McMullan magic steers CPC to final

Danske Bank Mageean Cup semi-final

Cross and Passion Ballycastle 3-17 St Killian’s Garron Tower 3-12

Cross and Passion Ballycastle booked a place in next Friday’s Danske Bank Mageean Cup final when they saw off the challenge of St Killian’s Garron Tower in Wednesday’s hard fought semi-final in Glenariffe. Going in to the game CPC were short odds favourites to advance and when they started with an early Odhrán McGrath goal it looked like the game was following the expected pattern but the Tower boys showed they weren’t just there to make up the numbers and from then until the break they matched their opponents score for score to go in at the break trailing by 1-8 to 0-8.

**CPC’s Seamus McAuley (right) and St Killian’s Fintan McQuillan challenge for possession during Wednesday’s Danske Bank Mageean Cup semi-final in Glenariffe.**

When Fiontann McQuillan pointed from a free early in the second half the gap was back to just two but CPC started to gain the upper hand and with Loughgiel’s Rian McMullan turning in a magical display they started to open up a gap. When full forward Odhrán McGrath grabbed his second goal it appeared to have given CPC a bit of breathing space but St Killian’s hit back with a goal from Ciaran Magill, following good work by full forward Oliver Kearney, and the game was up for grabs yet again.

St Killian’s Ciaran Magill celebrates after scoring a goal during Wednesday’s Danske Bank Mageean Cup semi-final with CPC in Glenariffe. Pic by John McIlwaine

Rian McMullan restored the Ballycastle school’s eight point cushion with a sublime finish but the CPC fans had a few more anxious minutes to endure when Kearney grabbed his second goal as he batted the ball home after Magill’s initial shot had been parried. However when the pressure was really on Rian McMullan kept his cool to send over a couple of vital scores and steer his team through to a final meeting with tomorrow’s second semi-final between St Mary’s Belfast and St Louis Ballymena at Dunsilly. (2-30 start)

Cross and Passion : T Smyth, R McClean, E óg McGarry, R Laerty, C McGlynn, J McAlister, C McKinley, S McAuley, S Brogan, J McToal, F McKiernan, M O’Boyle (0-6, 0-5 frees), R McMullan (1-7), O McGrath (2-1), C McGarry (0-3).

Subs : C O’Connor for F McKiernan, S McDonnell for J McToal, D Devlin for C McKinley, C Mullan for C O’Connor.

St Killian’s : Daniel Kearney, O Gillan, M Emerson, S McKenna, A Scullion, Donal Kearney, D Mort, C Kilgore, C Hynds (0-1), R McAteer (0-1), A Ritson, F McQuillan (0-7, 0-6 frees), C Magill (1-1), O Kearney (2-2), P McKillop.

Sub: S O’Boyle for S McKenna.

Referee : Owen Elliot (Ballymena)