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Fri 26th Mar 2010
O’Keefe Cup final : Saturday 2pm in Fingallian’s Swords
Cross & Passion Ballycastle v Dungarvan CBS
A couple of years ago Blackwater Community School from Lismore in Waterford upset St Mary’s dreams of an All-Ireland Colleges’ hurling title.
Cross & Passion Ballycastle took up the baton last year to grab the O’Keefe Cup with a backs-to-the-wall victory over Colaiste Eoin from Dublin.
ON SATURDAY though it is another Waterford side Dungarvan CBS that will face them, with the O’Keefe Cup again up for grabs.
Ballycastle were impressive in how they dealt with the challenge from St Raphael’s Loughrea in the semi-final, who had All-Ireland minor medallist Neil Keary in their ranks.
The intensive, no-nonsense, action-packed style that other schools in the BT Mageean Cup have become accustomed to clearly knocked Loughrea out of their stride and they trailed by 0-13 to 0-6 by half-time.
Conor Laverty was immense, with Matthew Donnelly marshalling the defence and the attack looking very sharp.
It will have pleased the management of Joe Cassidy and Oran Kearney that they scored 2-13 out of 2-18 from open-play, although they perhaps gave Keary a few too many opportunities from frees at the other end.
Dungarvan also have a very accurate free-taker in Colm Curran, who shot 11 points in their 1-16 to 1-10 victory over Colaiste Eanna of Dublin the semi-final and his accuracy (0-8) was again important when they won the all-Waterford Munster final against city side St Paul’s 1-15 to 1-13.
In that game they trailed by a point with 4 minutes left, but Curran showed nerves of steel to point long-distance frees to give his side victory.
Dungarvan is not a one-man band though. Curran’s brother Tomas is a strong midfielder, while they have other dependable players in Darren Duggan, in goal, Shane Ryan, Eoin Healy and Jamie Barron in defence, and Kieran Power, Donal Breathnach and Cathal Curran in attack.
But Ballycastle’s performances in the past few seasons has been very focussed and essentially a team effort.
Ciaran Clarke’s class means that he will deliver scores, but James Black and Stephen McAfee hit 1-6 between them from play in the semi-final to supplement Clarke.
The experience of last year will also stand to them while there is a little matter of more history to be made.
Victory would set them apart as the only Ulster side to have successfully defended the O’Keefe Cup – in fact they would become the only school in the north to collect a second title.
If they get close to the semi-final performance a fortnight ago they should find themselves in the history books.
Cross & Passion : Steven McGinn, Ronan McCloskey, Matthew Donnelly (Capt), Paul McLernon, Niall Murray, Daniel McPeake, Dermot Donnelly, Conor Laverty, Patrick Blaney, Shane Jennings, James McShane, James Black, Stephen McAfee, James McCouig, Ciaran Clarke.
Subs : Ciaran McErlain, Fergal McCaughan, Oisin McMahon, Fergus Donnelly, Michael McVeigh, Brian Gormley, Daniel McKinley, Paul McErlain, Aidan Corbett, Conor McCurdy.
Submitted by: Seamus McAleenan
