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Wed 14th Apr 2010
BT Foresters’ Cup final :
Today (Thursday) 4pm in Lámh Dhearg Hannahstown :
St Mary’s Belfast v Cross & Passion Ballycastle
The St Mary’s Belfast side that takes the field for this afternoon’s (4pm) BT Foresters’ Cup final has not been beaten for a full two years now, including a single point victory over their final opponents Cross & Passion Ballycastle at the start of March in a group game.
Ballycastle however enter the game in determined fashion to overturn that narrow defeat as it was the school’s only defeat in competitive hurling this year – a year that has seen them lift two Ulster titles at Halloween and the O’Keefe All-Ireland Senior title for a second season on the trot.
Several of this team that easily saw off north Antrim neighbours in the semi-final on Tuesday afternoon were involved in that Senior victory including Cushendall’s Paddy Blaney who started the All-Ireland final at midfield.
Paul McErlain, Aidan Corbett, Conor McCurdy also hold national medals and, alongside Sean McAfee and Niall McFadden are the driving forces in this Ballycastle team.
St Mary’s however are a compact team and showed a lot of aggression and skill in their league meeting in Ballycastle.
Aidan Orchin and Ciaran Johnston are rocks in defence, while Ruairi Wilson and Jackson McGreevy will make the midfield battle interesting.
Up front Darragh McGuiness and Conor Johnston provide the scoring touches.
However Ballycastle have developed a winning mentality in finals over the past couple of years and could well overturn the favourites today as well, especially with county defender and former St Mary’s winning captain Ciaran Herron as their coach.
St Mary’s (probable) : Conor Loughran, Tomas O’Ciarain, Stephen Rooney, Aidan Orchin, Michael Dudley, Ciaran Johnston, Thomas Manning, Ruairi Wilson, Jackson McGreevy, Daniel McKernan, Darragh McGuiness, Domhnal Quinn, Conor O’Rawe, Domhnal Moran, Conor Johnston.
Cross and Passion (panel) : Patrick Blaney, Aidan Corbett, Conor McCurdy, Michael McHugh, Shane McCarry, Paul McErlain, Niall McFadden, Sean Delargy, Phelim Donnelly, Ciaran Laverty, Sean McAfee, Zach McCaughan, Seamus Laverty, Conor McNamara, Ruairi Laverty, Donal O’Hara, Saul McCaughan, Thomas Burns, Mairtin McAllister, Conor Christie, Cormac McAllister.
Preview by Séamas McAleenan
Submitted by: Conor McCurdy
