Maghera win O’Keefe Cup

All-Ireland Colleges (O’Keefe Cup) Hurling Final:
St Patrick’s Maghera 0-14 St Raphael’s Loughrea 0-11

The O’Keefe Cup will stay in Ulster for a third year in a row after St Patrick’s Maghera defeated St Raphael’s Loughrea in Saturdays final at Navan. Maghera lead early on despite playing against the breeze and although Loughrea pulled level St Patrick’s scored two more before half-time to lead 0-7 to 0-5. Loughrea had the better of the opening ten minutes of the second half and three points in a row had them in the lead but Maghera responded with substitutions and positional switches to take back control of a very tough, physical game. With the game going in to the final ten minutes St Patrick’s showed remarkable fitness and control to limit Loughrea to breakaway attacks and although their shooting wasn’t all it might have been 14 points were enough to guarantee the O’Keefe Cup would travel to St Patrick’s for a second time in five years. St Patrick’s won their first O’Keefe Cup in 2006 – also in Navan – when they beat De La Salle Bagenalstown. Shane Farren with 5 points and Tiaranan MacBhloscaidh with 4 points were the scoring stars but Maghera had man of the match candidates in Michael Warnock, Chrissy Convery, Karl McKaigue, Brian Óg McGilligan and Martin Johnston.

St Patrick’s Maghera : James O’Mullan,(Rasharkin) Stephen McGuigan (Dunloy) Chris Convery,(Swatragh) Michael Warnock (Swatragh) Ciaran O’Kane, (0-1, Dungiven) Karl McKaigue, (Slaughtneil) Martin Johnstone,(Creggan) Brian Óg McGilligan, 0-2 (Dungiven) Liam Murphy, (Lavey) Gerald Bradley 0-1, (Slaughtneil) Declan McAlary,(Swatragh) Oran McCann, (Creggan) Brendan Rogers, Shane Farren 0-5,(Banagher) Tiarnan MacBhloscaidh 0-4 (Banagher)

Subs : Cormac O’Doherty, 0-1 (Slaughtneil) for B Rogers

Conor O’Kane (Swatragh)Piaras McGrath (Slaughtneil) Oran McFlynn, (Swatragh) Dominic Mullan,(Slaughtneil) Joseph O Lochlainn(Slaughtneil) Dillon Devine (Banagher) Cormac Gaston (Dunloy) Jimmy McMeel (Ahoghill) Michael Quigg(Swatragh) Thomas McCloy (Swatragh) Martin McKenna (Slaughtneil) Conan Glass (Slaughtneil) Caolan McGurk (Lavey) Eoghan McGrellis (Dungiven) Paul McGill (Lavey) Odhran Hasson (Banagher) Declan Breen (Lavey) Michael O’Neill (Lavey) Pearse Sheerin (Randalstown) Liam Ó Flanagain (Slaughtneil) Martin Mulgrew (Ballinascreen)

Picture courtesy of Michael Cullen.