Under 20 A Hurling Championship semi-final
Ballycastle 0-18 Rossa 1-8
Ballycastle overcome a bad start to battle back and beat Rossa in Saturday’s Under 20 A Hurling Championship semi-final at Slemish Park Ballymena on Saturday. Trailing by 0-1 to 1-1 early in the game the Town fourth back to level by the first water break on 0-5 to 1-2. , They fell behind again when Rossa full forward Pearse Shortt edged the Belfast side ahead after the restart, but Ballycastle began to find their rhythm and hit eight points on the bounce to lead by seven at the break.
Turning to play into a strong breeze in the second half it was for from simple for the boys in black and amber and Rossa made them fight all the way before booking their place in the final.
An early Darragh Murphy goal direct from a free gave Rossa a massive early boost and they were 1-2 to 0-2 ahead in the early stages. Feargal McKiernan and Seamus McAuley (2) brought Ballycastle level by the first water break, but a minute after the action got going again Pearse Shortt cut in from the left wing to Rossa back the lead.
However the Town were starting to find a bit of form and with the breeze at their back they started to knock over the points. Fergal Donnelly brought them level on 18 minute and they added of unanswered points from Seamus McAuley, Cormac Donnelly, Jack Egan, Joe McToal, James Bakewell, and Tiernan Smyth to lead by 0-12 to 1-3 at half time.
Two Darragh Murphy points early in the second half can the gap back to five, two excellent points from man of the match Joe McToal restored the seven point cushion. Darragh Murphy and Tiernan Smyth exchanged points to keep the gap at seven, before Rossa came close to getting the goal they needed to revive their fortunes, but on each occasion Ballycastle goalkeeper Criostia ‘Bamba’ McAuley denied Darragh Murphy, once from a 20 meter free and once from play, the second on a brilliant block as Murphy bore down on goal.
Murphy did add two more points from play to keep his team in contention, but late points from Joe McToal, Feargal McKiernan and Eoin Magee sealed the win.
BALLYCASTLE
Chriostai McAuley, Eoin Boylan, Cormac Donnelly, Mark McLean, Jack McGowan, Ronan Laverty, James Bakewell, Seamus McAuley, Reuben McLean, Jack Egan, Feargal McKiernan, Eoin Magee, Joe McToal, Caolin O’Connor, Joe McToal.
ROSSA –
Referee – Colum Cunning (Dunloy)
