Danske Bank Ulster Schools Hurling – Foresters Cup

Cross & Passion College 4-21 | St Mary’s CBGS 1-12

Cross & Passion College (CPC) produced a stunning comeback and a dominant second-half display to capture the Foresters Cup Ulster Schools hurling title, defeating St Mary’s CBGS on the 4G surface at Allen Park, Antrim today. Inspired by an incredible, four-goal performance from full-forward Paidi O’Kane, the Ballycastle school overturned an early deficit to run out highly comfortable 4-21 to 1-12 winners.

First Half: St Mary’s Start Fast, But O’Kane Ignites CPC

St Mary’s burst out of the blocks in the early stages, moving the ball well and quickly establishing a 0-08 to 0-03 lead. Following an opening St Mary’s point, CPC’s Peter Laverty responded, but the Belfast school soon took control. Back-to-back points from Padraig Kelly and Finn Smyth set the tone, and a quickfire trio of scores from Conal Dempsey—including a brilliant point on the run in the 9th minute—put St Mary’s firmly in the driving seat.

However, CPC refused to panic. Cahir McCloskey kept the scoreboard ticking over for the Ballycastle men before the momentum of the game swung dramatically in the 15th minute when Paidi O’Kane broke through for a sensational solo goal.

Padraig Kelly temporarily halted the CPC charge with a free for St Mary’s, but the tide had turned. Patrick Campbell launched a massive long-range point, and Damian Laverty added another beauty from out on the wing. In the 25th minute, a sweeping team move up the field culminated in O’Kane bagging his second solo goal of the afternoon. Points from Charlie McAuley and a pair of frees from the unstoppable O’Kane left CPC leading by 2-08 to 0-10 at the break.

Second Half: The Ballycastle Blitz

With a fresh breeze at their backs in the second half, there was simply no stopping the Ballycastle school. O’Kane picked up exactly where he left off, coming out to win hard ball and sending it straight over the bar. St Mary’s goalkeeper Daire Gault produced a magnificent save from a ground shot to temporarily deny O’Kane his hat-trick, and Patrick Campbell followed it up with an outstanding point from 60 metres out on the left wing.

St Mary’s showed their fighting spirit in the 37th minute when a great team move ended with Conal Dempsey firing to the net, briefly giving the Belfast side a glimmer of hope.

That hope, however, was immediately extinguished by the standout player of the match. Paidi O’Kane slotted a brilliant point on the run and then immediately followed it up with a superb individual goal to complete his hat-trick. From there, O’Kane went from strength to strength, hitting a flurry of points from both play and placed balls, including a brilliant effort from out on the wing in the 49th minute.

As the half wore on, Ronan Elliott got in on the act with a pair of beautifully crafted points. In the 57th minute, Charlie McAuley launched a long delivery toward the square, and O’Kane expertly finished it to the net for his fourth goal of the game. Late points from Cahir McCloskey and Elliott rounded off the CPC scoring, while Adam McCahey managed a well-taken consolation point from play for St Mary’s right before the final whistle.

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Key Scorers & Performers:

• CPC: Paidi O’Kane was unplayable, registering a phenomenal 4 goals and numerous points. Patrick Campbell, Cahir McCloskey, and Ronan Elliott also provided excellent scoring support.
• St Mary’s: Conal Dempsey was the main threat for the Belfast side, contributing a goal and several impressive points, while Padraig Kelly and Finn Smyth were dangerous in the opening half.

Starting Line-outs (1-15)

Cross & Passion College (CPC)

1. Ruairi Laverty
2. Peadar Doherty
3. Aaron Gillan
4. Cormac Bailey
5. Joe Deery
6. Oran Baudant
7. Lorcan Murtagh
8. Charlie McAuley
9. Peter Laverty
10. Damian Laverty
11. Patrick Campbell
12. Cillian Cunning
13. Cahir McCloskey
14. Paidi O’Kane
15. Ronan Elliott

16. Ciaran Hennessy 17. Cormac Scanlon. 18. Cahir McErlain, 19. Sean McHenry 20. Cormac Burke 21. Ronan McGarry 22. Ollie Joe McAlonan 23. Joe Hunter 24. Martin Maynes 25. Ronan McBride 26. Ben Woodhouse 27. Oisin McCloskey 28. Joseph Kinney 29. Lorcan Kinney 30. Shane Hill 31. Brandon McIlhatton 32. Fionn McCormick 33. Rory McDonnell 34. Aidan McDevitt 35. Aaron Richmond 36. Matthew Donnelly

St Mary’s CBGS

1. Daire Gault
2. Jude Burns
3. Eoin Flynn
4. Ethan Hughes
5. Ruairi McIlhatton
6. Adam McCahey
7. Daire Rainey
8. Matthew O’Neill
9. Ben McCaul
10. Oisin Kennedy
11. Conal Dempsey
12. Jude Gamble
13. Padraig Kelly
14. Finn Smyth
15. Gerard Delaney

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Scorers Breakdown

Cross & Passion College (4-21)

• Paidi O’Kane : 4-09 (including 4 frees)
• Patrick Campbell : 0-03
• Cahir McCloskey : 0-03
• Ronan Elliott : 0-03
• Charlie McAuley : 0-01
• Peter Laverty : 0-01
• Damian Laverty: 0-01

St Mary’s CBGS (1-12)

• Conal Dempsey : 1-04
• Padraig Kelly : 0-03 (including 1 free)
• Finn Smyth : 0-03
• Adam McCahey : 0-02
• Referee – Owen Elliott

• TO SEE MORE OF DYLAN’S PICS FROM THSI GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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