcan O’Ciaran for E Farrelly (28); Oran McIlhatton for C McCaffrey (51)
Scorers: Jackson McGreevy 0-11 (10 f’s); Kieron McGourty 0-2; Karl Stewart 0-1; Eoghan Farrelly 0-1.
Loughgiel: Chrissy O’Connell; Declan McCloskey, Tony McCloskey, Ronan McCloskey; Odhran Laverty, Tiernan Coyle, Odhran McFadden; Donal McKinley, Mark McFadden; Barney McAuley, Declan Laverty, Callum McKendry; James McNaughton, Eddie McCloskey, Shay Casey.
Subs: Shan McGrath for D McKinley (HT); Declan Gillan for O Laverty (43); Odhran McMullan for D Laverty (48); Ryan McKee for M McFadden (54); Nicholas McNaughton for B McAuley (59).
Scorers: James McNaughton 0-7 (4 f’s); Eddie McCloskey 1-2; Shay Casey 1-2; Shan McGrath 1-2; Mark McFadden 0-3; Barney McAuley 0-3 (1 f); Odhran McFadden 0-1; Odhran Laverty 0-1; Donal McKinley 0-1; Odhran McMullan 0-1.
Referee: Mark O’Neill (Armoy)
