Minor Hurling - St Patrick's 3-16 v
Carryduff 1-4
Minor Hurling Championship
St Patricks 3-16 Carryduff
1-4
St Patrick’s minor hurlers proved
their mettle once again when they
shrugged of the challenge of
Carryduff to advance to the
semi-final of the Down Championship.
Carryduff were all fired up for this
one and their early enthusiasm and
the backing of a strong wind
produced a strong challenge for the
home side in the opening half but in
the second period St Patricks
stepped up a gear and swept to a
convincing 18 point victory.
Playing against a stiff breeze in
the first half, St Patrick’s had to
pull out all the stops to hold an
enthusiastic Carryduff at bay. A
strong defensive display limited the
visitors to minor scores from set
pieces and four points from
Carryduff was scant reward for so
much early possession. Each time
Carryduff threatened to pull ahead,
St Pat’s produced the major scores
that took the wind from their sails.
An early Paul O’Neill point was
cancelled out by two similar scores
from Carryduff but just when
adversity threatened, James
McDermott rounded his man to fire
home the crucial goal that gave the
Reds that vital edge. Further points
from O’Neill and McDermott kept in
touch with similar scores from
Carryduff before Conor McClorey
produced another killer score when
his powerful drive found the top
corner of the net. A late goal from
the visitors was cancelled out by
two well-worked points from Mick
Doyle and Ronan McConville and at
the interval St Patricks had a
match-winning four point lead.
Half Time: St Patricks 2-5
Carryduff 1-4
The second half got underway in
perfect style when James McDermott
again showed his opportunism when he
flicked home an O’Neill free to the
roof of the net and the game as a
contest was as good as over. The
rest of the half turned into a
procession as St Patricks used the
wind to full advantage and picked
off their points almost at will to
canter easily into the next round.
Further points from Paul
O’Neill(0-6), Malachy Magee (0-3)
and James McDermott (0-2) put the
issue beyond doubt, whereas
Carryduff failed to raise another
flag. St Pats now look forward to a
repeat of last year’s semi-final
when they take on Warrenpoint on the
23rd July for what
promises to be a battle royal
between two of the competitions
strongest teams.
Final Score: St
Patricks 3-16 Carryduff 1-4
St Patricks: Niall Burns; Jamie
Murray, Thomas Lennon, Ryan Haughey;
Sean Murphy, Niall Higgins,
Christopher Higgins; Ronan
McConville(0-1), Malachy Magee(0-3);
Conor McClorey(1-0), Paul
O’Neill(0-8), Michael Doyle(0-1);
Kieran Maguire, James
McDermott(2-3), Leigh McConville.
Subs: Martin Connolly, Michael
McConville
Sent in by Colm O’Neill (Ballyvarley
Hurling PRO) 150 Scarva Road,
Banbridge, Co Down, BT32 3QG
02840625893
colmhilltop@hotmail.com
Sent in by Colm O’Neill
