Danske Bank Foresters Cup Hurling – Pound Robin
Our Lady & St Patrick’s Knock 0-11 St Killian’s Garron Tower 0-11
A late point in the third minute of injury time by Colla Ward earned St Killian’s a share of the spoils in Friday’s Dankse Bank Foresters Cup round robin game against Our Lady and St Patrick’s Knock at Ulster University Jordanstown.
Level at half time on 0-6 apiece the Knock boys appeared to have gained the upper hand in the second half and were two clear with just ten minutes of the second half remaining. However they managed just one more point in the remaining ten minutes, and while St Killian’s were far from proficient, top scorer Oran McCambridge clawed on back from a free before Ward snatched a share of the spoils at the death.
St Killian’s had the better of things in the early minutes and went 0-2 to 0-0 ahead after eleven minutes, the first one from a free and the second one from Ward from play. It looked it was going to be more when McCambridge cut in on goal, but the Knock goalkeeper Mark Guest made a point blank save and when it was cleared to the other end of the field Ben Teggart opened their scoring from a free. Teggart brought his team level on 19 minutes, but Oran McCambridge edged the Tower back in front a minute later, as the pace picked up a bit Ronan Donnelly levelled matters up again, only to see Joe McKay give the Tower back the lead.
An excellent point from Liam Blaney tied things up again and Conor Boyle put Knock back ahead, but in an exciting finish to the half two more fines strikes from Oran McCambridge frees, were answered by one from Frank Kane to see the side deadlocked at the break on six points apiece.
Liam Blaney took advantage of a poor clearance by a St Killian’s defender to put Knock back in front early in the second half, but McCambridge split the uprights from two more frees inside the next ten minutes. There was another exchange of points between the two sides to keep north Antrim school ahead but two points from Blaney and one from O’Connell put the Knock side two in front and apparently on course for the win. Another McCambridge point from a free left just one in it, and with the Knock defence playing out of their skinks it looked like they would hold on.
That result looked even more likely when Ward missed a chance from close range in injury time, but the midfielder never gave up the fight and tied things up with the last puc of the game to keep both sides on course for a place in the knock-out stages.
