Casement SC JHC Quarter-Final
Lamh Dhearg 6-16 All Saints 0-13
Veteran full-forward, Michael Herron was the star of the show in the proverbial game of two halves at Hannastown on Saturday when Lamh Dhearg came from a point down at half time to overrun All Saints in this Casement SC Junior Hurling championship quarter.
Former Antrim and Ulster hurler, Herron led the comeback with four second half goals and proved unmarkable as the visitors meekly surrendered the lead they had fought so hard to win in the opening half.
Chris Dornan’s side certainly looked up for it as they dominated the opening exchanges with their high press forcing quite a number of turn overs and raced into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after11 minutes and should have been further ahead.
Three of the opening four points came from Ciaran Neeson frees while Luke O’Rawe struck an excellent point from play with Lamh Dhearg’s point coming from a well struck 50 meter free from Adam Murray into the wind.
Murray and James O’Boyle exchanged further points and another great point from Eoin McGuigan had the Ballymena side four in front by the 17th minute and looking good.
Indeed at this stage they might well have had a goal with Conor McConville somehow blocking a close range effort from Damian Gillan and it was a miss that the visitors would live to regret.
Herron made his first contribution to his sides cause with a point in the 17th minute before the influential Murray pointed a 45 meter free and then cut in from the left to fire past Ciaran Cassley after the All Saints defence had failed to deal with a long ball into the danger area.
Neeson levelled matters from another free and in the run in to half time Donal Martin and Murray again added points for the Hannastown side but Neeson replied with his first from play and another free and James O’Boyle added another to leave the visitors leading by the narrowest of margins at the break.
Niall McGarry brought his side level with a point in the opening minute of the second half and with the wind now behind them it would be the Hannastown side who would push on.
Michael Herron added a goal in the second minute and added another in the third with full-back Colum Neeson injured in the build up to the second and ther bifg number 3 was unable to take any further part with Archie McGreevey replacing him in defence.
The mercurial |Murray extended the Lamh Dhear lead before Cormac Magill pulled one back for All Saints with their first score of the second half in the 6th minute.
Adam Murray was making a massive contribution for the home side and he pointed a ‘65’ before Ciaran Neeson in gthe All Saints goal made a great save to deny Herron his third goal of the game.
The big full-forward wouldn’t be denied his hat-trick for long however as he fired to the net in the 12th minute after Neeson had converted another free at the other end.
The Lamh Dhearg dominance was almost constant at this stage and Adam Murray and Declan Straney split the uprights before Murray got in for his second goal and his side’s fith of the game in the 19th minute.
There would be no respite for the visitors going down the home straight with Micko Herron getting his fourth goal and Daniel Murray and Adam Murray adding points with All Saints only reply coming from another Neeson conversion.
Lamh Dhearg now face St. Brigid’s Cloughmills in the semi-final in two weeks -time while the other semi-final sees Gort na Mona take on Glen Rovers Armoy on the same weekend.
Lamh Dhearg: 1 Conor McConville, 2 Christopher Nolan, 3 Sean Paul Gibson, 4 Tiernan McKenna, 5 Daniel Murray, 6 Odhran Waldron, 7 Fionn Mervyn, 8 Ciaran Boyd, 9 Aidan McGuigan, 12 Adam Murray, 11 Declan Straney, 10 Mark Finnegan, 13 Donal Martin, 14 Michael Herron, 15 Niall McGarry.Subs: Micky McGuigan, Ryan Diamond, Darra Cunningham, Evan Stanley, Joel Brady
All Saints: 1 Ciaran Cassley, 2 Dwayne McKee, 3 Colum Neeson, 4 Kevin Brady, 5 Conor O’Rawe, 6 Cathaoir Cunning, 7 Daniel Gray, 8 Padhraig Magill, 9 Luke O’Rawe, 10 Cormac Magill, 11 Eoin McGuigan, 12 Jack Magill, 13 Damian Gillan, 14 Ciaran Neeson, 15 James O’Boyle. Subs: Vinny Esler, Finton Brady, Anthony Mitchell
Referee: Ray Matthews (Rossa)
