Danske Bank Mageean Cup quarter-final: Tuesday 1.30pm in Ballymena: St Patrick’s Maghera v St Mary’s CBGS Belfast
ONE FROM the last two winners of the Danske Bank Mageean Cup will bow out of this season’s competition at the quarter-final stage this (TUESDAY) afternoon in Ballymena.
Holders Maghera struggled in the group stages and lost to both Cross and Passion Ballycastle and St Killian’s Garron Tower.
Normally that is not a clear guide to their potential as their league form is always interrupted by club commitments in both codes in Derry.
But they have only two survivors from the final win over An Dún in the Dub last year, Fintan Bradley and Tiarnan McHugh, although a further five were panel members – Michael McCormack, Dara Simpson, John Mellon, Sean T McErlane and PJ McAleese – saw some action through that competition.
St Mary’s lost by 4-18 to 3-9 in their opening fixture this year but recovered well to record high-scoring wins over An Dún and Keady.
That will give them a lot of confidence going into the knock-out stages, but they will be well aware that Maghera are a cup team and raise their game significantly when survival is at stake.
However with a few more than Maghera back from last season, including Aaron Bradley, Gary McIllhatton, Eoghan McMenamin, Caolaon Crossan and Cormac McGettigan, St Mary’s might have the edge in experience and that might just take them through a very closely-fought game.
