Danske Bank Mageean Cup semi-final: St Mary’s CBS 1-10 Cross & Passion, Ballycastle 0-11
ST MARY’s late substitute Aidan O’Brien and free-taker Ronan Beattie ruined Cross and Passion, Ballycastle’s hopes of a third successive Danske Bank Mageean Cup title with injury-time points in this tough semi-final in Ballymena on Saturday morning.
For periods during the second half and then again close to the end, Cross and Passion looked as if they could just make it over the line as they have done on a number of occasions over the past three campaigns.
This time however they couldn’t nail the scores that would have closed out the game and instead St Mary’s picked off the two late points to reach the final on Friday evening at the Dub.
The Glen Road side was competitive throughout, sound at the back, aggressive in their tackling all over the field and free-taker Ronan Beattie picked off six key scores.
Beattie’s two frees in the opening half saw his side trail by 0-5 to 0-3 at the break, with Diarmuid McShane firing over two frees at the other end.
At the start of the second half, Beattie posted points in the 34th, 36th and 37th minutes to put St Mary’s ahead for the first time in the game at 0-7 to 0-6, but again McShane levelled the argument a minute later.
The next score, in the 40th minute, was to prove costly for the defending champions with Beattie’s long hanging free seemingly drifting wide, only for Colm McLarnon to get his hurl to the sliotar and it somehow made it over the Ballycastle goal-line.
Sean Maxwell followed up with a point and a gap seemed to be opening as McShane was wide with a couple of frees well within his range.
However as the last quarter progressed, Ballycastle’s challenge gained momentum with a McShane point from play followed by two great scores from Alex O’Boyle in the 54th and 55th minutes.
Ballycastle earned a further three frees as injury time approached, but managed to convert just one of them to even matters at 0-11 to 1-8.
St Mary’s seemed to be on the back foot at this stage, but sub Aidan O’Brien turned the tide with a super point two minutes into injury-time and Beattie applied the coup de grace a minute later for St Mary’s first final appearance since 2012.
St Mary’s: P Carlin, D McEnhill, C Gallagher, N Crossan, O McKenna, N Gibson, C Carson, D Clarke, C McLarnon, S Maxwell, R Beattie, J Darragh, S Shannon, CJ McKenna, T Murphy
Subs: O O’Callaghan for S Shannon (54), A O’Brien 0-1 for S Maxwell (55)
Cross & Passion: B Connor, N McCormick, P Bonnar, S Walsh, C Boyd, S Hunter, G óg Laverty, TT Butler, C Blair, C Dallas, R McCooke, D McShane, C Butler, A O’Boyle, D Smyth
Subs: C Crawford for C Butler (25), R Molloy for R McCooke (40), C McHugh for C Dallas (52)
Referee : Eamonn Hasson (Swatragh).
