AIB Ulster Club Senior Hurling Championship Final

Slaughtneil 1-14 Ballycran 0-10

Derry champions Slaughtneil collected their fourth Ulster Senior Hurling title in five years when they beat Down kingpins Ballycran in Sunday’s provincial decider at Corrigan Park, Belfast.

When these two last met in the 2018 semi-final the men from the Ards caused a real shock by dethroning the Derry men, but although they made a promising start again on Sunday they were never really fluid at any time in the game, and only scored two points from play during the hour’s hurling.

Slaughtneil took a while to get going but once they found their feet they always looked the most likely to succeed. Ballycran were not out of it, but they needed a goal, or a run of points, to get them going and in truth neither really looked like coming. A few of the Slaugtneil fans may have felt a bit anxious at times but when Brendan Rodgers fired in a brilliant goal ten minutes from time those doubts were all gone.

Slaughtneil’s defence kept the Ardsmen in check, except for the opening ten minutes, at the end of which the men in black and amber led by 0-3 to 0-1. Slowly but surely the Derry champions began to find their feet and points from Chrissy McKaigue and Cormac O’Doherty soon had them level. The pushed on from this point and outscored their opponents by 2 to 1 between then and half time, at which point they lead by 0-9 to 0-6

With the Slaughtneil defence giving nothing away the Derry men were able to stretch their lead with two points from frees by Cormac O’Doherty. Centre forward O’Doherty then turned provider when a brilliant long range pass found Brendan Rodgers and the left half forward soloed up the right wing before cutting in towards goal and sending a left sided strike past Stephen Keith in the Ballycran goal.

Substitute Jack Cassidy added another in the final minutes and though the Ards men came back with one at the other end in injury time, the maroon ribbons were already on the cup.

Maybe not their most convincing display by Mickey McShane’s men, but they were in control of the game for most of the hour. They will face a much stiffer challenge in five weeks’ time when they take on the Munster champions in the All Ireland semi-final, but they will relish the challenge and with another game under their belts they will raring to go in the New Year.

Ballycran will be disappointed with their display. They know they can play much better than they did on Sunday, but they were hampered with the long lay-off between winning the Down title and facing Sunday’s opponents. Coming in cold to face a team of Slaughtneil’s quality is far from ideal and something will need to be done to streamline county championships in such a way that teams are not idle for such a long time.

Teams & Scorers:

Slaughtneil: Oisin O’Doherty, Karl McKaigue, Sean Cassidy, Paul McNeill, Shane McGuigan (0-1), Conor McAllister, Meehaul McGrath, Gerald Bradley, Christopher McKaigue (0-1), Mark McGuigan, Cormac O’Doherty (0-7 6f), Brendan Rodgers (1-1), Sé McGuigan (0-1), Jerome McGuigan (0-2), Brian Cassidy.

Replacements: Jack Cassidy (0-1) for J McGuigan (53), Shea Cassidy for Rodgers (56), Gareth O’Kane for M McGuigan (60)

Yellow Cards: J McGuigan (52)

Ballycran: Stepehen Keith, Brad Watson, Sean Ennis, Michael Hughes (0-1), Brett Nicholson, Conor Woods (0-2f), Michael Ennis, Gerard Hughes, Phelim Savage (0-5f), Liam Savage, Stuart Martin (0-1 Sideline), Niall Breen, James Clarke, Ben Arthurs (0-1), Christopher Egan.

Replacements: Cormac McAllister for Breen (43), Scott Nicholson for Egan (47)

Yellow Cards: S Ennis (10), B Nicholson (35) G Hughes (50 & 60)

Red Cards: G Hughes (60)

Referee: Mr Colm McDonald (Antrim)

Danske Bank Gallagher Cup final

Cross & Passion Ballycastle 4-12 St Killian’s Garron Tower 2-5

Two goals from full forward Conor Anderson and one each from Logan McConville and Ruairí McGilligan guided CPC to the Gallagher Cup title at Cushendun on Saturday afternoon as they beat north Antrim rivals St Killian’s with a bit to spare.

Anderson was involved in the opening goal as well as his initial shot was saved by Coulter in the St Killian’s goal and McConville drilled home the rebound. Anderson got the first of his two in the ninth minute as the Ballycastle school raced to a 2-6 to 0-4 half time lead. Goal number three came ten minutes into the second half when Anderson took advantage of a fumble in the Tower defence to kick the ball over the line and it was clear at this stage there was no way back for St Killian’s.

St Killian’s, who had staged a great fightback to beat St Pat’s Maghera in the semi-final earlier in the week, never gave up the fight and when Canice McIntosh got his team’s second goal from a penalty there was a glimmer of hope, but the door was firmly shut in their face when CPC grabbed their fourth goal through Ruairí McGilligan, who cut in a long the endline and fired home off the stick of goalkeeper Coulter.

It took a while for both teams to settle, but it was clear from the early stages that CPC’s physicality would cause problems for the Tower team. The early goals gave the Convent a great platform and though Canice McIntosh and Cahir McCambridge kept their team in touch with two points each, CPC were 2-6 to 0-4 at the break, four of their points coming from their excellent centre forward Oisin McCallin.

The lead was out to eleven points early in the second half as Oisin Connolly, Conan Johnston and Liam McGarry popped over points, but St Killian’s came back with a goal from substitute Niall McKeown and a Canice McIntosh point. Anderson’s second goal was a real body blow but the Tower kept hanging on, and when Canice McIntosh placed his penalty low to the corner of the CPC net there was a glimpse of hope. However that hope evaporated when McGilligan grabbed goal number four, and though the Tower deserve great credit for the way they battled, there was no way back.

Cross & Passion : C Magee, E McKendry, E Johnston, D Henry, R McQuaid, L Magee, P McCaughan, O Connolly 0-1, R McGilligan 1-1, C Johnston 0-2, O McCallin 0-6 (5f), C Crawford 0-1, L McConville, C Anderson 3-0, L McGarry 0-1

Subs: R McShane for C Crawford, L Connolly for L McGarry.

St Killian’s: S Coulter, N Rodgers, P Morgan, C McAllister, C McLoughlin, Conor McCann, D McNaughton, L McQuillan, S McQuillan, C Scullion, N McLaughlin, C McIntosh 1-3 (1-0 pen, 2f), O Gillan, C McCambridge 0-2, Ciaran McCann 

Subs: N McKeown 1-0 for L McQuillan, A McAllister for P Morgan, D McManus for Ciaran McCann

Referee : Brendan Toland (Lámh Dhearg)

Danske Bank Mageean Cup

St Patrick’s Downpatrick 2-13 St Patrick’s Maghera 1-14

St Patrick’s Downpatrick wrote their names in the record books at the Dub on Friday night when they overcome a slow start to beat St Pat’s Maghera to collect their first ever Mageean Cup title. Five years ago ‘Red High’  were playing their hurling at a much lower level, but their rise through the ranks has been a revelation, and on Friday night the fairytale came to the perfect end by collecting the Mageean title at the first time of asking.

They appeared to be in a spot of bother when they reached the first water break without raising a flag, but once they found their feet they got up to the speed of the game. They got it back to two points by half time and had their noses in front early in the second. It was tight throughout a hard fought second half but they sealed the win with late points from Tom McGrattan.

Maghera had a chance to bring the game to extra time but were off target with two late frees, but they can count themselves unlucky, for they gave as good as they got for most of the game and just didn’t get the breaks at vital times.

Although they had plenty of possession in the opening quarter Red High just could not find the target and a goal from Conor Murtagh, two points from Shea O’Neill and a great strike from a free by team captain James Friel had them 1-3 to 0-0 to the good at the first water break.

Red High needed an early score in the second quarter at it came soon after the restart when a perfect pass from the left wing found Sean McCarthy in space and he finished with aplomb, and suddenly it was game on.

Maghera came back with points from Cormac Mullan and Callum O’Kane, and they restored their six-point lead, with a Peter McCullagh point in the 31st minute.

Downpatrick hit back well as Finn Turpin scored from long-range, and when Tom McGrattan fired over the next three points the gap was back to just two at the short whistle. (1-8 to 1-6)

Three minutes into the second half Red High got their noses in front for the first time when a Tiernan Connolly shot from distance ended up in the Maghera net.

James Friel hit back with a great point from a free and the rest of the half was nip and tuck, with Peter McCullagh keeping the Derry side in touch with three excellent points, but a Michael Dorrian point gave the Down side a one point lead at the second water break.

It was score for score during the final quarter but as the game went into added time Tom McGrattan landed the vital scores to secure the title for the boys from Downpatrick

Red High Downpatrick: P Smyth (0-1f); J Roddy, R O’Neill, D Coulter; S Mageean, D Mallon, C Leneghan; T Connolly (1-0), F Turpin (0-2); M Dorrian (0-1), L McCabe, T McGrattan (0-9, 8f); O Coulter, F MacManus, S McCarthy (1-0)

Subs: A Rogan for S McCarthy (51), F Casey for L McCabe (53)

Yellow cards: M Dorrian (42), R O’Neill (64)

St Pat’s Maghera: O McElhinney; C Shiels, A McLaughlin, S Lockhart; F McEldowney, J Friel (0-3f), D McGonigle; S McKenna, E Scullion; T McKeagney (0-2), S O’Neill (0-2), C Mullan; C Murtagh (1-0), C O’Kane (0-3f), P McCullagh (0-4)

Subs: N Barton for S O’Neill (41), O McNicholl for T McKeagney (53)

Yellow cards: S O’Neill (41), S Lockhart (59)

Referee: Colum McDonald (St Gall’s)