Down Senior Hurling Championship semi-final: St Patrick's, Portaferry v Ballygalget. Sunday: Ballycran, 3.15pm
Ulster hurling champions Portaferry renew acquaintances with their old rivals Ballygalget in Sunday's Down Senior Hurling Championship semi-final at Ballycran.
A win for the reigning Down champions would set up a repeat of last year’s final against 23-time champions Ballycran, which Portaferry edged by 1-12 to 1-11.
More glory followed in November when an Eoghan Sands-inspired Portaferry side defeated Antrim champions Cushendall to win their first ever Ulster Senior Hurling title.
It was the first time a Down side had tasted provincial glory since Ballygalget did likewise almost a decade prior in 2005.
Portaferry delivered a superb performance in the Ulster final, Sands scoring 1-3, to claim the provincial crown with a 1-16 to 0-10 win over Cushendall at Owenbeg, in front of 2,538 spectators.
Beaten in eight provincial finals since the competition was introduced in 1971, Portaferry, under manager Sean Young, finally delivered on the big stage last year.
Manager Young, can still rely upon the services of last year’s side barring corner-forward Sean Mageean, who is currently working in Glasgow.
And Young will be hoping that the experience his Portaferry side gained from their thrilling Ulster and All-Ireland Championship campaign will stand them in good stead.
Limerick and Munster champions Kilmallock finally ended Portaferry's run in the All-Ireland club hurling sem-final at Mullingar in February.
Their Ards Peninsula rivals, Ballygalget, have fond memories of overcoming Portaferry in the 2013 decider on a scoreline of 1-18 to 1-11, with intercounty star Gareth ‘Magic‘ Johnson the pivotal figure in that success.
They come into tomorrow’s match having racked up 13 wins out of 15 in the Antrim Hurling League.
New management team Barry Coulter, Johnny McGratten and Martin Coulter have a full squad to choose from with the exception of Caolan Bailie, who may miss out with a hamstring injury.
In the curtain-raiser tomorrow, Ballela face Shamrocks in the Junior Hurling Championship final replay at 1.30pm. A late point for Ballela left it 2-14 to 1-17, setting up tomorrow’s rematch.
