Ulster Junior Hurling Championship club final
Shane O’Neill’s 0-15 Setanta 1-22
Shane O’Neill’s dreams of Ulster Junior championship glory were shattered at Celtic Park in Derry today when they were defeated by Satanta of Donegal in an exciting final today.
The killygordon side went into today’s final as favourites having won the Donegal Senior championship but trailed by two points at half time and that lead could have been greater had the Antrim champions taken all their chances.
Shane O’Neill’s played with the breeze in the first half and led by 0-10 to 0-8 at half-time but with the strong breeze to face in the second half the question was, would two points be enough.
That question was soon answered and Satanta looked to be in for a goal in the opening minute of the second half but Barry Hamill pulled off an excellent block to deny McGee with Davin Flynn gathering the breaking sliotar to send over.
Playing with the wind in the opening half it was Shane O’Neill’s who made the better start and Niall McGarel and team captain Darren Hamill eased them into a 0-2 to 0-0 lead by the sixth minute.
Setanta relied and Davin Flynn burst into action when he took a great pass from Danny Cullen and angled over a superb point from the sideline. Both teams were playing with great intensity as Kevin O’Boyle set up Aidan Scullion who fired over a magnificent score from 80 meters and at this stage the Feystown side were enjoying the better of the exchanges.
Davin Flynn was starting to make his mark on proceedings however and he narrowed the gap to a single point before Shane O’Neill’s replied through McGarel, Sean O’Boyle and Ciaran Magill to stretch their lead to 0-8 to 0-6 with Coulter replying for Setanta.
The Antrim champions were certainly enjoying the better of the exchanges but their forwards were snatching at scoring chances and they hit 10 wides to Setanta’s eight, as well as dropping a good few shots into the goalkeeper’s hand. However they were still in with a chance as they led by 0-10 to 0-8 at the break.
Setanta looked in for that early goal as play resumed but Hamill came to his side’s rescue with a perfectly timed block before Flynn opened the scoring with a point but Hamill cancelled this effort with a well struck free into the breeze.
The Antrim side were working their socks off into the breeze as Flynn levelled matters once more but the sweet striking Hamill edged the Antrim men clear with two more frees as they led by 0-13 to 0-11 and it was Setanta’s turn to waste opportunities.
Glenarm looked in for a goal that would have provided them with the platform to push on but Setanta’s full-back Steven McBride made a timely block to deny Ciaran Magill in the 45th minute.
The Donegal champions came back strongly with Davin Flynn, Declan Coulter hitting fine points but Dylan Mclaughlin replied for the Antrim men to leave just two in it with four minutes of normal time remaining.
Flynn’s goal in the 57th minute was to prove a game changer and a match winner and the Donegal champions pushed home their advantage with a flurry of unanswered points as Ruairi Campbell, Gerard Gilmore, Bernard Lafferty and a couple of superb long range points from Colter ensuring there would be no way back for the Feystown side.
When the disappointment of this defeat passes, Shane O’Neill’s can look back with pride on a season where they won Division 3 of the Antrim league and collected a first junior championship and they have the players to consolidate their position in Division 2 next season.
Shane O’Neill’s: Michael Abram; Conal Ward Barry Hamill, Liam Óg McLaughlin; Padraig McDemott, Declan McDermott, Aidan Scullion; Daniel Black, Kieran O’Boyle; Sean O’Boyle, Darren Hamill 0-1; Dylan McLaughlin; Kevin O’Boyle, Ciaran Magill, Niall McGarel. Subs: Kieran O’Boyle for Conal Ward, Ben O’Boyle for Kieran O’Boyle.
Shane O’Neill’s scorers: Darren Hamill 0-6, 3f; Niall McGarel and Aidan Scullion 0-2; Kevin O’Boyle, Ciaran Magill, Daniel Black, Sean O’Boyle, Dylan McLaughlin 0-1.
Setanta: Mark Kane; Mark Callaghan, Steven McBride, Denim Rowan; Sean Ward, Michael Donaghue, Niall Cleary; Declan Coulter, Danny Cullen; Gerard Gilmore, Oisin Marley, Ruairi Campbell; Bernard Lafferty, Josh Cronnolly McGee, Davin Flynn. Subs: Dean Harvey for Oisin Marley (47), Conor McGettigan for McGee (59) Ryan Callaghan for Flynn (60+2) Jamie O’Reilly for Donaghue (60+3).
Setanta scorers: Davin Flynn 1-8; Declan Coulter 0-8, 3f; Oisin Marley and Bernard Lafferty 0-2; Ruairi Campbell and Gerard Gilmore 0-1.
Referee: Tarlach Conway (Derry)
