St Pat’s favourites but holders CPC can cause upset

St Pat’s start favourites but holders CPC can cause an upset

Danske Bank Mageean Cup Final

Cross & Passion College v St Patrick’s College Maghera

St Pat’s Maghera go into Friday night’s Mageean Cup final against CPC as favourites after having gone through the qualifying campaign unbeaten, but their rivals will feel they are in with good chance themselves having won all but one their games, even though it was against Friday’s rivals.

When the two met in that opening round on October 15th in Portglenone the Maghera boys (who had beaten their Co Derry neighbours Colaiste Feirste four days earlier) laid down a marker when they sprung from the traps to dominate the early stages of the game. They had a goal and a point on the boards in the first minute, the goal coming from Lavey star Rian Collins, who ended the game on 2-04 in a man of the match performance. Finn Cartin got goal number two for the Derry school and Ultan McCloskey got the third as they opened up a 3-06 to 0-03 lead after ten minutes.

Cross & Passion looked dead and buried, especially when Collins got his team’s fourth goal, but the cup holders showed a bit of character and got themselves back into contention when Liam McGarry grabbed a goal and Cadhan Crawford added two more to cut their arrears to seven by half time.

When Oisin McCallin added the first four points of the second half there was just three between the teams but St Pat’s found their touch again and sent over some top class points to give themselves a little bit of breathing space as they pushed the gap out to six. Substitute Paidi O’Kane grabbed a goal to leave just three between them again but Rian Tohill had the last say with a point for Maghera to seal a four point win.

St Pat’s had now secured a semi-final spot where they faced St Killian’s, again under the Portglenone lights. This time they were slow starters and were just three ahead of the Garron Tower boys at the break. However they did the real damage during the third quarter when Rian Collins added some great points and Ultan McCloskey grabbed their second goal and Fionn Cartin their third. They were in total control but St Killian’s came strong in the final quarter and corner forward Connlaodh McNaughton brought them back to within six with two well taken goals. McNaughton had a chance for a third goal but goalkeeper D0nnacha Collins made a good stop and the Maghera boys hit a late point to see them home by seven.

A big win for Cross & Passion over Gaelcholáiste Dhoire in their next round at Quinn Park, Ballymena got their bid to retain their title back on track, the Ballycastle school running up a total of 7-17 with Cadhan Crawford and Oisin McCallin again among the goals. A second from McCallin, two by the youngest player on the pitch Paidi O’Kane, plus one apiece by Emmett McKendry and Ryan McQuaid completer the rout and set up a semi-final meeting with St Mary’s.

That game, again at Quinn Park, Ballymena proved a really tough encounter in which it took extra time to see off the challenge of the Glen Road boys. The sides ended level at the end of normal time, after a great equalising point from man of the match Sean Og McLaren as both teams matched each other score for score down the finishing straight.

When St Mary’s led at half-time in extra time they must have felt they had it won, but Oisin McCallin displayed his scoring power in the second half of extra time to hit four points in a row and seal a semi-final meeting with St Louis.

That semi-final against the Ballymena school was played in very good conditions in Cushendun and when CPC led by 1-09 to 0-01 their place in their final seemed assured, despite the fact they had a strong breeze behind them. However the brilliant Fointan Bradley eventually got his team going and a goal from a penalty and three points from play in the lead-in to half time put a different complexion on things.

When Bradley hit the first three points of the second half St Louis looked favourites to advance but CPC steadied the ship and late Oisin McCallin point got them over the line.

St Pat’s, who have the brilliant Portglenone dual star Odhran Doherty in their ranks, will start as favourites, and considering the level of their performances throughout deservedly so. The have a great all around team with a host of stars throughout the field. However CPC have also stars aplenty, especially in the forward line and if they can get off to a good start then they could well be the first team to put titles back to back since they did it themselves in 2014/2015

 

Published on thesaffrongael.com