Danske Bank Mageean Cup semi-final
Cross & Passion Ballycastle 2-20 St Mary’s CBGS 1-5
Cross and Passion Ballycaslte booked their place in Mageean Cup final when they beat St Mary’s in Wednesday’s semi-final at Dunsilly to set up a final meeting with north Antrim rivals St Killian’s at the QUB Dub on December 8th. The record of these two sides in hurling competitions through the school had always suggested they would end up meeting the Blue Riband of colleges hurling, the Mageean Cup, and so it has come to be. Like St Killian’s they day before them CPC were dominant throughout and always looked like winning, but that is for another day.
CPC dominated from the throw in on the second pitch at Dunsilly and the scoring pattern was all one way in the early stages, with Paudie Martin, a Mageean winner last season with St Louis, getting the Ballycastle school off to a great start with a sweetly struck sideline cut. Two fine efforts from corner forward Oisin McCallin pushed them further clear and they were seven up by the end of the opening quarter. Enda McGurk and Fionn Jemfrey came back with points for St Mary’s and for a spell they appeared to be getting to grips with their task, but two quick goals from CPC, the first a well struck penalty from Roan McGarry and the other from play by Liam Glackin had them firmly in the driving seat by half time as they took the break with an eleven point lead, (2-9 to 0-4).
Two points from Fionn Jemfrey and one from James Wilson at the start of the second half game St Mary’s renewed hope but CPC were able to lift their game again and soon had themselves clear of the danger. As they half progressed they increased their lead further with a series of excellent points, and though substitute Ruairi McGreevy managed to pull a goal back with ten minutes still to play, it was never going to be enough and CPC hit the last six without reply to book their place in the final in two weeks’ time.
St Mary’s sub Ruairí McGreevy forced a goal in the 49th minute, but CPC again responded with the last six points of the game to set up a derby final with last season’s beaten finalists St Killian’s Garron Tower.
CPC: R McGarry 1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-3 frees, L Glackin 1-0, Conor Donnelly 0-5, P Martin 0-3, 1 sideline, O McCallin 0-2, B McGarry 0-2 frees, R Fitzgerald 0-1, T McGarry 0-1, C Cane 0-1, C Crawford 0-1.
St Mary’s: R McGreevy 1-0, F Jemfrey 0-3, 1 free, E McGurk 0-1, J Wilson 0-1
CPC: E Richmond, Cathair Donnelly, C Beaudant, N McClean, B O’Kane, B McGarry, T McGarry, J Magee, R Cunning, R Fitzgerald, L Glackin, P Martin, O McCallin, Conor Donnelly, R McGarry.
Subs: Callin Cane for R Fitzgerald (38), Cadhan Crawford for J Magee (38), Ashton McGarry for B O’Kane (52)
St Mary’s: Josh Southern, Conall Shortt, Micheal Darragh, Micheal Marlow, Diarmuid O’Sullivan, Enda McGurk, Barrie Burns, Caoimhin Rainey, Lorcán McCallin, Caolan Wilson, Fionn Jemfrey, James Wilson, Corey Walsh, James Duffy, Niall May.
Subs: Ruairí McGreevy for J Duffy (HT), Ethan Walsh for C Walsh (49), Conor Corr for C Wilson (50)
Referee: Owen Elliott (All Saints)
