South Antrim Dwyer Cup Quarter-final
St Brigids 2-06-0-04 Corpus Christi Gaels
From Kevin Herron at The Falls Park
St Brigids booked their place in next Sunday’s Dwyer Cup semi-final after defeating Corpus Christi Gaels 2-06-0-04 in this afternoon’s quarter-final clash at the Falls Park.
With Storm Dennis blowing straight down the pitch conditions were nigh on impossible for a free flowing attacking game and it took a while for the opening score to arrive through a converted free from Marcus Lynch.
Lynch would double his and St Brigids account from the same scenario and Toirealach Brolly gave his side a three-point lead after being slipped through by James Gorman.
Corpus Christi Gaels struggled to find any sort of rhythm in the opening half but hit back, Sean Og Prenter got his hand to a contested through-ball and CJ Sullivan let-fly with a shot that Declan Heery had to turn over the bar.
Brolly replied almost instantly though Corpus Christi again reduced the deficit through Jonathon McKenna – who showed a burst of speed and popped the ball over the bar to make it 0-04-0-02.
Just before the break the opening goal of the game arrived as Rory Moore unselfishly slipped the ball across the face of goal where Ronan McKeown was waiting unmarked and McKeown dispatched to the net to increase his side’s lead.
Things went from bad to worse for the west-Belfast side as Marcus Lynch added a second within minutes and they had a mountain to climb at the break- as St Brigids were 2-04-0-02 to the good.
The Gaels were very much up against it but their second-half display was commendable and they refused to throw-in the towel despite playing against the gale force conditions in the Falls Park and being temporally reduced to 14-men following Conrad McCurdy’s black-card.
For a long period it looked as though the second period would pass without a score- indeed it took 21 minutes for CJ Sullivan to eventually raise a point through a truly excellent wind assisted score.
St Brigids replied through a Donal Harrison free – and despite Caoimhin Heaney again producing a fine point for Corpus Christi- Marcus Lynch responded as the half ended in a stalemate and McKeown and Lynch’s goals proved the difference in the end as the Musgrave side advance to meet Lamh Dhearg in next Sunday’s semi-final.
St Brigids: D Herry, L Finnegan, J McCarney, C Maguire, D Hanna, D Harrison (0-01f), N Finnegan, T Brolly (0-02), R Boyle, N Murtagh, M Lynch (1-03, 0-02f), J Gorman, O McDonnell, R Moore, R McKeown (1-00).
Corpus Christi Gaels: O Deevy-Persson, E Roberts, A McLaughlin, G Power, G Sloan, C Adams, C McCurdy, CJ Sullivan (0-02), C Heaney (0-01), G McKernan, C Hand, D Walsh, C McShane, S Og Prenter, J McKenna (0-01).
Referee: Paul Hughes
