Hurling & Camogie

St Louis', Ballymena cruise into Paddy Buggy Cup final

St Louis', Ballymena's Ciaran Elliott (right), who scored his team's opening goal in their win over St Raphael's, Loughrea&nbsp;<br />Picture by Dylan McIlwaine
St Louis', Ballymena's Ciaran Elliott (right), who scored his team's opening goal in their win over St Raphael's, Loughrea 
Picture by Dylan McIlwaine
St Louis', Ballymena's Ciaran Elliott (right), who scored his team's opening goal in their win over St Raphael's, Loughrea 
Picture by Dylan McIlwaine

Masita All-Ireland Paddy Buggy Cup semi-final:


St Louis', Ballymena 2-14 St Raphael's, Loughrea 2-6

WHEN St Louis', Ballymena turned around at half-time to face the breeze just five points up in this Paddy Buggy Cup semi-final, many of their supporters in the large crowd at DCU wondered if they had done enough after dominating play in that opening half-hour.

Ciaran Elliott was the goal-scorer, taking his team 1-6 to 0-4 to the good with opponents St Raphael's, Loughrea still to score from open play, having set up with Brian Keary as sweeper.

However, some brilliant play during the third quarter from the Dunloy contingent and James McNaughton in the Ballymena forward line saw them open up the lead to a margin of 14 points and the game was in the bag.

A key factor in the win was the Ballymena half-back line, with captain Cathal McMullan lording exchanges and Loughrea didn't score from open play until the 41st minute. That Kevin Cooney point, however, was their only addition to the four frees he had knocked over in the first-half, while McNaughton, Conal Cunning, Keelan Molloy and Sean Elliott hammered over seven points for St Louis'. Cunning then dashed past three Loughrea defenders to score his side's second goal in the 45th minute and put the game to bed.

The Ballymena team slackened off somewhat during the last quarter and Caimin Killeen and Cooney, from a 30-metre free, found the net, but those scores never threatened St Louis' passage into the final on the Easter weekend in Thurles, when they will meet Abbey CBS from Tipperary.

St Louis' coach Colm Morgan was happy with the display: "When St Raphael's went to a flat 15 and abandoned their sweeper for the second-half, it suited us. We turned over a lot of their attacks and found ourselves in a 10 or 11-point lead, which they found too much to deal with.

"Our intensity levels dropped a bit in the last quarter and we let St Raphael's back in the game with some relatively handy scores and goals, but it gives us something to work on for the final. 

"The lads will have to play at another level in the final. It was a very good team performance today, but I do think there's more to come from them. There is another gear to be found and hopefully we do that in a fortnight's time."

MATCH STATS


St Louis', Ballymena scorers: J McNaughton (0-6, 0-5 frees), C Cunning (1-3), K Molloy (0-3), C Elliott (1-0), S Elliott (0-2).


St Raphael's, Loughrea scorers: K Cooney (1-4, 1-3 frees), C Killeen (1-0), B Keary (0-2 frees).