Ulster Minor Club Hurling final at Ballinascreen
Ruairi Og Cushendall v Sean MacCumhaills Ballybofey – Throw-in 1pm
Cushendall must not be complacent when the take on Donegal champions Sean MacCumhaills in Sunday’s Ulster Minor Hurling final in Ballinascreen. Last Sunday the boys from Ballybofey made history by becoming the first Donegal side to reach the final of this great tournament and they are determined to write another chapter tomorrow when the face the Antrim champions.
Sean MacCumhaills manager Jamesie Donnelly is hoping they can end the year on a high after already upsetting the odds twice. The Tir Connell side were outsiders when they took on Tyrone champions Carrickmore in the Ulster Shield final, but depite having a depleted squad, they came out on top.
Winning the Shield put them through to the semi-final of the cup competition where they faced Down champions Ballygalget and low and behold they upset the odds again to set up Sunday’s showdown with Cushendall.
In their semi-final Cushendall had a hard earned win over Dungiven in a really competitive game. The Derry champions matched the Ruairis score for score for most of the game and when they edged ahead going down the home straight the Antrim champions appeared to be in trouble. However they battled on and after Fiontan Bradley hit the equalising score in the last seconds, Nicholas McLaughlin won the game when his attempt for a point dropped in below the crossbar in injury time for the match winning goal.
Cushendall goalkeeper Shane Coulter was man of the match last week with a series of outstanding saves while in a solid full back line Conor McCann stood out. Although named in the forwards Callagh Mooney did a lot of defending last week and was a vital cog in the Cushendall team as were the McLaughlin brothers Nicholas and Thomas. Connlaodh McNaughton and Shane McQuillan hit vital scores while Fiontan Bradley was a constant danger, despite being closely marked throughout the hour.
Sean MacCumhaills manager Jamesie Donnelly is confident his team will not be found wanting “We’re here on merit, we’re in uncharted territory but we’ll go to Ballinascreen and give it one hell of a lash. We’re not going up to take part in the occasion, we’re going up to play hurling and we might never get this chance again.”
Cushendall will go in as strong favourites but sometimes that is not a good thing and they will need to be on their toes to capture the club’s third Ulster title and their first since 2013.
