IHC Group 1
Shane O’Neill’s 5-14 St. Gall’s 3-25
Whoever said that this Group 1 game was a dead rubber must have forgot to tell the protagonists, Glenarm and St. Gall’s as they served up a thoroughly entertaining game of fast flowing hurling at Feystown.
Going into this game visitors St. Gall’s were pointless so perhaps personal pride was the prize for a side who had competed well in their group games but just couldn’t get it over the line.
The home side started without a number of regulars who were absent for a various reasons but it was visitors St. Gall’s who came flying out of the start traps and threatened to over run their opponents.
They raced into a 3-9 to 0-3 lead after 20 minutes and at this stage the Feystown faithful would have been forgiven for heading home and when Rory Mulvenna kicked home from close range at the other end, it still looked a lost cause.
St. Gall’s pushed on to lead 3-16 to 1-4 at half time as the home side struggled to contain their pace and fluency as the Milltown Row men scored at will.
The flying Fergus Donnelly set the game alight with two goals in the opening minutes and a third from Sean McAreavey in the 20th minute and Marcus Donnelly, McAreavey, Oran McIlhatton, Mark Napier, Patrick Friel and Fergus Donnelly amongst the point scorers.
It looked like an exercise in damage limitation as Shane O’Neill’s emerged for the second half but whatever was said at the interval seemed to have lit their fire as they returned as a side barely recognisable.
Barry Hamill had been restored to his familiar place at the heart of the defence as Dan Black and John Scullion got them off the mark with early points and Conal Ward added another before Michael Furey pulled first time to send a ground shot to the net in the 6th minute.
St. Gall’s reacted with points from Jackson McGreevey, Fergus Donnelly and Sean McAreavey but there was a hunger from the Feystown side that had been missing in the first half.
Daniel Black led the way with a masterful display from mid-field and the points came thick and fast with Black and Niall McGarel leading the charge but it looked to no avail when they trailed by ten with 9 minutes remaining.
Daniel Black followed two well struck points with his side’s third goal as he fired home from the penalty spot to cut the deficit to seven as the Feystown roar gathered volume but a couple of Mark Napier points for the visitors appeared to ease the pressure.
The momentum was very much with Shane O’Neill’s however as Ciaran Magill struck a fourth goal and McGarel fired a low shot through a packed goalmouth for their fifth with time almost up.
Too little-too late as St. Gall’s climbed above their hosts with a five point win as the news filtered through from Waterfoot that Carey Faughs had defeated Oisin’s to top the group and qualify for a semi-final meeting with Cloney Gaels while Oisin’s will meet Tir na nOg in the other semi-final.
Glenarm: 16 Liam Mulvenna, 26 Rory Mulvenna, 3 Barry Hamill, 4 John Scullion, 5 Aidan Scullion, 7 Declan McDermott, 8 Kieran O’Boyle, 9 Daniel Black, 11 Ciaran Magill, 14 Niall McGarel, 18 Matthew Black, 20 Sean O’Hare, 21 Michael Furey, 22 KLieran O’Boyle, 24 Padraig McDermott,
St. Gall’s: 1 Kurtis McGreevey, 2 Daniel Churchill, 3 Niall O’Neill, 4 Ewan Walsh, 5 Gairech MacAdhaim 6 Tomas O’Ciaran, 7 Ryan Irvine, 8 Jackson McGreevey, 9 Oran McIlhatton, 10 Patrick Friel, 11 Cormac Sheehan, 12 Marcus Donnelly, 11 Marcus Donnelly, 12 Ronan Crossen, 13 Fergus Donnelly 14 Sean McAreavey, 15 Mark Napier,
Referee: Fionntan McCotter (Sarsfields)
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