All-Ireland U20 B Hurling Championship final: Derry 3-17 Roscommon 2-14
IT was an afternoon to remember for Derry on Saturday at Croke Park as they got their name on the Richie McElligott Cup for the first time.
The scoreline doesn’t do justice to a dominant Derry’s performance. Their tally of 22 wides let the Rossies back into the game on three occasions before the Oak Leafers eventually broke loose and Seán Canning’s late, late goal was a mere consolation.
Star man Ruairí Ó Mianáin put six first-half wides to the back of this mind to finish with 1-5 from play. Senior star James Friel landed five points from placed balls with Keelan Doherty and Segdae Melaugh – another senior player - also finding the net.
Friel opened the scoring before Derry bagged their first goal with Melaugh blasting to the net when he latched onto a sideline cut from captain Jack Cassidy who was also having a huge say on their way to a 1-3 to 0-0 lead after seven minutes.
The Rossies have a purple patch of their own. A 12th minute goal from Liam Coyle was key in an unanswered 1-4 salvo that nosed them ahead.
Three points from a lively Ryan Henry had Derry back in front before Roscommon found their groove again, hitting three on the bounce to somehow lead 1-9 to 1-8 at the interval.
“It was a calm dressing room,” manager Ryan O’Neill said of the Derry mood at half-time.
“It was a case of staying focused and keeping doing what we were doing.
“We said it we kept hitting at the target, they’d go over eventually and I knew the boys had it in them.
“If you work harder than them, then the prize is massive and if you don’t, then it’s a sob story on the way home.”
Congratulations to our players and management. All-Ireland U20B Hurling Champions 2023. pic.twitter.com/ndQLoa3SS7
— Derry GAA (@Doiregaa) May 6, 2023
Keelan Doherty and Eamon Cassidy had Derry ahead early in the second half, but soon added to their 11 first-half wides as Roscommon came with another three-point burst.
Then the game changed for good with Ó Mianáin working his magic. He fired over after recycling a James Friel delivery into the Hill 16 corner before landing two monster points from midfield to put Derry back in front, 1-12 to 1-11, after 38 minutes.
Two Friel frees and fine Jack Cassidy score cemented Derry’s growing confidence. Derry then had a stroke of luck their play deserved when Keelan Doherty’s 55th minute shot squirmed from the grasp of goalkeeper Jack Ryan and into the net for the 2-17 to 1-13 lead.
The score of the game came in stoppage time. Doherty made a brilliant leap to win a Roscommon puck-out and when Jack Cassidy played Ó Mianáin in on goal, he crashed a spectacular goal, across the ‘keeper to the net.
“We are All-Ireland champions, nobody will ever take it away from these lads,” O’Neill added.
“Not now, now in 15 years, not in 20 years’ time. You’ll be able to look back and remember the day we went to Croke Park and played Roscommon in an All-Ireland final.
“It is nice to say that the first All-Ireland for 2023 has gone to the Oakleaf County, it is over to everybody else now.”
Derry: C McElhinney; J McAllister, M McEldowney, A Duffin; N McGonagle, J Friel (0-5, 0-3 frees, 0-2 65), C O’Kane; R Ó Mianáin (1-5), E Boylan; J Cassidy (0-2); S Melaugh (1-0), O McElhinney; R Henry (0-3), E Cassidy (0-1), K Doherty (1-1)
Subs: C Murtagh for O McElhinney (37), C Bradley for S Melaugh (64), R McNamee for R Henry (64)
Roscommon: J Ryan; T Fleming, J Dillon, T Tiernan; T Morris, M Lohan, M Hussey; K Ryan, R Conlon (0-1); C Mulry, F Killion, C Dowd (0-2); L Coyle (1-1), P Fallon (0-9, 0-7 frees), S Canning (1-1)
Subs: B Kelly for M Hussey (18), DJ Hession for C Mulry (H-T), C Kavanagh for K Ryan (59), A Hoare for C Dowd (59), J Mannion for T Tiernan (62)
Yellow card: DJ Hession (56)
Referee: N Malone (Clare)
