Match Report

MINOR HURLING CHAMPIONSHIP QUARTER FINAL 02/10/2008

Date Filed: 09 October 2008

Mourne Shamrocks 2-6  St Patricks 2-14

St Patricks minor hurlers sparkled under the lights of Pairc Esler on Thursday night with a dazzling performance that saw them sweep aside the considerable challenge of Mourne Shamrocks to advance to the semi-finals of the Down Minor Hurling Championship. It was a novel experience to be playing under the floodlights of the County Ground and initial worries about being able to see the flight of the small ball were quickly dispelled in the opening exchanges as both sides settled to produce their usual free-flowing game.

The Ballyvarley-Ballela combination had been looking forward eagerly to this night-time clash of the ash and when Paul O’Neill swept them ahead with a point from a difficult angle in the first minute it was clear that the team was focused on the task in hand. Two more excellent points from the free-running Kelvin Magee opened up a comfortable lead as St Pats dominated the midfield exchanges and kept the pressure on the home side. Patrick Macken showed once again that in this company he can supply the cutting edge as he fired over two excellent points from play.

However, the St Pats attack struggled to put their territorial advantage on the scoreboard as the Mourne Shamrocks defence were in excellent form and goalkeeper Colm McCabe continually thwarted their best efforts with some fine saves and long clearances.

The home sides attacks were sporadic and they relied heavily on the free-taking of Paul Sheehan to keep them in touch with the dominant visitors. Three Sheehan frees kept Shamrocks in touch as St Pats painstakingly tagged on the points. St Pats scores may have been few in quantity but they lacked nothing in quality and great combination play and spectacular individual skills produced five more excellent points. Half back Niall Burns soloed forward to slot over from distance and Paul O’Neill added to a long distance free from inside his own half with three classy points from play to push St Pats into a healthy seven point lead. St Pats were looking for the crucial opening goal that would put the game to bed and it almost came on the half time whistle when Kelvin Magee soloed through only to see a pile-driver skim the wrong side of the post.

Half time:  Mourne Shamrocks  0-3   St Patricks  0-10

Shamrocks came out fighting on the restart and an opening goal and two points had the game back in the melting pot as St Pats struggled to get past a strong home half back-line. The ploy to by-pass midfield was reaping dividends for Shamrocks and for a long time the visitors struggled to get back into contention. Two long range points from Paul O’Neill gave St Pats some respite and then midway through the half a crucial three minute spell shattered Shamrocks hopes. In a rare spell of attacking pressure St Pats worked the ball in to the opposition penalty area where Patrick Macken and Niall McAleenan muscled their way through for the latter to force the ball over the Shamrocks line for the crucial goal that changed the face of the game.

The old cliché that goals win matches was amazingly evident difference for suddenly the St Pats magic had returned and Patrick Macken confirmed that feeling moments later when he burst through with the greatest of ease to slam a powerful drive into the roof of the net. That two goal salvo was the key moment of the game and further points from O’Neill and Magee were the icing on the cake as St Pats sailed through to the next round. A Shamrocks flurry of a goal and a point in the final minutes confirmed the quality and determination of the opposition but were too little too late to make any impression on the final result.

St Patricks now play Bredagh in the semi-finals.

Final Score:  Mourne Shamrocks  2-6    St Pats  2-14

Team: Mark McAllister; Ryan Haughey, James McDermott, Jamie Murray; Conor McClorey; Kieran Maguire, Niall Burns(0-1); Paul O’Neill(0-8), Sean O’Hare; Ronan McConville, Kelvin Magee(0-3), Martin Connolly; Tony Hegarty, Niall McAleenan(1-0), Patrick Macken(1-2)

Subs: James Kennedy, Chris Martin, Michael Downey, Conor Strain, James Fegan