McCann Points Kickhams to the Last Four

McKeever Hotels Intermediate Hurling Championship

Quarter Final

Creggan 2-14 St Pauls 0-19

Saturday 26 September

Brendan McTaggart reports from Creggan

Conor McCann was the toast of Creggan on Saturday afternoon as his 65^th minute free proved to be the winning score in a gripping quarter final. Despite trailing by three points at half time and being reduced to 14 men with seven minutes of the hour remaining, St Pauls had the lead in the second minute of additional time. Creggan responded with Morgan Nelson and captain McCann having the final say as the Kickhams defeated St Paul’s to reach the last four.

This contest had a dramatic ending and felt like neither team were going to win it. Both had chances with the scores tied at the death with composure leaving them. It came at the end of a second half where St Paul’s and Caolán Ó Duibhfhinn came back from the brink and looked the more likely to progress.

**Creggan corner forward Kevin Rice celebrates after scoring an early goal**

Creggan controlled the first half with goals from Kevin Rice and Ruairi McCann while their work rate in the middle third couldn’t be faulted. The home side were pinned back and kept scoreless for 12 minutes in the second half however and while St Paul’s hit back, Creggan came good with the winning post in sight.

Sean Munce opened the scoring for St Pauls with the game barely a minute old while the Creggan response came via a Kevin Rice major. Rice had the presence of mind to take his shot in an unorthodox fashion to prevent the St Pauls defence from hooking him and the sliotar went high to the back of Christopher Murray’s net.

Conal Finnegan and Sean Munce split the uprights either side of scores from Morgan Nelson and Dan Doran.

Senan O’Boyle dissected the uprights to leave the Kickhams three points ahead after 10 minutes.

The home side were making light of playing into the wind but St Paul’s began to get to the pitch of the fight. Ó Duibhfhinn with a brace of frees before Mark Munce brought parity to the sides by the 18^th minute.

Ruairi McCann responded with a point for Kickhams before Nelson did the same from placed ball.

Sean Munce fired over for his third white flag of the half before Ruairi McCann scored the second goal of the quarter final. Sean McAuley with the assist as he delivered a blind hand pass into McCann’s path and he made no mistake to give Creggan a four point lead by the 24^th minute.

The home side had another chance for a major moments later with Nelson and Doran going close but a huge score from Daire Stevenson had St Paul’s within three going into the closing stages of the first half.

Both sides registered further scores from placed ball with Nelson and Ó Duibhfhinn adding to their tallies to leave the half time score 2-6 to 0-9 in favour of the home side.

With the wind at their back for the second half, Creggan were well placed and despite substitute James McDonnell opening the scoring, the home side put daylight between the sides. Unanswered scores from Thomas McCann, Kevin Rice and Aidan McKeown in the space of four minutes had the Kickhams men firing.

St Paul’s responded superbly though. McDonnell firing over for his first of two points before Caolan Crossan did the same to leave three between the sides.

Nelson briefly halted the St Paul’s charge with his first free of the half and fourth point overall, but the Shaws Road side found another level. Five successive points from Mark Munce and four from placed ball by Ó Duibhfhinn had St Paul’s one point ahead with a little over 10 minutes remaining.

Creggan looked to have weathered the storm when Thomas and Conor McCann fired over scores only for Ó Duibhfhinn to restore parity to the score line in the 52^nd minute.

The game took a huge swing in favour of Creggan when Lorcan Phillips saw red for a second yellow card in the 53^rd minute but neither side really took the game by the scruff of the neck. Chances came for both sides with before Ó Duibhfhinn split the posts with his seventh free in the second minute of injury time to give St Pauls the lead once again.

Morgan Nelson replied instantly and with thoughts turning to extra time, St Pauls had a massive chance to score a goal. James McDonnell through on goal with a bit of work to do, he went low only for Cormac Rice to deny him superbly.

The stage was set for Conor McCann to have the final say when he fired over a free from distance in the fifth minute of injury time and seal Creggan’s place in the semi final and a game with Cushendun.

TEAMS

Creggan Starting XV: Cormac Rice; Odhran Hampsey, Keelan McCann, Paedar McGuckian; Senan O’Boyle, Conor McCann, Aiden McKeown; Jake McAteer, Sam Maguire; Sean McAuley, Ruairi McCann, Dan Doran; Morgan Nelson, Thomas McCann, Kevin Rice

Subs: Ronan McGuckian for S O’Boyle (37); Aidan Maguire for O Hampsey (41)
Scorers: M Nelson 0-5 (3f); K Rice 1-1; R McCann 1-1; R McCann 1-1; T McCann 0-2; C McCann 0-2 (1f); D Doran 0-1; S O’Boyle 0-1

St Paul’s Starting XV: Christopher Murray; Tiarnan Auld, Daire Stevenson, Declan Quinn; Liam Walsh, Tomás Duffin, Lorcan Phillips; Mark Munce, Caoimhin Killyleagh; Sean Munce, Sean Og McLaren, Conal Finnegan; Shea Burns, Caolan Crossan, Caolán Ó Duibhfhinn

Subs: Stephen Rooney for C Finnegan (HT); Gerard Maguire for T Duff (33); Declan Chapman for S Og McLaren (49); Odhran Donnelly for C Crossan (59)
Scorers: C Ó Duibhfhinn 0-9 (7f, 1’65); S Munce 0-3; M Munce 0-2; J McDonnell 0-2; D Stevenson 0-1; C Finnegan 0-1; C Crossan 0-1