ACHL Division 2
Tir na nOg 1.14 v Kickhams Creggan 0.19.
By Joe Rice
Mid-May and terrible conditions greeted both teams at Whitehill on Wednesday evening. Creggan came out on top, 2-point winners, the contest settled by the accuracy of both teams’ free takers.
A strong cross wind blew into the corner towards the home side’s pavilion as Referee, Ryan O’Reilly, threw the ball in and within seconds Sean Duffin pointed from play to put the home side one up. Conor McCamphill added to the tally 4 minutes later while Duffin converted his first free on the 6th minute.
The visitors struggled with the breeze as their goalkeeper, Prenter’s puck-outs were blown off course and it took 5 minutes before Kealan McCann got the visitors up and running with a point from play. Sean Duffin converted the next 2 frees while his opponent, Oran McCann replied with 3 frees himself and with 17 minutes gone on the clock, Tir Na Nog were 1 point ahead and were edging the contest.
The Hill’s, Ciaran Logan, replied with 2 points from play and their first attempt on goal was dealt with by Creggan’s net minder, Prenter. The visitors, Kealan McCann, increased his tally to 2 with Morgan Nelson getting on the score sheet in the 23 minute and as we approached half time, Oran McCann added 2 points from play as the home side’s, Sean Duffin, did likewise. Ciaran Logan got the final point of the first 30 minutes for the home side putting them 2 point up at thew interval.
HALF TIME SCORE: TIR NA NOG 0.10 v CREGGAN 0.08
As both sides turned around for the second half the slight gradient on the pitch and cross winds gave Creggan a tactical advantage as they rained the ball down on the home side’s back line of Tony Martin, Ryan O’Neill and Nial Shannon as they battled successfully to hold the barrage of Creggan’s attacks.
Likewise, Kickhams’ back line performed with the same intensity – Thomas McCann, Aidan Maguire and Jake McAteer – protected their goalkeeper and cleared their line delivering the ball to Kealan McCann & Nial McAuley who fed Oran McCann time and time again.
The visitor’s free taker Oran McCann, levelled proceedings with 33 minutes gone but two minutes later, the home side’s Sean Duffin blasted the ball into the visitors’ net to put the minimum between the sides. Creggan edged ahead by the 42nd minute through 2 further frees by Oran McCann and one from play.
It was end to end stuff at this stage with Tir na n|Og hitting the next two scores through the impressive Sean Duffin in the 47th and 49th minutes but Creggan replied through Liam McCann and Kealan McCann to edge them one ahead again.
Creggan’s Sean Duffin then went for goal from a 20 metre free at a tight angle and went low with the home defence packing their goal line. The ball was cleared out to McCann who put Creggan one up.
It was the turn of the home side’s Sean Duffin’s who converted another free to level the scores once more but it was to be the home side’s last score of the game. The Kickham’s finished strongly and Oran McCann converted a free from inside his own half and when hius side were awarded a 20 metre free, directly in front of the goal, he opted for the point.
As the game entered the third minute of injury time the home side threw everything at Creggan’s defence but Creggan’s Teddy McKeown came out of the tussle in possession, putting the ball into the clouds as Ryan O’Reilly blew the whistle for full time
To be honest, a draw would have been a fair result for this match as it was down to an epic battle between free takers, Sean Duffin for Tir Na Nog and Creggan’s Oran McCann. Duffin managed to convert 7 frees while McCann converted 9 frees in total. As we neared the end of the contest, at least 3 frees awarded to Duffin, as they gained altitude, were blown off course sailing left of the upright.
TIR NA NOG: No.1 Christy Sheenin, No.2 Tony Martin, No.3 Ryan O’Neill, No.4 Neil Shannon, No.5 Ciaran O’Neill, No.6 Caoimhin Duffin, No.7 Manus Smith, No.8 Aaron McNeilly, No.9 Ciaran McKeown, No.10 Darragh Fegan, No.11 Ciaran Logan (0.03), No.12 Eamon Og McAllister, No.13 Sean Duffin (1.09), No.14 Conor McCampbell (0.02), No.15 Nial Devlin, No.17 Colm Duffin, No.18 Ethan Higgins, No.19 Declan Mallon, No.20 Emmet Martin, No.21 Oliver McAtamney, No.22 Kevin McCann, No.23 Kevin Kerr, No.25 Jude Carey.
CREGGAN: No.1 Brendan Prenter, No.2 Aidan Maguire, No.3 Thomas McCann, No.4 Jake McAteer, No.5 Aidan McKeown, No.6 Liam McCann (0.01), No.7 Dannan O’Hara, No.8 Nial McAuley, No.9 Kealan McCann (0.02), No.10 Dermot Carey, No.11 Oran McCann (0.13), No.12 Corman Rice, No.13 Mick Maguire, No.14 Sean Duffin (0.01), No.15 Morgan Nelson (0.02), No.17 Mark McCann, No.18 Joseph James Smyth, No.19 Callum McCann, No.20 Aaron Hughes, No.22 Oliver Duffin, No.23 Owen Grant, No.24 Kevin Rice, No.25 Brendan Maguire.
Referee: Ryan O’Reilly (Glenravel)
