Andersonstown Social Club Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 1
Creggan 3-18 Glenravel 4-06
The scoreline suggests a facile victory for the favourites and the issuing of six yellow cards and one red would suggest a feisty, bad tempered affair but in reality neither are true. This was a hard fought game where both teams could only be separated by a single score for long periods. The home side started very strongly in the first ten minutes and finished strongly the last five minutes amassing 2-07 in that fifteen minute ensemble and that effectively is where the game was won and lost. The visitors clawed themselves back into the game after a slow start and had their free taking been more successful, especially in the first half, the outcome could have been a lot different.
Glenravel struggled to get up to game pace in the opening exchanges resulting in several frees which Oran McCann gladly accepted. His third free on ten minutes came one minute after Morgan Nelson had netted for Creggan leaving them 1-03 ahead; the visitor’s having failed to raise a flag of any colour in those opening ten minutes. James Duffin opened Glenravel’s account in the eleventh minute and Niall Donnelly followed up shortly after to ease the away fans’ nerves. Sean Duffin increased Creggan’s lead but back came Glenravel as Conor Deery found the net after a goalmouth scramble to leave just two points between them. That lead was doubled when Oran McCann and Morgan Nelson pointed but James Duffin reduced the deficit to three, before Kealan McCann had the final score of the first half to send his team in ahead by four points 1-07 to 1-03.
Glenravel needed a good start to the second half but it was again Creggan out of the blocks quickest with Oran McCann popping over three frees and when Morgan Nelson goaled after four minutes of the half it looked all over with Creggan now in a commanding lead 2-10 to 1-03. The visitors however hit a purple patch with three goals in five minutes, Declan Traynor, Martin Scullion and Conor Deery the providers. Now we had game on our hands with the home side just edging it on the scoreboard 2-10 to 4-03. Connor Deery was put onto free duty for the Green & Whites and would record the next three points for Glenravel, two from placed balls but after each score Creggan recorded points of their own to keep the visitors at bay. Tiernan McLarnon, Kevin Rice, Dermot Carey and Liam McCann replied to each of Deery’s points and with five minutes left they were two ahead 2-14 to 4-06. At this point, Creggan were dealt a blow when they were reduced to fourteen men and an upset to the form book looked possible. But the headcount reduction seemed to spur Creggan on to greater things and in the final minutes they ran amok with some fine free flowing hurling to record 1-04 without reply. Captain Ruari McCann pointed to put them three ahead and Glenravel decided to chase the game by putting full back Shane Woulahan on the edge of the square. That backfired when Creggan’s full forward Kevin Rice found space and the net with only a couple of minutes left. That goal killed any fight back Glenravel might have mustered. Creggan went to score three further points from Oran McCann (0-02) and Diarmaid Mulholland to leave the eventual winners 3-18 to 4-06.
Glenravel cannot now qualify from this group and have only one game left on Sep 17th against Sarsfields whereas Creggan still have a chance to make it into the knockout stages but will have a couple of tough encounters at home to Sarsfields before their final game away to Glenariffe which could be pivotal in deciding who goes through from group 1.
Creggan:: Brendan Prenter, Aidan Maguire, Thomas McCann, Jake McAteer, Aiden McKeown, Liam McCann, Tiarnan McLarnon, Kealan McCann, Ruari McCann, Morgan Nelson, Oran McCann Sean, Duffin, Diarmuid Mulholland, Kevin Rice, Dermot Carey
Glenravel:: Ronan Donnelly, Caolan Mullan, Shane Woulahan, Joe Martin, Conleth O’Loan, Eoin McCusker, Michael McDonald, Declan Traynor, James Duffin, Ciaran McIlfatrick, Martin Scullion, Rian Lennon, Brian O’Neill, Niall Donnelly, Connor Deery.
Referee:: Brendan Toland