Danske Bank Mageean Cup
Group B: Cross & Passion Ballycastle 2-13 St Patrick’s Maghera 0-23
HOLDERS St Patrick’s Maghera made their bow in this season’s Danske Bank Mageean Cup campaign in Ballycastle yesterday afternoon and came away with a deserved four points’ victory over the school they beat in last January’s final.
Cross and Passion however got the better start to go 0-6 to 0-2 ahead with Joe Deery, Patrick Campbell and Daragh Kinney on target. PJ Glover narrowed the gap with his second and third points from frees but Peter Laverty hit an 18th minute goal to put the north Antrim side five ahead.
Maghera however finished the half strongly with seven of the next eight points including four more from Glover and they led by 0-11 to 1-7 at the break.
The third quarter was evenly enough contested, although Sean O’Kane and Oisin Burke were causing a lot of problems for the Cross and Passion defence and Maghera went four ahead going into the final ten minutes.
A goal from Patrick Campbell threw CPC a lifeline but, as had happened in the first half, Maghera finished strongly with Glover scoring two more points and Dara McKaigue completing the scoring with an insurance score.
Maghera now play St Mary’s CBGS in Sleacht Néill next Thursday afternoon to complete Group B while in Group A St Killian’s Garron Tower have games against St Patrick’s Keady on Monday and then Gaelcholáiste Dhoire on Wednesday with St Louis v Keady also pencilled in for Wednesday.
St Patrick’s: PJ Glover 0-11, 6fs, S O’Kane 0-4, O Burke 0-3, F Carton, PP Ó Duibhne, O O’Neill, U McCloskey and D McKaigue 0-1 each
Cross & Passion: P Laverty and P Campbell 1-1each , J Deery 0-8, 7fs, C McAuley, D Kinney and J óg Darragh 0-1 each.