Antrim Junior Hurling Championship
Group Two
Gort na Mona 3-21
Davitts 3-12
At Hannahstown
Featured Image: Desi McClean who scored 0-9 for Gort na Mona,
Gort na Mona survived three first half defensive lapses to secure their place at the top of Group 2 of the JHC with a 3-21 to 3-12 victory over a resilient Davitt’s side in a bruising contest at Hannahstown on Saturday afternoon.
.Despite what the nine-point margin suggests, the Mona Bye-Pass men were forced to work hard for this win in a game that was fiercely contested and certainly wasn’t for the faint hearted.
In the end it was the attacking brilliance of Patrick McCaffrey and Desi McClean that was instrumental in out gunning their rivals.
The game opened with an immediate shock for Gort na Mona. A blocked clearance from goalkeeper Caolan McCrory allowed Anthony Rowntree to intercept and find the net within the opening minutes.
Ruairi Scullion fires home Gort na Mona’s opening goal
The early setback forced the Turf Lodge men to chase the game. Desi McClean provided the leadership required, settling nerves with an array of frees and a spectacular sideline cut that sailed between the uprights.
Ruairi Scullion briefly put Gort in the driving seat with a close-range goal, but defensive vulnerability struck the Mona Bye-Pass side again. Rowntree capitalized on a loose strike to secure his second goal, before a long-range 65-yard free from Davitt’s standout player, Sean Smyth slipped past McCrory into the net. Despite conceding three goals, Gort’s superior point-scoring efficiency via Thomas McCaffrey and McClean ensured they carried a 1-13 to 3-03 lead into the break.
Second-Half Dominance
The second half saw Gort na Mona tighten their grip on the fixture by shifting away from defensive errors and maximizing their attacking depth. Neil Henry and Darron Boyd registered fine points from play to keep the scoreboard ticking. The decisive blow came when McClean and Scullion combined to feed Patrick McCaffrey, who slotted into an empty net.
Davitt’s relied heavily on the accurate free-taking of Smyth to stay within striking distance as the intensity raised on the pitch. However, McClean’s master-class from placed balls ensured Davitt’s could never close the gap. McCaffrey put the result beyond doubt five minutes from time, pouncing on a scrambled clearance to fire a rocket into the top corner.
Davitt’s Marcas Toner runs at the Gort na Mona defence
Gort na Mona progress straight to a home semi-final in Turf Lodge in four weeks, though their management will want to address the concession of three soft goals while Davitt’s drop into the quarter-finals but can take massive confidence from their ability to breach the Gort defence ahead of the knockout rounds.
Gort na Mona XV: C McCrory; T Ó Cadhlaigh, G McKenna, C Connolly; T Morton, D Keenan, M Rea; P McCaffrey 2-6 (0-1F), N Henry 0-2; T McCaffrey 0-3, S Doyle 0-1, N Healy; R Scullion 1-0; D McClean 0-9 (0-7F)
Davitt’s XV: A McLaughlin; J Winters, C Heaney, N Maginn; O Heaney, D Mooney, M Rowntree; C Gallagher, P Carleton; M Toner 0-2, S Smyth 1-9 (1-6F), C Maguire; P Reid, A Rowntree 2-0, C Rainey 0-1
Referee: Sean Elliott (Lamh Dhearg)
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