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Antrim Div 4B: Sarsfield's IIs 1-03 3-26 Bredagh
Bredagh's hurlers had an easy win in Sunday afternoon against Sarsfield's 2nds to maintain their unbeaten record in the Antrim league and remain top of the table. Bredagh won't read too much into this result but it was pleasing to see all eight frontmen make the scoreboard along with right half-back Liam mcCollum when he popped up on the 20 metre line near the end to record a single. The midfield partnership of Byrne and Kelly scored nine between them with Kelly's six confirming his ability to shoot excellent points from play earning him the man-of-the-match accolade. The Down minor contingent of the Hughes brothers and Donnelly also scored heavily accounting for 2-8 of the total while old hands Power and McKillop were always influential round the square. Another on form player Paul Doole wasn't far behind Kelly in the scoring stakes shooting four from play and a further hat-trick of frees to earn him joint top-scorer on the day with seven points which was matched by Donal Hughes' excellent 1-4.
Defensively Bredagh were very strong with McGinley denying his man little space and wing backs Anderson and McCollum always on top. McGettrick put on a fine display at corner back which was great to see having just returned from his long injury lay off.
Bredagh's next match in the Antrim league is home to Davitt's on Sunday 6 July 3pm throw-in. Continued thanks to the Bredagh senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their ongoing support.
Panel and scoerers: Lorenzo McMullan. Stevie McGettrick, Mark McGinley, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum 0-1, Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson 0-1, Paddy Byrne 0-3, Paul Kelly 0-6, Donal Hughes 1-4, Cormac Hughes 0-2, Paul Doole, 0-7 3f, Niall Donnelly 1-2, Ultan Power 1-0, Seamus McKillop 0-1, Donncha Hanrahan.
ACHL Div 1: Liatroim 4-13 1-05 Bredagh
Liatroim were simply too strong for Bredagh in this Down division 1 encounter. Bredagh failed to score in the first half playing against the gale trailing by 9 points at the short whistle. A goal by Jack Anderson at the start of the second half brought them to within five but a late flurry by Jerome McCrickard and his merry liatroim men saw them run out easy winners on the night.
Best for Bredagh were McMullan in goals and Whtye at full-back while McGinley and Kelly put in a mountain of work at midfield. A youthful Bredagh attack fought hard but were too light for the phsically stronger Mourne men.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, David Brady, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson 1-3, Paul Kelly, Mark McGinley, Paul Doole 0-1, Cormac Hughes, Stevie McGettrick, Niall Donnelly, Mark Galway 0-1, Donal Hughes, Mark Devlin, Paddy Woods, Michael Mullan.
ACHL Div 1 - Bredagh 4-13 2-02 Ballela
Bredagh convincingly avenged their defeat in the first match of this year's Down hurling league at a blustery Cherryvale on Tuesday 17th June.
The foundation of this victory was built around outstanding contributions from Down Minor panellists Cormac and Donal Hughes and Niall Donnelly in the forwards and equally effective performances from Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson, Liam McCollum and Mark Herron in defence and the returning Paul Kelly who had an excellent game at midfield. At full-forward, Seamus McKillop was also proving to be an excellent foil for the younger lads and his outstanding work rate created abundant scoring opportunities for his fellow forwards. Highlights of the first half were a series of fine points from minors Donal Hughes and Niall Donnelly, with Ian Galway adding on several points from frees to give Breadgh a half time lead of 0-11 to Ballela's 2-0. Both of Ballela's goals came from dangerous full-forward Johnny McCusker, who was an ever-present threat to the Bredagh full-back line. The only thing missing from Bredagh's first half performance was goals and this was quickly rectified in the second half of the game.
Second Half
Playing against the wind in the second half made little difference to Bredagh's performance, except that the goals which were missing in the first period came regularly during the second period. An excellent individual goal from Donal Hughes, two from Niall Donnelly, one of which came from a brilliant one-handed overhead flick and a well worked move which concluded with Seamus McKillop rifling the ball to the net, effectively ended the Ballela challenge. However, McCusker wasn't to be outdone and leapt to field a high ball before drilling a magnificent point from all of 70 metres to complete the scoring for Ballela. A couple of points from Ian Galway frees ended the scoring for Bredagh's part. Others to stand out for Bredagh on the night were Goalkeeper Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley and substitutes Michael Mullan and Paul Morriarty, the latter having replaced Willie Gilmore in the first half after he unfortunately suffered a suspected broken hand. Paul Doole and Michael Whyte were strangely subdued on the night, but no doubt will be back to their best in the next match.
At the end Bredagh's senior manager Sean McGuiness commented: 'It beats me how those three minors of ours didn't get a run out for the Down minors on Sunday past against Antrim; Donal, Niall and Cormac were on fire there tonight and contributed handsomely to a good win for us. Cormac has the potential to be a really exceptional centre half forward in Down and Ulster hurling. His work rate was immense in that game, as it always is and he linked superbly with the two other boys who took most of our scores tonight, Niall scoring 2.4 and Donal 1.3. I'd also like to pay credit to some of our older lads, like Danny Hughes and Seamus McKillop, who are great role-models for the younger lads with their appetite for the game and great leadership qualities. They have been so good this year that I'm going to nominate them for the Down over 40 development squad; they remind me of a Rolls-Royce car, in that they continue to perform superbly, despite the passing years!'
Continued thanks to NIAVAC for their sponsorship of Bredagh Senior hurlers.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson, Paul Kelly, Ian Galway, Willie Gilmore, Cormac Hughes, Paul Doole, Niall Donnelly, Seamus McKillop, Donal Hughes, David Brady, Paul Morriarty, Michael Mullan, Gerard Connolly, Mark Galway.
UHL Div 3 Q/F: Cuchullian's, Armagh 2-16 0-07Bredagh
The South Belfast caman men bowed out of the Ulster hurling league competition when they suffered a heavy defeat at the quarter-final stage to a much better Armagh side. The first half was a closely contested affair with Donal Hughes, McCamphill and Galway scoring for Bredagh but the problem was they were the only ones who scored, Bredagh hit too many wides with the full-forward line failing to raise a flag for the whole duration of the game while at the other end Armagh's star forward Declan Coulter was very accurate as the half-time scoreboard recorded 1-9 to 0-4 in Cuchullian's favour. That said Bredagh's cause wasn't helped when midfielder Paddy Byrne was forced to retire early on with a head injury and likewise Eoghan Donnelly, who was competing well in midfield, picked up a leg injury at the start of the second half that forced him onto the sideline
As the game opened up in the second-half, Armagh took full advantage and despite stout defending from McMullan, Whyte, Anderson and Hughes Armagh ran out easy winners.
It is hard for Bredagh to take many positives from this tough encounter as the level of hurling displayed by Armagh was at a level above what they are used to but at least it helped to indicate the standard required going forward. That said one big plus was the display of 17 year old Donal Hughes who hurled superbly throughout landing two excellent points under extreme pressure. Eoghan Donnelly was another one who competed effectively as did Whyte at full-back. Overall the whole Bredagh team fought hard over the sixty minutes but Armagh's superior hurling told in the end.
Next match is another tough one away to Laitroim on Tuesday 17 June. Congratulations to Bredagh's senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, on their recent announcement to expand into new premises.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson, Paddy Byrne, Ian Galway 0-3 3f, Donal Hughes 0-2, Fergal McCamphill 0-2, Eoghan Donnelly, Niall Donnelly, Alastair McAllister, Seamus McKillop, David Brady, Ultan Power, Michael Mullan, Paddy McGrenaghan, Michael Kinsella.
UHL: Shane O'Neill's 0-15 6-05 Bredagh
After great wins in the Antrim and Down leagues during the week Bredagh's senior hurlers made it a clean sweep on Saturday night with a convincing win over Shane O'Neill's, Glenarm, to maintain their unbeaten record and go top of the Ulster league.
The scoreline is usually a fair indication of what type of game it was and this one is no different, the Bredagh forwards were sharp and ruthless in front of goal while the defence was simply unbreachable on the night recording their third clean sheet in a row.
The Ormeau Road men, with a strong wind in their favour, started in whirlwind fashion with Donal Hughes hitting a brace of majors before the Glenarm men had settled. This start set the tone for the rest of the half as McAllister, Sidebottom and a long range effort from Danny Hughes took the goal tally to five before the short whistle. In between the goals, Galway converted a couple of frees while Eoghan Donnelly and Donal Hughes landed points to give Bredagh a 14 point lead at the interval 0-05 to 5-04. The Bredagh defence get credit for the gap in scores at this stage of the game as excellent defending all round kept Glenarm at bay, none more so when McMullan threw his body on the line to divert a certain goal for a '65.
Second half
While it was a good lead to start the second-half, the Ormeau gaels knew they would have a fight on their hands as they turned to face into the strengthening wind but a superb Eoghan Donnelly was the first score recorded in the second period. After that it was backs to the wall as Glenarm sought to maintain their 100% record at fortress Feystown hitting ten unanswered points to close the gap to five. However the real story during this third quarter was the bredagh defence as Heron superbly marshalled his man while Mullan and Whyte hurled like demons. The half-back line weren't bad either with Hughes holding the middle while McCollum and Kelly swept along the half-back line to clear ball after ball.
With ten minutes left and five between them, Shane O'Neill's went all out for goal and again McMullan and his cohorts held strong under severe pressure. As the game moved into the final minutes the ball broke up field and young Donal Hughes lashed the sliotar to the net to complete his hat-trick and signal the end of the match as a contest.
Summary
The whole squad are worthy of praise for their valiant efforts and it would be hard to signal out any individual but Heron and Kelly put in a mountain of work in the defence while Eoghan Donnelly and Donal Hughes were a constant threat to the Glenarm rearguard.
Manager Sean McGuinness was pleased with the performance 'I know Glenarm were short of a few key players but so were we and no matter about that there won't be too many teams who will travel to Feystown and come out of it with a win. This game was a good benchmark to measure the squad's development, Glenarm are a very good hurling side and they showed that by winning Division 2 in Antrim last year, so it's fair to say we are making good progress in the right direction'.
Next match is home to Kilclief on Tueday 27th May in the Down hurling league. Continued thanks to Bredagh's senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their ongoing support
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Michael Mullan, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes 1-0, Paul Kelly, Paddy Byrne, Ian Galway 0-2 2f, Eoghan Donnelly 0-2, Alastair McAllister 1-0, Paul Doole, Donal Hughes 3-1, Mark Sidebottom 1-0, Niall Donnelly, Gerard Connolly, Cathair Bonner, Paddy Woods, David Brady, Matthew McAfee
Bredagh hurlers march on with wins in Antrim and Down
Bredagh 1-14 St 0-08 Brigid's
Bredagh kept their 100% league points tally when they recorded a solid victory over their Malone Road neighbours and hurling newcomers, St Brigid's, in the Antrim Division 4B league.
Bredagh dominated the first half with scores from Galway, Doole and Sidebottom to take a comfortable lead of 1-08 to 0-03 at the interval. The same players along with McKillop were the main scoring threat in a much tighter second half where Bredagh took the foot of the pedal in the final quarter to allow the Malone men to close the gap but in the end it was the Ormeau Road hurlers who took the honours.
Bredagh were well-served with a solid defensive unit of Heron, Whyte and Dillon. Captain Liam McCollum put in another strong performance at centre-half while Paddy Byrne had another good game in the middle of the park. Up front Doole continued to score freely from play while Sidebottom emphasised his worth to the squad top-scoring with 1-3 from play
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark Heron, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Michael Mullan, Liam McCollum, Jack Anderson 0-1, Ian Galway 0-7 4f, Paddy Byrne, Paul Doole 0-3, Seamus McKillop 0-1, Paul Moriarty, Cathair Bonner, Alastair McAllister, Mark Sidebottom 1-3, Michael Kinsella, Mark McGinley, Ultan Power, Paddy McGrenaghan, Joe McManus, Mark Galway
Newry Shamrocks 1-09 3-07 Bredagh
Bredagh travelled to Park Esler, Newry to play the Shamrocks on Tuesday 20th May missing several key players, although the Newry lads were also missing their talisman Kieran Courtney and several other players too. The foundation of Bredagh's victory was built around outstanding individual performances in the middle third of the pitch where Liam McCollum and Jack Anderson provided excellent leadership to a youthful group of players who responded with first-class performances. The pick of the crop was Cormac Hughes, at Centre Half Forward, but he was well supported by Paul Doole, Ian Galway/Paddy Byrne, at midfield, and young Michael Mullan in the half back line
Highlights of the first half were two excellent long-range points from Paul Doole and a flicked goal from Michael Kinsella, who was playing in an unaccustomed full-forward role, impressing manager Sean McGuinness with a two goal salvo (one in each half) and linking up well with the other forwards. Cathair Bonner and Paul Morriarty were also well on top of their men in the first half, with their pace causing the Newry defence all sorts of problems. Half-time Bredagh 1-3 Newry 0-4
In the initial part of the second period Bredagh played some excellent hurling, with Paddy Byrne/Ian Galway always in the thick of things at midfield and the defence dominating their opponents with tenacious tackling and excellent pressing of the opposition. This was well typified by Herron, White and McGinley in the full-back line, who restricted the full-forward line to crumbs of possession. By the mid-way point in the second half Bredagh had built up a seven point lead, courtesy of a good point from Paul Morriarty and a number of frees from Ian Galway, but an excellent goal from Newry's full-forward McGuinness and a succession of points from softly awarded frees saw Newry reduce the deficit to 1 point with 10 minutes to play. The Bredagh lads must have been having a deja-vu feeling from 2 years previously, when they were beaten by one point at the same venue following a late Newry surge. It was tit-for tat in the closing minutes of the game, with a well taken Paddy Byrne goal opening up a 4 point gap, only for Newry to come back again to reduce Bredagh's lead to the minimum. However, history wasn't to repeat itself and an Ian Galway free was flicked to the net by Michael Kinsella to again open up a 4 point lead, which Bredagh preserved until the end despite constant pressure from Newry in the closing minutes. During this period Paul Kelly entered the fray following a lay-off due to injury and Paul's experience and that of Liam McCollum, Jack Anderson and Mark Herron, helped to steady the ship and lead Bredagh to their first victory in Division 1 of the Hurling League.
At the end a relieved Sean McGuinness stated; "That was a great result from an excellent team performance. Liam McCollum produced a real captain's performance in the half back line and was well supported by Jack Anderson, Lorenzo McMullan in goals and the entire full back line. However, the most pleasing aspect of the game for me was the performances of our "young guns" Michael White, Michael Mullan, Paddy Byrne, Ian Galway, Paul Doole, Eoghan Donnelly and especially Cormac Hughes, who was outstanding on the night at Centre Half Forward. This was a tough, physical game and each one of those lads were right up for the challenge. Paul Morriarty, Cathair Bonner and big Michael Kinsella also contributed well to in the full forward line, in what was a great overall performance. I'm really proud of the lads tonight and it was heartening to get our first win of the season in Division 1 of the hurling league and indeed our first ever win away against Newry Shamrocks."
Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael White, Mark Herron, Michael Mullan, Liam McCollum, Jack Anderson 0-1, Paddy Byrne 1.0, Ian Galway 0.4 (f), Eoghan Donnelly, Cormac Hughes, Paul Doole 0.2, Paul Morriarty 0.1, Michael Kinsella 2.0, Cathair Bonner, Ultan Power, Paul Kelly, Matthew McAffee, Gerard Connolly, Vincent McCool
Antrim HL Div 4: Larne 3-07 6-20 Bredagh
Bredagh senior hurlers powered their way to the top of the Antrim league with this convincing win on a beautiful sunny Sunday afternnoon in Larne. McKillop, McAllister, Donnelly, Galway and Doole did the damage on the scoreboard but it was a solid all-round team performance with the only sour note being a 'sleepy' defence leaking 2-03 in the last five minutes.
Bredagh were quick off the mark with four successful Galway frees and points from McAllister, Doole, Donnelly and 1-1 from McKillop all in the first quarter putting ten points between the sides and signalling the end of this match as a contest. The second quarter was much like the first with the Bredagh front men continuing to score at will as well as centre-half back Liam McCollum who sneaked up from the defence to knock over a nice point on the 19th minute. McAllister goalled just before half-time to leave the scores 1-02 to 2-13 at the interval.
Second half
Bredagh continued to dominate in the third quarter with McAllister getting his second goal just after the re-start and Byrne drilled over an excellent point from 60 metres, no doubt management will want to see more of this form in future matches. Kinsella landed a long range free shortly after but score of the game came in the 46th minute when McKillop collected a pass from Galway 40 metres from goal, rounded the centre-half and unleashed an unstoppable shot into the top right-hand corner of the net. Donnelly was leading the Larne defence a merry dance shooting 1-05 in the process as Bredagh closed out the game with another goal from McKillop to give him a personal tally of 3-01 and deservedly the man-of-the-match award.
Defensively Bredagh had an excellent 50 minutes with all six backs including Power in goal putting on a solid display and feeding intelligent ball to the forwards, notably all the half-backs made the scoresheet, however, the performance in last 10 minutes was amatuerish and something they will want to forget, it's is a timely warning of the importance of concentrating for the full game irrespective of the score.
Paddy Byrne put on another sound performance at midfield while his partner Galway was 100% accurate from frees in the first-half but will be disappointed with some missed chances in the second. Upfront Doole continues to perform at a consistently high level shooting four excellent points from play, the full forward line of Donnelly, McAllister and McKillop were particularly potent on the day with 6-07 shared between them with much of this down to the hard work of the rest of the team including Cormac White in the half-forward line who won a mountain of ball throughout the game. Mark Galway joined the fray in the second half and was unlucky on a couple of occassions not to record a score.
Panel and scorers: Ultan Power, Mark McGinley, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Michael Kinsella 0-1 1f, Liam McCollum 0-1, Jack Anderson 0-1, Paddy Byrne 0-1, Ian Galway 0-6 6f, Cormac White, Cathair Bonner, Paul Doole 0-4, Niall Donnelly 1-5, Alastair McAllister 2-1, Seamus McKillop 3-1, Mark Galway, Paddy McGrenaghan, Rory McCaughey.
ACHL Div 1: Bredagh 1-08 4-09 Ballygalget
Bredagh's heavy schedule of fixtures over the past few weeks started to show in this match as a skeleton and visibly tired squad put on a brave performance against a useful Ballygalget side closing the gap to two points on the 50th minute but that valiant effort emptied the tank and the 'Galget men ran out comfortable winners in the end and leave the South Belfast boys still looking for their first points in Down Division 1.
Doole shot an excellent point to get Bredagh off to a good start but Ballygalget had 1-03 on the board before Bredagh's next score from a Galway free. A well taken point from Power and a '65 from Doole left the scores 0-04 to 1-06 in the Ards men's favour at half-time.
A brace of points from Galway followed by a piledriver 25 metre free for a major closed the gap to two points in the third quarter but further points from Ballygalget stretched their lead and although McCamphill landed two excellent points to stem the tide, it was never going to be enough as Ballygalget rattled in a hat-trick of majors in the final 10 minutes to run out deserved winners on the night.
Defensively Bredagh played well for the first 50 minutes of this game, even after losing Hughes early on to injury they held firm but the constant pressure told near the end with a couple of soft goals. McMullan couldn't do much about the goals conceded and Mullan battled hard as did McGinley and Anderson in the half-back line. Byrne and Gilmore got their fill of it in midfield but worked tirelessly to the end. Upfront Doole and McCamphill scrapped for every ball and their four points between them were hard won. All in all the Ormeau Road men did well to stay in touch with a fresh Ballygalget side and can hold their heads high in terms of effort and determination.
Bredagh coach Colm McGuinness said at the start of the season that it would take a big squad to compete in three leagues and this is proving to be the case. Thankfully Bredagh have no Ulster match this week with their next outing away to Larne in the Antrim league this Sunday 11 May 3.00pm throw-in, players to meet in Cherryvale at 1.15pm. Continued thanks to Bredagh's senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their ongoing support.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Michael Mullan, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Mark McGinley, Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson, William Gilmore, Paddy Byrne, Ian Galway 1-3 1-2f, Fergal McCamphill 0-2, Paul Doole 0-2, David Brady, Ultan Power 0-1, Seamus McKillop, Paddy McGrenaghan, Joe McManus, Gerard Connolly, Mark Galway, Cathair Bonner.
UHL Div 3: Bredagh 2-14 2-09 Castleblaney
Bredagh maintained their unbeaten record in the Ulster Hurling League when the overcame a battling Castleblaney in a tough but enjoyable encounter at Cherryvale Playing Fields on Saturday evening. This was hurling played at a very good standard with both teams in with a chance of winning it going into the final minutes but a Danny Hughes '65 in the 56th minute and an overhead strike to the net in the 60th minute by Boyle edged it in favour of the South Belfast boys in the end.
Castleblaney started at a whirlwind pace and had notched 1-2 before Bredagh knew the whistle had sounded but the Ormeau men played themselves back into it led by star forward Paul Doole with a brace of points, an Anderson free, McCamphill with a well-taken point followed by Moriarty deflecting a long range free to the net left Bredagh trailing by the minimum at half-time 1-5 to 1-6.
Second half
The Blaney men were first on the scoreboard in the second-half but then Doole took over and hit two tremendous points in a row from 50 metres out and under severe pressure. This was the leadership Bredagh needed with Doole going on to hit six points in total, Bonner and Moriarty helped out with a brace a piece and Anderson chipped in with another long range free to edge Bredagh three in front going into the last five minutes. But the Monaghen men were far from finished and signalled their intentions with a piledriver from a 20 metre free to square the match but Bredagh's reply was almost immediate with Hughes's '65 and Boyle's delicate touch being just enough to record a deserved victory.
The quality of hurling in this match was in stark contrast to Bredagh's previous poor performance against McDermott's. McMullan and Whtye were steady at the back, Mullan at right-back put in another solid mature performance but it was left-corner back Mark Heron who caught the eye the most putting on a man-of-the-match performance in a virtuoso display that was difficult to find fault with as he broke up attack after attack with long clearances up to his half-forwards. McCollum, Hughes and Anderson formed a solid platform along the half-back line while Kelly and Byrne displayed total committment to the cause, Byrne, in particular, put down a strong marker as a first fifteen player displaying silky skills and more importantly great courage, committment and determination in winning many of the break balls.
Doole was the pick of the forwards and would have been Bredagh's top player after Heron. He got good support from Bonner, Moriarty, McCamphill and McKillop when he entered the fray. Boyle's height caused problems for Castleblaney as did Sidebottom's speed earlier on and overall this was the type of performance the Bredagh management were looking for. The trick will be the squads ability to produce this type of performance consistently and improve on it as the season progresses.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Michael Mullan, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes 0-1 '65, Jack Anderson 0-2 2f, Paul Kelly, Paddy Byrne, Donal Hughes, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Paul Doole 0-6 3f, Paul Moriarty 1-2, Mark Sidebottom, Cathair Bonner 0-2, Seamus McKillop, Paul Boyle 1-0, Mark Galway, Vincent McCool, Joe McManus.
Antrim HL Div 4: McDermott's 1-05 2-08 Bredagh
A couple of hours from the 1st May you would expect a nice summer's evening but the conditions for this match was more like a bitter-cold wet winter's night and if the truth be told neither team warmed up enough to the extent that the hurling skills in show were a poor affair, but in the end sharp-shooter, Niall Donnelly, and goals apiece for McAllister and Doole were enough for Bredagh to take maximum points and remain unbeaten in the Antrim league which is priority number one for the management team this season.
Bredagh got off to a good start with points from Anderson, Donnelly and Moriarty but a goal at the other end saw the sides level before Bredagh's Donnelly put the minimum betweem them. The same player released McAllister on the 25th minute and he made no mistake from close range to leave the scores 1-0 to 1-04 in Bredagh's favour at half-time.
Second half
The South Belfast boys were more like their old-self in the second-half and forged ahead through pointed efforts from McCamphill, McAllister and Donnelly, on the 45th minute a McKillop shot was well saved but Doole pounced on the loose ball for a major that secured a Bredagh victory. McDermott's tagged on a few points near the end but it was of little import as the Bredagh boys waited impatiently for the final whistle and the opportunity to find a bit of warmth indoors
Summary
In defence Heron, Mullan and McGinley gave little away. Anderson cleared a lot of ball but was quieter than usual from a scoring perspective while at midfield Gilmore and, in particular Kelly in the second-half, controlled this sector. Niall Donnelly was the pick of the forwards and if he continues on this form he will be a shoe-in for young player of the year come the end of the season.
Next match Saturday 3 May UHL home v Castleblaney 6.30pm throw-in. Players meet @ 5.30. Continued thanks to Bredagh's senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their continued support.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Michael Mullan, Mark McGinley, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson 0-1, Paul Doole 1-0, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Paul Moriarty 0-1, Gerard Connolly, Alastair McAllister 1-1, Niall Donnelly 0-4, William Gilmore, Seamus McKillop, David Brady, Mark Sidebottom
ACHL Div 1: Bredagh 1-12 3-17 Ballycran
Bredagh hurlers suffered their second defeat in a row in their inaugural season in Down Division One. But the management team of Sean and Colm McGuinness were actually very pleased with the performance. Sean says "Our goal this year is to gain promotion in the Antrim league, we are currently competing in three leagues, including Ulster, with three matches every week, we have a big squad so we are rotating the players to ensure we have fresh legs going into the McDermott's match which is in the Antrim league tomorrow night."
"A lot of the boys who played tonight were getting their first full outing of the season and I thought they were excellent against Ballycran's second string who happened to be fielding a couple of the current Down senior panel."
Bredagh playing against the breeze were first of the mark when Boyle won a free close-in that Anderson duly tapped over. For the rest of the first quarter Ballycran were in rampant mood scoring 3-06 with Michael O'Prey being their main contributor. However, after Dillon retired with a nasty cut the South Belfast boys started to settle into their game and Boyle outfielded Dinger Bell and lashed the sliotar to the net to give Bredagh some hope. Doole, who was having a stormer, landed a free from an acute angle and Anderson tagged on a couple of long range efforts before McCollum and Bonner minors left the scores 1-05 to 3-10 in Ballycran's favour at half-time.
An eleven point gap was going to be tough to close but there was a fresh belief and determination in the Bredagh play in the third quarter as Doole, Anderson, Boyle and McKillop shot points to match Ballycran score for score in this period and as the game entered the final minutes Ballycran steadied the ship to land a hat-trick of points and run out easy winners on the night.
Power had a good game in the Bredagh goal and apart from the first quarter he got good protection from Brady, McManus, McGrenaghan and especially Whyte who had one of his best games so far this season. Young Michael Mullan was a rock in the centre of the defence well supported by Connolly and Dillon with White and McGinley putting in a mountain of work at midfield. Up front all the forwards fought hard with limited ball with Doole, who also may have a future as an ace marksman, Anderson and Boyle are worth mentioning for their contribution up front. It was also good to see the return of McKillop who's experience will prove valuable as the season progresses.
Next match is Weds 30 April in the AHL D4B v McDermott's @ Boucher Road Playing fields with a 7pm throw-in. Continued thanks to Bredagh's senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their ongoing support.
Panel and scorers: Ultan Power, Joe McManus, Michael Whyte, David Brady, Gerard Connolly, Michael Mullan, Charlie Dillon, Cormac White, Mark McGinley, Paul Doole 0--3 3f, Jack Anderson 0-5 4f, Mark Sidebottom, Vincent McCool, Paul Boyle 1-1, Liam McCollum 0-1, Cathair Bonner 0-1, Seamus McKillop 0-1, Paddy McGrenaghan.
Antrim ACHL Div 4B: Bredagh 1-17 0-08 Creggan
Bredagh's senior hurlers got their Antrim League campaign off to a great start with a convincing win over Creggan on Saturday afternoon at Cherryvale. While the 12-point margin at the end would suggest a stroll in the park, this game was far from it with only a couple of pucks of the ball in it for a long time and it was only in the final quarter that the Bredagh mentors with victory in sight could breathe easily.
A hat-trick of points from Niall Donnelly settled Bredagh down before McAllister brilliantly doubled overhead for the only goal of the game. Creggan replied with a brace but points from Donal Hughes, Donnelly, McAllister and McCamphill stretched Bredagh's lead to eight.
Creggan were far from being a pushover and they started to show their form in the second quarter rattling over three unanswered points to leave the score 1-8 to 0-05 in Bredagh's favour at the short whistle.
The first ten minutes of the second-half was a lively affair with Creggan determined to put up a strong challenge to get back into the game scoring two points without reply to trail by four. Bredagh sensing the danger upped their game moving into the final quarter, Donal Hughes matched Donnelly's hat-trick in the first half with three text book scores that would have graced any match, McAllister also made a telling contribution during this period with a brace of points but the finale was an 80 metre point from Bredagh's talisman Danny Hughes in the 49th minute.
That score knocked the stuffing out of Creggan and the South Belfast men closed out the game with further scores from Bonner, Moriarty and Donnelly to ease past the post with a bit to spare.
In many ways this was a contrasting game to Bredagh's match against Ballela earlier in the week, Bredagh played a better brand of hurling against Ballela but lost leaking four goals, on Saturday they seemed a lot more casual as if they didn't need to exert themselves too much to muster a victory, tellingly the back four were much tighter evidenced by a clean sheet at the final whistle. McMullan hadn't too much to do but what he did he did well. likewise the introduction of Mullan at corner-back made things more solid. Captain Liam McCollum was relatively quiet for the second match running with a needling back injury not helping matters. Hughes at centre-back got his fill of it from a very strong and skillful Creggan centre-forward but eventually Hughes wore him down and stamped his authority in the middle-third especially in the second-half. Kelly and Bonner worked tirelessly in midfield.
Upfront the right-side of the attack was sizzling with Down minors, Donal Hughes and Niall Donnelly sharing nine point between them, with some of their inter-play a joy to watch. On the other wing Doole battled hard winning dirty ball and taking a nice score to boot, he was assisted by Moriarty whose pace caused problems for the Creggan defence. Down the middle McCamphill did his bit while McAllister was a vast improvement on his Ballela performance top-scoring with 1-3. It would be hard to pick a man-of-the-match but the fact that minors Donnelly and Hughes spent the early part of the afternoon in a sapping Down training session with Richie Power and then turned on a great display for the club's seniors would give the pair the nod over anyone else. Obviously the Kilkenny craft has rubbed off on both of them, long may it continue!
It may sound harsh having won easily but overall the team would be lucky to score 5 out of 10 for this performance. There were too many times where four or five Bredagh players were standing back waiting for someone else to do the work or show leadership, it was good enough to beat Creggan on the day but rest assured it won't be good enough to beat the majority of teams they will meet this season.
Next match is home to Laitroim in the Down ACHL Division 1 on Tuesday 29 April @ 7pm. Players to meet at 6.15. Continued thanks to Bredagh's senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their ongoing support.
Panel and scorers: Loenzo McMullan, Michael Mullan, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes 0-1, Jack Anderson, Paul kelly, Cathair Bonner 0-1, Donal Hughes 0-4, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Paul Doole 0-1, Niall Donnelly 0-5 1f, Alastair McAllister 1-3 1f, Paul Moriarty 0-1, Michael Kinsella, Gerard Connolly, Michael McKervey, Seamus McKillop, Cormac White, Paul Boyle, Ultan Power, Joe McManus, Vincent McCool, David Brady, Paddy Byrne, Mark Galway
ACHL Div 1: Ballela 4-12 2-14 Bredagh
Down Hurling League - Division 1
The old adage that 'goals win matches' unfortunately held true for the newly promoted Bredagh hurlers in their first ever outing in the Down Division 1 Hurling League. Four soft goals against, two in the first two minutes and two in the last two minutes took the polish of a decent all-round Bredagh display that looked until the dying minutes to be a hard fought victory but ended up in recriminations for a back four who have traditionally been the backbone of Bredagh victories in the past.
However it was the whole team effort that was fit to match Ballela in ability and athleticism but fell somewhat short in showing the hunger, determination and commitment to win 'dirty' ball along with the killer instinct necessary to carve out wins at this higher standard of hurling.
The South Belfast hurlers had an awful start against a strong wind gifting Ballela two majors within the first five minutes. In between these scores Bredagh's corner forwards, Doole and Bonner, hit excellent points to keep Bredagh in touch. Donnelly, Anderson (2), and Gilmore (2) all landed minors to help close the gap. Gilmore in particular was revelling in his new half-forward position ending up with a hat-trick of points on the night. However, while the Bredagh forwards were on song so were the Ballela boys with Dan and Johnny McCusker shooting 1-6 between them in the first-half. This was despite Danny Hughes dominating the half-back line showing his form of old with some superb fielding and clearances. As the game neared the half-time whistle, Bredagh trailed by 0-5 but a late scrambled goal by Eoghan Donnelly left just two between them and all to play for.
Second half
The second half was just as tight as the first, the game swayed from end to end and the scoring was fairly even in the third quarter with Anderson (2), Gilmore, Doole and Cormac Hughes knocking over the points for Bredagh to level up the match. Unfortunately, as the game entered the final quarter, Donnelly received a straight red which upset Bredagh's rhythm with Ballela taking advantage to forge 3 points ahead. On the 57th minute Bredagh were thrown a lifeline when the sliotar broke to Bonner and he shook the net from close range to level the game. The same player shot an exquisite point from an impossible angle a minute later to push Bredagh ahead but then came those two crazy goals at the end to kill of any hopes of a first Bredagh victory in the Down premier league.
Summary
This match was a fine hurling spectacle for the nuetral with both teams playing a good standard of hurling and certainly a cut above Bredagh's previous experience in Division 2. Bredagh played a nice mix of ground hurling and accurate passing up the wings and although they went behind they were playing by far the more effective hurling, however, with wind advantage in the second half they seemed to abandon this winning formula especially in the last quarter where they resorted to high ball into their forwards which played into the hands of Ballela's strong central spine.
Bredagh's keeper McMullan along with a number of the defenders will want to forget this match as quickly as possible, the mistakes were basic and will be and were punished at this level, that said McGinley had a sound game especially in the second-half while it was good to see Danny Hughes back to his old dominant self in the centre back berth. Paddy Byrne also showed well in the half-back line when coming on as a replacement for Heron. Midfielders Cormac Hughes and Kelly worked hard throughout with the latter showing improvements match by match. Anderson, Doole, Bonner and Gilmore all had fine performances, scoring 2-14 would win most matches as tight as this, so their efforts can't be faulted. Bonner always had the beating of his man but probably wasn't fed enough good quality ball especially in the second-half, while Gilmore just pipped Hughes for the man-of-the-match award for his overall performance during the hour.
Next Match is in the Antrim Hurling League home v Creggan on Saturday 26 April, 4pm throw-in. Players meet at 3.15. Continued thanks to Bredagh's senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their ongoing support.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Charlie Dillon, Paul Kelly, Cormac Hughes 0-1, Eoghan Donnelly 1-1, Jack Anderson 0-5 1f, William Gilmore 0-3, Paul Doole 0-2, Alastair McAllister, Cathair Bonner 1-2, Paddy Byrne, Ultan Power, Mark Galway, David Brady, Vincent McCool.
Ulster League Div 3: St Enda's 2-05 0-11 Bredagh
A Niall Donnelly point four minutes from time earned Bredagh senior hurlers a well deserved draw in their first outing of the Ulster League but if the truth be told the Glengormley men left the pitch the happier of the two teams netting twice in the final ten minutes to go a point ahead before Donnelly's equaliser.
The first half was a pretty even affair with both defences on top, Enda's opened the scoring before Galway equalised with a close-in free, the same player added another from play with the Saints equalising again almost immediately. Bredagh were starting to get on top and Kelly landed a lovely point over his shoulder and this was followed by an excellent Donal Hughes point from an acute angle. Another Galway free was matched by St Enda's to leave the score 0-3 to 0-5 in Bredagh's favour at half-time.
Second half
The second-half was just as tight as the first with two Galway frees being equalled by a brace of points from the opposition. Galway took his tally to six on the night with another well-taken point. The difference in this period was Bredagh were getting their scores while St Enda's were guilty of a number of bad wides. All looked well for the South Belfast gaels when a St Enda's player was rightly sent to the line but the extra man had no positive effect on Bredagh as St Enda's lifted their game and ex-Antrim star Philly Curran hit the net from close range to close the gap to one. McCamphill pointed to stretch Bredagh's lead to two before disaster struck again as Curran hit another major to give the Glensmen a one point lead with five minutes remaining. Then came Donnelly's equalising point and as the clock ticked down both sides had the chance to win the match but neither did settling for a share of the spoils instead.
Summary
This was Bredagh's toughest test so far this season and they stood up well to the physical challenge put up against them, the players know they can play better and as coach Colm McGuinness commented after the game "St Enda's will always be a tough nut to crack in their own back yard and so it proved tonight, on reflection our young team stood up to them well and with a bit more luck could have stolen all the points but it was a good tough match and it's the sort of pre-season games we need to bring us on"
Overall Bredagh were steady as opposed to being at their best, the defensive unit played well except for the late slip-up, Anderson showed best at the back while McCollum was the pick of the half-backs, both Cormac Hughes and Ian Galway played their part in midfield as did Donal Hughes in the half-forward line. The Donnelly brothers, Eoghan and Niall, had unusually quiet games and the whole forward unit were well shackled, six points from play just isn't good enough to win a match but some credit must go to a tight Glengormley defence.
Bredagh's next Ulster league match is this Saturday v Eoghan Roes, Coleraine, 6.30pm throw-in @ Cherryvale. All support welcome. Many thanks to our senior hurling sponsor, NIAVAC, for their ongoing support.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael Whyte, Jack Anderson, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Michael Kinsella, Ian Galway 0-6 5f, Cormac Hughes, Donal Hughes 0-1, Paul Kelly 0-1, Eoghan Donnelly, Niall Donnelly 0-1, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Cathair Bonner, Michael Mullan, Ultan Power, Mark Galway, Paul Doole, Paddy Byrne, David Brady, Paddy McGrenaghan, Charlie Dillon, Mark Heron, Paddy Woods, Gerard Connolly, Mark Devlin, Cormac Whyte.
Ballygalget match photographs
Challenge match: Bredagh 3-20 0-06 Ballygalget
The South Belfast hurlers had this match pretty much wrapped up at half-time racking up 1-16 to 0-02 in an impressive first 30 minute display.
The Donnelly brothers, Eoghan and Niall were in devastating form scoring 1-6 between them, their performance was mirrored by the Hughes brothers who put in a mountain of work and chipped in with a couple of points between them, and old hands McAlastair and McCamphill were not to be overshadowed sharing a tally of 1-7. Bredagh did most of their scoring in the first half with their team play and accuracy a joy to watch. All 25 of the panel got a run out during the game as the McGuinness's decide on their starting fifteen come Saturday in their first outing in the Ulster league at home to Tir na nog, Randalstown.
While the forwards showed their shooting skills with all of the starting six and both midfielders getting on the scoresheet including a well-taken brace from Bonner as well as a point a piece from subs Moriarty and McKervey, the defence were equally sound with goalkeeper McMullan and his second-half replacement Power, both keeping majors of the scorecard. The half-back line of Kinsella, Danny Hughes and McCollum is a formidable one with McCollum in particular putting on a man-of-the-match display edging out Eoghan Donnelly for this honour. Behind them Anderson, Whyte and McGinley didn't give much away.
Overall what was most pleasing is the progress that's being made by the younger players with their contribution increasing on every match they play.
This was a good confidence booster ahead of next week's Ulster league match. Coach Colm McGuinness was pleased with the display, particularly the first-half but reminded his players that it was a weak Ballygalget side and they won't get the same latitude against Tir na Nog next Saturday who are an Antrim Division two outfit.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Jack Anderson, Michael Whyte, Mark McGinley, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Michael Kinsella, Cormac Hughes 0-1, Ian Galway 0-1 1f, Donal Hughes 0-1, Fergal McCamphill 0-4, Eoghan Donnelly 1-3, Niall Donnelly 0-3, Ali McAlastair 1-3, Cathair Bonner 0-2, Paul Moriarty 0-1, Micky Mckervey 0-1, Michael Mullan, Paul Doole, Matthew McAfee, David Brady, Ultan Power, Mark Galway, Paul Kelly, Joe McManus.
Challenge match: Bredagh 3-06 2-02 St Agnes's
This turned out to be a good work out for the Bredagh hurling squad in what was a low-scoring affair in windy conditions at Cherryvale.
The Aggies were first on the scoreboard with a wind-assisted '65. Eoghan Donnelly equalised with the first of his two successful frees in the first half but in between those frees Donal Hughes shot a major and McCamphill a point to give the Ormeau Road men a 1-3 0-2 lead at half-time.
Second half
With the wind advantage in the second period, Ian Galway recorded the first 2 points, the second from a 45 metre free. On the 40th minute a 90 metre Kinsella free came off the Aggie's keeper's stick to nestle in the corner of the net and from the puck out a 30 metre strike from Donal Hughes also found the net to pretty much wrap up the match for Bredagh. Manager Sean McGuinness took the opportunity to use all the subs and while the maroon and whites continued to be strong in defence, the scores up front peetered out. St Agnes's took some hope from this finding the net twice to close the gap before William Gilmore sealed the victory with a well-taken point, his first in a Bredagh shirt.
Summary
On a positive note, McGuinness got to see 24 players in action with new boys Kinsella and Kelly both putting on impressive displays. McMullan was his usual superb self in goals and would have recorded another clean sheet only for some poor defending. Whyte, McGinley, McCollum, Mullan and Gilmore all showed well in defence as did Woods when entering the fray in the second half. Kelly and Hughes made a good partnership in midfield while upfront it was good to see McCamphill and Ian Galway back in action with Eoghan Donnelly and Donal Hughes a constant threat in this sector.
All in all things are shaping well for the senior hurlers ahead of their first Ulster League clash against Tir Na Nog at Cherryvale @ 6.30pm on Saturday 5th April.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, David Brady, Michael Whyte, Mark McGinley, Michael Kinsella, Liam McCollum, William Gilmore 0-1, Cormac Hughes, Paul Kelly, Donal Hughes 2-0, Ali McAllister, Eoghan Donnelly 0-2 (2f), Ian Galway 0-2 (1f), Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Cathair Bonner, Mark Devlin, Michael Mullan, Paddy Woods, Niall Donnelly, Mark Galway, Ultan Power, Michael McKervey, Cormac White, Michael Guerin.
Betsy Gray Sheild: Bredagh 4-12 1-05 Kilclief
Bredagh hurlers bounced back from last week's defeat to Laitroim with a convincing victory over Kilclief to qualify for a semi-final spot in the Betsy Gray Shield. Playing with wind advantage Bredagh's Eoghan Donnelly registered a brace of points in the first few minutes but his younger brother, Niall, went one better with a brace of goals to give Bredagh the best start possible. In between Donnelly's goals, Bonner lashed in 1-1 from his new top of the left position. Kilclief snatched a goal from a sideline cut that squeezed inside McMullan's post to leave the score at the end of the first quarter 3-3 to 1-0.
Bredagh continued to dominate the first half with captain Liam McCollum commanding the half-back line and chipping in with a point from long range. He was well supported by Charlie Dillon at left-half and Ali McAlastair at centre-half forward who controlled that area of the pitch landing two points, one direct from a '65. Eoghan Donnelly who was a constant threat to the Kilclief defence finished the half with another brace of points to leave the score at the break 3-8 to 1-1.
Second half
As expected Kilclief came out fighting in the second half landing three unanswered points in what looked like a potential comeback. But their efforts fizzled out as Niall Donnelly struck the point of the day, killing a well driven pass from Cormac Hughes on his stick, he caught and struck first-time over the bar from an acute angle on the right. This was followed by another great score from Bonner as he rounded his man and carried the ball into close range before striking over the bar. As the game entered the final ten minutes Kilclief went all out for goals but resolute defending from Whyte, Woods, Devlin and Mullan gave them little hope of breaching the Bredagh goal. Donal Hughes nailed the coffin down with a brace of great points near the end before the killer instincts of Niall Donnelly roofed the net to complete his hat-trick of majors clearly making him the topscorer on the day and no doubt bragging rights over his older brother Eoghan.
Summary
Unlike last week when it was difficult to pick a man-of-the-match, Bredagh had a range of star performers from Liam McCollum and Charlie Dillon in the defence, Bailey and Cormac Hughes controlled midfield while the Donnelly brothers who scored 3-5 between them and Ali McAlastair along with Donal Hughes always posed a threat upfront. The Bredagh minors of Cormac and Donal Hughes, Niall Donnelly, Michael Mullan, Matthew McAfee and Paddy Woods, all who represented Down in a convincing win over Armagh the day before, proved their credentials for a starting position on the senior side. Bonner, contributing 1-2, had probably one of his best games in a Bredagh shirt. Power, Brady, Galway and Guerin all came on to good effect.
Manager Sean McGuinness was pleased with the win "I thought the younger lads were smashing and they were given good leadership by the senior players on the team, overall there was plenty of positive points to build on but it's important we don't get carried away, we need to remember Kilclief were relatively weak missing all their key county players".
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark Devlin, Michael Whyte, Paddy Woods, Michael Mullan, Liam McCollum 0-1, Charlie Dillon, Cormac Hughes, Leon Bailey, Donal Hughes 0-2, Ali McAlastair 0-2 1 65, Eoghan Donnelly 0-4 2f, Cathair Bonner, Michael McKervey, Niall Donnelly 3-1, Ultan Power, Matthew McAfee, Mark Galway, David Brady, Michael Guerin, Kevin Duffin
Betsy Gray quater-final
Bredagh 3-07 Liatroim 3-10
There was just a puck of the sliotar in this game but in reality, in Bredagh's first outing of the season, they were out-fought, out-hustled and out-played by a stronger more cohesive Liatroim outfit who showed why they made it to the 2007 Ulster Intermediate championship final.
It was a nip and tuck affair in the first quarter with both teams exchanging two points apiece with the Bredagh points coming from an Anderson free and a well-taken solo effort from Eoghan Donnelly. Bredagh edged ahead on the 14th minute when Doole pounced on a loose ball and first-timed it to the net. The second quarter was all liatroim as they knocked over two easy frees before a mix-up in the Bredagh defence gifted a goal on the stroke of half-time to leave the scores 1-5 1-2 in Liatroim's favour at the interval.
Second half
Bredagh started well in the second period with two well-taken points from Doole and Niall Donnelly who was introduced at half-time. Young Donnelly was posing problems for Liatroim and in the 36th minute he found McAllister who goalled from close range to edge Bredagh two in front. Danny Hughes was forced to retire and this unsettled the Bredagh defence who conceded another goal to go one behind.
As the game entered the final ten minutes Anderson struck a long-range point before Moriarty finished to the net after good work from Niall Donnelly to put Bredagh back in front. Liatroim were now finding a lot of space in their forward line and almost immediately replied with a goal of their own to leave the score 3-8 3-7 in their favour.
As the clock ticked down Bredagh went all out for goals with Niall Donnelly again going close from a free but Liatroim held strong and closed out the game with two further points to finish deserving winners on the day.
Summary
"Just not good enough" was coach Colm McGuinness's assessment after the game and that would be fair comment. The Ormeau Road men never really got going in this game and although they could have won the game that would have been very unfair on Liatroim who were the better team throughout. Liatroim's ability to control the middle-third and close down Bredagh in numbers was a telling factor.
There was no real man-of-the-match displays from any of the Bredagh squad, that said McMullan in goals did nothing wrong and kept Bredagh in the game with a couple of fine saves in the closing stages. Bredagh's defence generally was too slow for a sharp Liatroim attack, the visitors controlled midfield and broke out of their own defence too easily for Bredagh's liking.
Bredagh had a youthful front six with minors McAfee, Donal Hughes and Niall Donnelly starting at senior level for the first time along with Doole, Cormac Hughes and Eoghan Donnelly, all of whom equipped themselves well especially Niall Donnelly who was the pick of them when introduced at half-time. Bredagh having won the Down Division 2 league and JHC last year now need to realise they're operating at a higher level and they will have to make a considerable improvement on this performance if their going to win any honours in 2008.
Bredagh were missing a number of senior players but that was no excuse as Liatroim were also missing quite a few. This defeat consigns Bredagh into the Betsy Gray Shield where they take on Kilclief in the semi-final at 2pm on Sunday 2 March in Cherryvale.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Michael McKervey, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Mark McGinley, Leon Bailey, Cathair Bonner, Cormac Hughes, Jack Anderson 0-3 2f, Eoghan Donnelly 0-2 1f, Paul Moriarty 1-0, Matthew McAfee, Paul Doole 1-1, Ali McAllister 1-0, Niall Donnelly 0-1, Mark Heron, Donal Hughes, Ultan Power, Michael McGuerin, David Brady, Paddy Woods, Paddy Mcgrenaghan, Kevin Duffin, Mark Galway, Mark Devlin.
Ultan makes Inter-County debut!
Bredagh forward and u12 coach Ultan Power made his Inter County debut on Saturday 3rd November at the age of 46. Ultan lined out for the Antrim over 40s in a challenge game againt BT. The match ended in a draw and big Ultan aquainted himself well.
Waterford man Ultan is now waiting for a call from Justin McCarthy.
Action from the Ulster JHC semi final v Setanta
Ulster JHC S/F Replay: Setanta 0-12 1-05 Bredagh
Bredagh hurlers miss out on Ulster final
Bredagh were 6 points down in the 35th minute but scored 1-3 without reply to level the match going into the final quarter and with wind advantage they looked like going through to an Ulster final but it wasn't to be, they had nothing more to give as the Donegal champions added 4 points in the final 10 minutes to seal a well deserved victory on the day.
The opening quarter was a battle-rousing affair as Setanta, with a strong wind advantage threw everything at the Bredagh defence but McMullan and co held their opponents evens at 0-2 apiece, Bredagh scoring through a Galway free and a point from full-forward Alastair McAllister. Donegal's Cullen was the main threat scoring three frees and one from play to give Setanta a 0-4 to 0-2 lead after 30 minutes but 3 excellent Donegal points in added time of the first-half saw them take a undeserved 5 point advantage into the changing room.
Second Half
Setanta got the first point of the second-half but then Bredagh had their purple patch with Donnelly rattling the corner of the net which lifted the Bredagh support who cheered all the louder when Galway added another free, McLoughney landed another point under pressure before Cormac Hughes burst through the Donegal defence to shoot the equalising point. With 15 minutes remaining and the wind and rain in Bredagh's favour it looked like the South Belfast men were on their way but the rain stopped, the wind dropped and Setanta lifted their game with Cullen and Anthony McDaid dominating at half-back and midfield they managed 4 points in the final 10 minutes to run out deserved winners.
Bredagh were well served in the defensive quarter with McMullan keeping another clean sheet while his minders, McGinley, Whyte and Heron put their bodies on the line to repel the Donegal attack time and again. Captain Liam McCollum hurled his heart out at centre-half, well supported by Anderson and Gilmore, who was having an excellent game but had to retire injured in the 20th minute which didn't help Bredagh's cause.
McCaughey, Galway and Bonner when introduced battled hard against a very strong Setanta midfield while Hughes, McKillop and McCamphill gave their all against a well-drilled half-back line. Upfront Donnelly always threatened and his goal was instrumental in bringing Bredagh back into the game, McAllister and McLoughney did their best as did Sidebottom, Moriarty and Connolly when introduced to try and stem Donegal in the final minutes.
The Bredagh players and management were extremely disappointed in not making the Ulster final. Coach Ciaran Donnelly thought at one stage that they had done enough "it looked when we drew level that it was there for the taking but fair play to Setanta they finished the stronger and our challenge faded away". Mentor Rory Galway was full of praise for his players "they gave everything out there, the reality is the just ran out of steam against a very strong Donegal side, I couldn't have asked for more effort".
Bredagh chairman Paul Blaney while bitterly disappointed at seeing his club fail at the penultimate stage of their Ulster challenge for the second year running (the footballers exited at the same stage last year) was philosophical "Look, the senior hurling side of the club is 3 years old, they've completed their county double this year with the Down championship and league title - two out of three ain't bad! It's been a long season for them 30 plus games, 100 plus training sessions, god knows how many injuries they had to endure but they were there to the very end, battling like true Bredagh gaels, the club is proud of their achievements, they are a credit to South Belfast, each and everyone of them. Believe me this is only the start, these boys will be back next year bigger and stronger. We had 20 boys representing Down at various hurling levels this year, this will bring them on no end and that puts into perspective the hurling team's success this year, they've laid a solid foundation for others to follow so watch out next year!"
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael Whyte, Mark Heron, Jack Anderson, Liam McCollum, William Gilmore, Ian Galway 0-2f, Rory McCaughey, Fergal McCamphill, Seamus McKillop, Cormac Hughes 0-1, Seamus McLoughney 0-1, Alastair McAllister 0-1, Eoghan Donnelly 1-0, Charlie Dillon, Cathair Bonnar, Mark Sidebottom, Brian Connolly, Colin O'Neill, David Brady, Matthew McAfee, Ultan Power, Paul Moriarty, Mark Galway, Michael Mullan.
Ulster JHC Semi Final: Setanta (Donegal) 2-06 0-12 Bredagh
Brilliant comeback from Bredagh hurlers!
In a pulsating and nail-biting finish to the Ulster JHC semi-final Bredagh's ace marksman Ian Galway split the posts in the final minute to earn the South Belfast gaels a well-deserved draw and another bite at the cherry at the same venue, Maghera, next Sunday with an earlier throw-in time of 2.30pm.
There was never more than two points between the sides in this tightly fought contest with Setanta having the edge in the opening exchanges to lead by a point at half-time. Bredagh were the stronger side in the second-half edgeing a point ahead in the 50th minute. A Setanta goal in the 55th minute looked like taking them into the final but a glorious McCamphill point from out on the right together with a Galway '65 earned Bredagh a second chance. Indeed McAllister with the last puck of the ball saw his shot from an acute angle out on the left drift a yard wide otherwise Bredagh would have been relishing an Ulster final spot against Antrim champions, Armoy.
Setanta started the brighter pointing through Campbell (free) and Callaghan. Galway and Campbell shared frees as Bredagh started to find their feet with McAllister, Galway and McLoughney adding points without reply to edge the Ormeau road men into a one-point lead. However Setanta restored their lead when Browne fired to the net from close range. Bredagh's Cormac Hughes had the final say of the half to leave the scores 1-03 to 0-05 at half-time. Bredagh could count themselves lucky to be only a point behind as McMullan pulled off two point-blank saves to keep them in the contest.
Second half
Setanta's Campbell pointed from the throw-in but Donnelly made a quick reply for Bredagh. Another Setanta point from Callaghan extended their lead before Bredagh's half-back line of Anderson, McCollum and McCaughey started to take the game by the scruff of the neck winning all the possession and resultant frees that were punished by Galway to push Bredagh into the slimmest of leads.
Setanta struck back in the 55th minute when Lafferty scrambled the ball to the Bredagh net to give the Donegal side a two-point advantage. Shortly after Campbell bore down on goal to seal the match for Setanta but McMullan pulled off an unbelievable save to keep Bredagh's hopes alive. This was when Bredagh's battling qualities came to the fore with McKillop and McCamphill winning possession to keep the Donegal defence under pressure. A superb Anderson line-ball came off the upright and McLoughney spooned it towards the roof of the net but Setanta's minder, Scanlon, managed to somehow tip it over the bar. As the clock ran down Bredagh won a free on the 50 yard line and Galway, who was shaky in the starting period, showed ice-cool composure as he did during all the second-half to fire over the equalising point and earn Bredagh another crack at the Donegal champions.
Summary
Bredagh's full-back line had their fill of it against a dangerous Setanta inside line but as the game wore on McGinley, Whyte and Dillon got on top of their men but had a man-of-the-match performance from keeper McMullan to thank for keeping the South Belfast gaels in the game. Anderson at right-half back was Bredagh's best outfield player and he was well supported in his line by McCollum and McCaughey especially in the second-half. Galway and Gilmore were up against it against a strong Donegal midfield pairing although Bonner came on to good effect in the final quarter to snuff out Donegal's main threat, Danny Cullen, who started at corner-forward for Ulster the night before in their Railway Cup clash with Connaught.
Up front, Bredagh were well marshalled early on but as the game wore on they had the better of the exchanges with wing men Donnelly and Hughes foraging well for break-ball while Mccamphill and McKillop were always in the thick of it. McAllister in his new full-forward role was always on top of his man and you would feel if he could see more ball in and around the house he could do more damage. McLoughney was well shackled but still managed two points from play although he didn't find his customary major which bodes well for the replay.
Coach Rory Galway was pleased with the fighting spirit displayed by his team "I was confident about winning this game but I would be even more confident about winning the replay as I know, and the players have said to me, there is more in us, let's hope we can get it out of them next Sunday". Fellow coach, Ciaran Donnelly, always had a worry about competing effectively in the middle-third "we did compete here and as the game wore on we were getting more and more on top, if we can repeat that performance next Sunday and get our inside line firing on all cylinders we would be hopeful of making the Ulster final"
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Jack Anderson Liam McCollum, Rory McCaughey, Ian Galway 0-6 4f 1 '65, William Gilmore, Eoghan Donnelly 0-1, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Cormac Hughes 0-1, Seamus McLoughney 0-2, Ali McAllister 0-1, Seamus McKillop, Mark Sidebottom, Cathair Bonner, Brian Connolly, Colin O'Neill, David Brady, Matthew McAfee, Ultan Power, Michael Mullan, Paul Moriarty, Mark galway, Vincent mcCool.
Ulster JHC Q/F: Mullahoran (Cavan) 0-07 2-10 Bredagh (Down)
Bredagh eased themselves into an Ulster JHC semi-final spot when they ran out convincing winners over Mullahoran at Kingscourt, Cavan on Sunday. The south Belfast gaels started this game in a blistering pace rattling over 0-3 through Doole, McCamphill and a sweet Donnelly point before the Cavan champions had time to settle. Mullahoran replied with a pointed free from Anthony Sheridan but when the Cavan netminder, Darren Sheridan, spilled a longe-range effort from Bredagh's Anderson, McKillop was quickest to react notching the first of his two majors on the day. Bredagh had shown enough hurling superiorty in the opening quarter to signal an eventual victory but Mullahoran weren't giving up without a fight as Paul and Anthony Sheridan added further points to close the gap to three before an Ian Galway '65 and a close-in pointed free from the same player left five in it at half-time 1-05 to 0-03
Second half
Mullahoran started the second-half in determined mood with Brady and Dalton firing over minors to leave only a puck in it. Galway replied with a long range free but the turning point came in the 40th minute when Galway's delivery into the large square was palmed to the net by full-forward McKillop. This score drove Bredagh on as Donnelly, McCamphill and McLoughney tagged on further points to close out the game. In the final minutes Mullahoran concentrated on majors but the Bredagh defence led by man-of-the-match Danny Hughes together with keeper McMullan and full-back Whyte held out to return a clean sheet on the day.
This was a major improvement on Bredagh's last outing when they were lucky to squeeze past Portadown, the defence was back to it's brilliant best with the return of Hughes and Dillon from injury, McMullan was faultless as usual in goal and was well protected by Whyte and Heron at the back. Bredagh's strongest line was at half-back led by Hughes with excellent support from captain, Liam McCollum and Ali McAllister. Cormac Hughes and McGinley replaced Heron and Dillon at half-time both putting on sterling performances especially from Hughes who will no doubt give management a headache when selecting the starting line-up come the semi-final.
At midfield Galway was as accurate as ever from the placed ball with his partner Gilmore covering every blade of grass as usual. The half-forward line of Donnelly, McCamphill and Anderson played well scoring 0-4 between them with Anderson unlucky not to have registered a major as he saw his pile-driver come back off the bar. The inside line of McLoughney, McKillop and Doole all made the scoresheet but it would be fair to say the trio were not firing on all cylinders but hopefully they can cut loose when it matters in the semi-final. In the final quarter subs McCaughey, Bonnar and McAfee all came on to good effect.
Coach Rory Galway saw an improvement on the previous week but said "our performance today was just ok, we are still making too many elementary mistakes and taking the wrong options, we will need another big improvement if we are going to stay with Setanta who beat us out of sight in an Ulster league match at the start of the season -the extra week gives us a chance to hone our stickwork which we should benefit from".
The Ulster semi-final against Setanta (Donegal) that was scheduled for next Sunday the 14th has been postponed to the 21st October due to some of the Setanta's players involvement on the Ireland shinty team. The prize for the winners will be a run out on Ulster finals day at Casement Park against the winners of Armoy (Antrim) and Naomh Colmcille (Tyrone).
Panel and Scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark Heron, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Liam McCollum (capt), Danny Hughes, Alistair McAllister, Ian Galway0-4, 3f, 1 '65, William Gilmore, Eoghan Donnelly 0-2, Fergal McCamphill 0-2, Jack Anderson, Seamus McLoughney 0-1, Seamus McKillop 2-0, Paul Doole 0-1, Cormac Hughes, Mark McGinley, Rory McCaughey, Cathair Bonnar, Matthew McAfee, Mark Sidebottom, Brian Connolly, Ultan Power, David Brady, Vincent McCool, Colin O'Neill, Mark Galway.
Antrim League Div 3: St Teresa's 6-12 4-14 Bredagh
In a high-scoring entertaining game divisional leaders St Teresa's just managed to come out on top winning by a 4 point margin where the goals against were the major factor in Bredagh losing.
Nevertheless this was a useful outing for the South Belfast hurlers ahead of their Ulster semi-final clash against Donegal champions, Setanta, next Sunday. Eight players made the scoresheet which will help their confidence but half-a-dozen goals conceded won't help the defence's moral and a porous display like today will surely see them dumped out of Ulster.
McLoughney got Bredagh off the mark with a well-taken point but for the rest of the first quarter the Glen Road men dominated notching up 3-5 without reply. Bredagh steadied the ship in the second quarter with, McLoughney, Doole, O'Neill and Donnelly knocking over minors, the latter also rifled in a major to leave it 3-7 to 1-5 at half-time.
Second half
Bredagh put on a much improved performance in the second-half, McLoughney hit another point and then sent a screamer to the roof of the net to reduce the gap to three. But everytime Bredagh managed to come within touching distance St Teresa's added a goal and that was the story during the final 20 minutes. McAllister shot 1-2 when moved to the full-forward position and further points from Doole, O'Neill, McKillop, Bonnar and Anderson were cancelled out by conceding soft goals at the other end. Bredagh had all the pressure in the final 10 minutes with Doole lashing the sliothar to the net to close the gap to 4 points but the final whistle put paid to any chance of a comeback.
Summary
McGinley at full-back was one of Bredagh's best performers on the day and certainly sent a clear message to the management team ahead of Sunday's Ulster semi clash, Heron and McCollum were steadying influences when introduced in the second-half and new daddy Anderson played as if a weight was off his mind. Gilmore and Bonnar worked hard at midfield with Donnelly and O'Neill always busy on the half-forward line. McAllister's performance makes him an option in the inside line and both Doole and McLoughney scored heavily with 1-3 apiece.
4-14 was good scoring but a tighter defence will be required if Bredagh hope to progress to the Ulster final on Sunday.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark McGinley, Michael Mullan, David Brady, Jack Anderson 0-1, Seamus McKillop 0-1, Cormac Hughes, Cathair Bonnar 0-1, William Gilmore, Colin O'Neill 0-2, Eoghan Donnelly 1-1, Mark Galway, Seamus McLoughney 1-3 1f, Ultan Power, Paul Doole 1-3, Liam McCollum, Mark Heron, Ali McAllister 1-2, Mark Devlin.
Ulster Championship
Sunday 30th September:
Ulster Junior Hurling Club Championship Preliminary Round: (3.30pm)
Bredagh (Down) v St Malachy’s (Armagh) at Ballycran
Referee: Owen Elliott (Antrim)
More photos from the JHC Final
Photographs from the final.
Bredagh Captain Liam McCallum recieved the championship trophy.
The winning Bredagh squad with the Down JHC trophy.
Danny Hughes hooks Karl Maxwell of Warrenpoint.
Ali McAllister tackled by Liam Boyle of Warrenpoint.
Ian Galway - Down Democrat Man of the Match with his trophy.
Bredagh hurlers crowned Down champions for the first time!
JHC Final: Bredagh 2-10 1-02 Warrenpoint
Bredagh senior hurlers added the Down Junior Hurling Championship to their league crown when they ran out easy winners at Ballela on Saturday afternoon. The score doesn't really reflect the tightness of this game as only four points seperated the sides going into the final quarter but a goal from Seamus McKillop on the 47th minute plus a hat-trick of points from McCamphill put paid to any chance of a Warrenpoint comeback. Tellingly Bredagh only conceded one point from play and only four in all three of their championship matches and it was this fighting performance that did the business.
With wind advantage Warrenpoint were in the ascendacy in the first quarter but a combination of poor shooting and excellent defending especially from centre-half Danny Hughes kept them scoreless and it was Ian galway who opened the scoring from a long range free. In the 10th minute McLoughney first-timed a break ball in the large square and found the corner of the Warrenpoint net. Further points from Galway, McLoughney and Doole stretched Bredagh's lead to seven before Warrenpoint's John O'Kane landed a 30 yd free on the half-time whistle. While Warrenpoint were guilty of a number of bad wides in the opening half, Bredagh were also wayward with McKillop twice flashing sliotars just wide of the post and McLoughney forcing a fine save from Spud Murphy in the Point goal.
Second half
The Bredagh team who hadn't really sparked as yet received a severe tongue-lashing from Bredagh coach Ciaran Donnelly at half-time and this seemed to buck them up in the second period with Eoghan Donnelly firing over a point in the 33rd minute. Warrenpoint replied through McNally. McCamphill then landed a lovely point over his shoulder but Warrenpoint's spirits were lifted when O'Kane crashed a 20 metre free to the net to leave four between them. This was a nervous time for the Bredagh boys and getting the next score was vital. On the 50th minute Anderson found Doole down the left and he hit a pin-point cross-field pass to McKillop who lashed the sliotar bullet-like to the back of the Point net raising a mighty cheer from the large Bredagh support. The last 10 minutes saw McCamphill land two further points split by a brace of Galway frees to seal an historic victory for the South Belfast hurlers.
Summary
A text message before the game from coach Rory Galway, who missed the final due to work commitments read "emphasise discipline and our pattern of play - I don't believe they'll have an answer to those strengths" and this was how it turned out. Bredagh were far from their best, the nerves and tension was evident in their play but so too was their battling qualities and superior style of hurling that they have displayed all year. McMullan was faultless in goals and was unlucky not to save the only goal against him in the championship thus far. The full-back line of Heron, Whyte and McGinley were as tight as a drum while Bredagh's strongest line on the day was their half-back line of McCollum, Anderson and especially Hughes all of whom would have pushed for the Down Democrat man-of-the-match award that was deservedly won by marksman Ian Galway. His partner in midfield, William Gilmore, put in a mountain of work evidenced by breaking 4 camans in the process!
Up front McCamphill, Donnelly, McAllister and young Cormac Hughes were all effective with McCamphill being the pick of them. The inside line will be disappointed with their return of 2-2 but McLoughney and McKillop's goals were crucial to this victory as was the general play of Doole in the corner. McCaughey, McKervey, Connolly and O'Neill all came on to good effect emphasising the squad's strength in depth.
Post match comments
Bredagh chairman, Paul Blaney was delighted with the result "the footballers did the double last year so it's great to see the hurlers repeat that feat in 2007, they done themselves and the club proud". Coach Ciaran Donnelly commented "This was far from Bredagh's best performance of the season but finals are all about winning and an eleven point victory is a solid platform to build on, they gave their all out there, especially in the second-half and that's all we can ask for". Manager Eamon Mulvenna said he was relieved more than elated after the final whistle "when the Point got that goal I started to think about last year's defeat - deja vu - but when McKillop fired home I knew we had it. There's more in this team and we'll give Ulster a lash, we can relax now as wins from now on in are a bonus, I'm looking forward to meeting the Armagh champions in the preliminary round at Parc Esler on the 30th September".
Thanks
Special thanks to the senior hurling team sponsor, James Conlon of NIAVAC, who laid on drinks for the team at the after match banquet in the Pavilion bar. The ring of 'we are the champions' was heard well into the wee small hours of Sunday morning on the Ormeau Road.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark Heron, Michael Whyte, Mark McGinley, Liam McCollum (capt), Danny Hughes, Jack Anderson, Ian Galway 0-4 all frees, William Gilmore, Fergal McCamphill 0-3, Eoghan Donnelly 0-1, Alastair McAllister, Seamus McLoughney 1-1, Seamus McKillop 1-0, Paul Doole 0-1, Cormac Hughes, Rory McCaughey, Michael McKervey, Colin O'Neill, Brian Connolly, Mark Sidebottom, Ultan Power (number 23), Paddy Byrne, David Brady, Paddy McGrenaghan, Paul Boyle, Cathair Bonnar, Michael Mullan, Matthew McAfee, Vincent McCool.
Antrim Div 3: Bredagh 8-16 3-07 Larne
Bredagh hurlers had a convincing win over Larne which proved to be a good warm up in preparation for the JHC final in six days time. Only 7 of the 15 who played in Bredagh's semi-final win lined out but the other 8 possibles did themselves no harm as they dominated this match from start to finish. Power got the ball rolling with a crisp ground stroke to the corner of the net and points from Connolly, Donnelly, Hughes and Doole piled on the agony for Larne. On the 20th minute Gilmore popped up from midfield to smash the sliotar to the net while O'Neill also found the corner to give Bredagh an 8 point lead at half-time 3-9 - 1-04.
Second Half
Donnelly did the damage in the second-half scoring two terrific goals together with a hat-trick of points, Hughes split the post for a hat-trick of his own and Bonnar landed another from distance before Doole contributed 1-2 to leave Bredagh to coast home. In the final 10 minutes young Mark Devlin pounced on an error by the keeper to lash the ball first time to the net and O'Neill got himself another goal and then struck a lovely point from an acute angle near the end but score of the game went to Donnelly's second goal and he salomed through the larne defence before 'roofing' the net from 20 yds.
Summary
All in all this was a good run out for the boys, McKervey and Connolly were the pick of the defence, while Dillon, McGrenaghan and McGinley did well with midfielders Gilmore and Bonnar dominating their sector. Upfront teenagers Hughes, Donnelly, Devlin and Doole scored heavily with Power and O'Neill chipping in with 3-2 between them. This game will have given the Bredagh management food for thought ahead of next week's final and it certainly confirmed the strength in depth of this Bredagh squad as a major factor in the team's success so far this year.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Paddy McGrenaghan, Mark McGinley, Charlie Dillon, Michael McKervey, Michael Whyte, Brian Connolly 0-1, William Gilmore 1-0, Cathair Bonnar 0-1, Cormac Hughes 0-4, Eoghan Donnelly 2-4 1f, Jack Anderson, Colin O'Neill 2-1, Ultan Power 1-2, Paul Doole 1-3, Mark Devlin 1-0, Vincent McCool, Michael Mullan, Liam McCollum, Ian Galway.
JHC semi-final: Bredagh 2-10 0-07 Ballela
Bredagh hurlers reached another Down Junior hurling championship (JHC) final when they put paid to Ballela's hopes in a tightly fought contest in Darragh Cross. As a famous American football coach once said "offences win matches but defences win championships" and so it was in Darragh Cross on Sunday as seven out of eight Bredagh forwards scored, with McLoughney top-scoring again with 2-3 but with only five points in it at half-time and facing into a strong wind in the second-half it was the Bredagh defence, led by a man-of-the-match performance from goalkeeper Lorenzo McMullan, that out-hurled and out-fought their opposite numbers to ensure Bredagh a place in the final.
Ballela managed the first score from a free but this was quickly cancelled out when McLoughney found the net from an acute angle. Points followed from McKillop, Gilmore, McCamphill and Anderson but Ballela stayed in touch through Magee and McCusker. In the 20th minute McKillop saw his penalty shot tipped over the bar to extend Bredagh's lead to four points. Ballela's McCusker landed two pointed frees but these were cancelled out by two minors from McLoughney with Galway landing another from long range to stretch Bredagh's lead to five at half-time, 1-8 to 0-6. This lead didn't look like much given the strength of the breeze and Bredagh were wasteful during the opening period, the question was were they going to pay for it in the second period.
Second half
The third quarter yielded no scores from either side as Bredagh's defence battled ferociously for every ball as if their life depended on it. McLoughney pounced for another major on the 46th minute to extend Bredagh's lead to eight forcing Ballela to focus on goals in the final quarter. This is when Bredagh's defensive unit came into their own, McMullan oozed confidence under the dropping ball and this confidence spread throughout the defence as Dillon, Heron and Whyte hurled like demons to afford the Ballela inside line no space, the best example of this was when Ballela's McCusker set up his corner forward for a goal chance but both Whyte and Heron threw their bodies in front of the shot blocking what would have been a certain goal and then clearing up the field for McLoughney to add another point. Further pressure from Ballela saw Bredagh's half-back line of McCollum, Hughes and McGinley battle and win every scrap driving back the Ballela's attack with an intensity that the Ballela boys had not experienced before, Hughes was especially dominant during this period. Doole closed out the game with a sweet point to ensure Bredagh another crack at a Down Junior championship medal.
Summary
The question at half-time was had Bredagh done enough and this was certainly a worry for management but they had no need to bother their heads as the never-say-die attitude of the players weren't going to let a final opportunity slip. McMullan in goals was a major frustration for Ballela and the swarming and last ditch tackling of Bredagh's defence afforded the Ballela forwards no room to breath. McAllister was on top of his man before being forced to retire in the first-half with injury but his understudy McGinley was a more than able replacement. Gilmore at midfield did his usual fair share of defending as well as knocking over his first championship point. Marksman Galway didn't get many opportunities from frees but worked hard throughout finding his forward line with intelligent ball.
Anderson at left-half forward put in a sound performance winning clean ball and setting up attacks, as did McCamphill at centre-half while young Eoghan Donnelly was the only one of the eight forwards not to get onto the score sheet, his contribution was immense given the injury he carried into the game. The inside line always looked dangerous scoring 2-6 between them. Again it was McLoughney who got the lion's share but he would be the first to admit that that's all about the quality of sliotar received from his teammates, McKillop gave his marker all the hurling he wanted while Paul Doole's performances just get better and better with every match. Subs Cormac Hughes, McKervey and Connolly all came on to good effect near the end as Bredagh march on to their second JHC final determined not to let this one slip come the 15th September.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark Heron, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Liam McCollum (Capt), Danny Hughes, Ali McAllister, Ian Galway 0-1, William Gilmore 0-1, Eoghan Donnelly, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Jack Anderson 0-1, Seamus McLoughney 2-3, Seamus McKillop 0-2 1f, Paul Doole 0-1, Mark Sidebottom, Michael McKervey, Mark McGinley, Michael Mullan, Colin O'Neill, Paddy Byrne, Cormac Hughes, Paul Boyle, Vincent McCool, Brian Connolly.
ACHL Div 2: Bredagh 4-10 Ballygalget 3-10
Bredagh hurlers crowned league champions in historic victory.
Bredagh hurlers sealed promotion to Down Division 1 with a hard fought victory over Ballygalget on Tuesday night. It took a man of the match performance from goal ace Seamus McLoughney scoring 3-1 to see off Ballygalget and secure the league championship for Bredagh.
First Half
Ballygalget started the brighter going two points up before McLoughney's first goal edged Bredagh in front. The game ebbed from end to end with Galway and Doole landing points for Bredagh but a Ballygalget goal saw them finish the half with a one point lead 1-5 to 1-4.
Second Half
McKillop levelled just after half-time but by the 45th minute Ballygalget led by 2-7 to 1-6. Goals from McKillop and McLoughney along with points from Galway, McKillop and McCamphill saw Bredagh in front by five as the game entered the last five minutes. Ballygalget were giving the Bredagh defence their fill of it scoring a major to bring it back to a two point margin but up popped McLoughney again, rounding the corner-back and burying the sliotar into the right-hand corner of the net to restore the five point cushion. In the final minutes it was all Ballygalget as they tried for goals to close the gap but the Bredagh defence held out to record an historic victory gaining Bredagh promotion to Division 1 for the first time in the club's history.
Summary
This was far from Bredagh's best performance of the season but they showed great determination - as they've done all year - to secure the win. McMullan had a busy time in goals and did well to limit a strong Ballygalget inside line to three goals. Heron, Whyte and Dillon all battled hard while McCollum, Hughes, McGinley and McKervey had a tough assignment in quelling the Galget half-forward line. In midfield Galway's accuracy was as good as ever landing three long range points from play while his partner, minor Cormac Hughes had an excellent first half putting down a solid marker for inclusion in the starting fifteen come the junior championship semi on Sunday. Connolly, McCamphill and Anderson all had an off-day on the half-forward line but the inside line of Doole, Sidebottom, McLoughney and impact sub McKillop were strong throughout and, with 4-4 between them, did the damage on the night.
Bredagh chairman, Paul Blaney, was full of praise for the hurlers " we have a strong and committed hurling committee and it has been their work over the past few years that we are now reaping the rewards from. Bredagh tried to get hurling going in the 80s but those efforts faded out however with the youth structures in place now we are confident we can build further on this success and hopefully there's more success for the senior hurlers this year in the junior championship".
Manager Eamon Mulvenna was full of praise for his senior squad " every year over the past three years since we resurrected senior hurling the team has got stronger and stronger with a good blend of experience and youth. Like every team we've had our fair share of injuries throughout the seasons but the difference this year was we had strength in depth and that's why we've only been beaten once in the league this year. It hasn't been the effort of just 15, it took all 35 squad players throughout the year to achieve this. The players have shown great committment and I'd like to thank them for that but they have had two great coaches in Rory Galway and Ciaran Donnelly who have left no stone unturned in their quest to hone a winning team. It's nice to win the league but our main focus all year was to use the league to develop a junior championship winning side, we have a semi-final against Ballela this Sunday in Darragh Cross and that's where the real test will be"
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark Heron, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Mark McGinley, Ian Galway 0-5 2f, Cormac Hughes, Brian Connolly, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Jack Anderson, Seamus McLoughney 3-1, Mark Sidebottom, Paul Doole 0-1, Seamus McKillop 1-2, Michael McKervey, Vincent McCool, Paddy McGrenaghan, Michael Mullan, Paul Boyle.
JHC Q/F: Bredagh 4-18 0-03 Castlewellan
Bredagh hurlers breeze into championship semi-final.
Bredagh coach Ciaran Donnelly commented on the final whistle that "we could have no complaints with that performance" begrudging praise from a man who's hard to please. If there's such a thing as a perfect performance then the South Belfast hurlers produced it on Sunday as they convincingly beat Castlewellan in the quarter-final of the Down Junior Hurling Championship at a rain and wind swept Kilclief.
Ciaran's son Eoghan was the epitome of a superb team performance as he just nicked the Man of the Match award from his more senior colleagues in the likes of Gilmore, Hughes, McCamphill and McKillop. Eoghan landed 1-3 from play but he contributed much more putting on a text book wing-forward display always picking the right option whether that was taking scores when they were on or delivering intelligent low ball into the inside forwards.
Bredagh played with the wind in the first-half with Galway setting the standard with a long range point from play. McCamphill, McKillop, Donnelly, Doole and Anderson all added points to take Bredagh into a six point lead at the end of the first quarter. This lead was extended further as McCamphill who was having a great game with three first-half points to his credit found the net from 30 yds and just before half-time Donnelly rounded the corner-back and lashed the sliothar into the far corner.
At the other end Bredagh's defenders were in miserly form with Hughes his usual brick-self and McGettrick dominating his man at wing-back. Anything slipping past the half-backs had Dillon and Whyte to deal with while McMullan made little of Castlewellan's efforts on goal. One of the best scores of the half came when Donnelly fired the ball into the large square and Doole rose, caught and swivelled to fire the ball over the bar for a rousing score. Half-time Bredagh led 2-12 to no score.
Second Half
Turning round at half-time against the wind, it was the turn of the Bredagh defenders to stand up and be counted and that they did restricting Castlewellan to a single point from play. McGettrick who was having a superb game but, unfortunate for him, shifted a heavy challenge and had to retire with a broken collar bone to be replaced by Byrne. Heron protected the square with aplomb with Dillon and Whyte clearing their lines time and again. Up front McKillop was leading the attack to good effect landing a brace of points with Doole, Donnelly, Anderson, McCamphill and Galway adding singles.
An incident on the 60th minute summed up Bredagh's hunger in this game when the Castlewellan centre-forward gained possession he was swarmed by Hughes, Gilmore and McGinley and had no option but to throw the ball in the air to relieve the pressure which led to Hughes setting up another attack with McKillop winning possession on the 45 and driving towards goal, his shot on the 20 metre line had goal written all over it but Castlewellan were saved by the crossbar. But not for long, McLoughney who had been relatively quiet up to now awoke with devastating effect firing in two goals in quick succession to kill off any hope of a Castlewellan comeback.
Summary
This was easily Bredagh's best performance of the season and if they can repeat this in the semi-final on the 19th August they should be looking at another JHC final in September. McMullan was assured in goals with his intelligent puck outs setting up good Bredagh attacks. Heron, Whyte and Dillon were faultless as were McCollum, Hughes and McGettrick in the half-back line. Midfielders Galway and Gilmore put on one of their best performances of the season with Galway setting up attacks while Gilmore was in the thick of every scrambled ball usually emerging with it and managed to keep Castlewellan's danger man quiet to boot. Galway and all six forwards got on the score sheet while you could have counted the Bredagh wides in one hand. McCamphill played his best match of the season shooting 1-3, this scoring rate was matched with the superb Donnelly, Anderson got 0-2 while Doole contributed 0-3 and McKillop went one better with 0-4 while McLoughney outscored them all with two goals in the last two minutes. Subs Byrne, McGinley, Moriarty and Cormac Hughes all made appearances to good effect.
All in all a good day at the office and at last a bit of praise from coach Ciaran Donnelly!
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Mark Heron, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Stevie McGettrick, Ian Galway 0-3 (2f), William Gilmore, Eoghan Donnelly 1-3, Fergal McCamphill 1-3, Jack Anderson 0-2, Seamus McLoughney 2-0, Seamus McKillop 0-4, Paul Doole 0-3, Mark Sidebottom, Paddy Byrne, Mark McGinley, Ali McAllister, Colin Murray, Paul Moriarty, Brian Connolly, David Brady, Cormac Hughes, Matthew McAfee, Paddy McGrenaghan, Rory Galway.
Friendly: Bredagh 4-17 3-05 Davitt's
In preparation for the championship Bredagh had a challenge match v Davitt's last week winning 4-17 to 3-05. Anderson, Gilmore, McCollum and Moriarty all pointed. McKillop got 0-2 and McAllister 0-3 while McLoughney got his obligatory 2-1 and Ian Galway top scored with 1-7 but it was his younger brother Mark who got the score of the game as Mullan found him with a hand pass and he buried the sliothar into the roof of the net for his first goal at senior level.
ACHL Div 2: Ballygalget 1-06 Bredagh 1-13
This hard fought victory - Bredagh's first on Ballygalget soil - helped the South Belfast boys edge closer to the title of league champions with one more victory securing the top spot and promotion to Division 1.
Bredagh got off to a good start moving into a 5-2 lead through a hat-trick of Galway frees along with points from McAllister and Doole. Galway from play and points from McCamphill and McLoughney saw Bredagh lead 7-3 at half-time. Bredagh were playing well below par against a very young and inexperienced Ballygalget outfit and were flattered with a four point margin at this stage.
The second half saw Bredagh pick up the tempo with a brace from McLoughney to take their lead to 10-3. The killer blow came in the 45th minute when a long Galway free was pulled to the net first time by McAllister to open a 10 point cushion. The next 10 minutes saw Bredagh dominate proceedings but woefully wasteful in front to goal, giving hope to Ballygalget of a late comeback, and their full forward strengthened that hope when he reacted quickest to a break ball to record their only goal of the game. But Bredagh's defence held firm led by man-of-the-match Paddy Byrne who was one of a very few Bredagh players to emerge from this encounter with his reputation enhanced. McCamphill and McAllister added 2 further points to close out the game and leave Bredagh 2 points closer to a league title.
Summary
If you were judging Bredagh on this performance then 5 out of 10 would probably be airing on the generous side and would in no way be good enough to challenge for a Junior Championship title which is Bredagh's main focus this year after last year's final defeat. Apart from Paddy Byrne at right half back nobody else covered themselves in glory. Sidebottom was steady enough in goals with his long accurate puck-outs setting up a number of attacks but both he and Hughes will be disappointed in the manner of the Ballygalget goal. This was Hughes only mistake in a solid full back performance. Cornerbacks, Heron and Dillon , had a very shaky start but steadied as the game went on. McCollum battled hard against a strong centre half-forward and Gilmore was always in the thick of it at midfield and although Galway got his fair share of scores he should expect more from play against this level of opposition.
The forward six were generally wasteful especially Donnelly and Doole down the left where they fought hard to win good possession but only managed a point between them. Stalwarts McAllister and McCamphill had a better return of 1-4 but both have had better games and the same could be said of McLoughney and McKervey. The returning injured, Connolly, Moriarty and McGinley all looked rusty although Connolly has managed to keep himself in shape and this showed but all 3 will benefit from this outing adding pressure on the six missing players for a place on the starting 15 come the championship.
Coach Rory Galway was philosophical at the end "A wins a win - first victory in Ballygalget - first time to beat all 3 Ards teams in the one season - but performance needs to improve 200% or we're out of the championship at the first hurdle. That improvement will only happen if players put the effort in and that starts with a full turn out at training on Tuesday night".
Bredagh's next match is again against Ballygalget at home on the 31st July. A win will ensure Bredagh's first ever Down hurling league title .
Panel and scorers: Mark Sidebottom, Mark Heron, Danny Hughes, Charlie Dillon, Paddy Byrne, Liam mcCollum, Mark McGinley, Ian Galway 0-5 4f, William Gilmore, Eoghan Donnelly, Ali McAllister 1-2, Micky McKervey, Seamus McLoughney 0-3, Feargal mcCamphill 0-2, Paul Doole 0-1, Colin O'Neill, Cormac Hughes, Paul Moriarty, Matthew McAfee, David Brady, Kevin Muldoon, Brian Connolly, Mark Galway, Rory Galway.
ACHL Div 2: Clonduff 0-03 7-13 Bredagh
Bredagh senior hurlers continued their relentless pursuit of the Down Division 2 title with a comprehensive victory over Clonduff in Hilltown on Tuesday night. This was an outstanding team performance from the excellent Lorenzo McMullan in goals right through to young Paul Doole, who contributed 3 goals and a point from corner forward and excelled throughout the game. Eoghan Donnelly opened the scoring with a well taken point in the opening minute and this was quickly followed by an Ally McAllister point and the first of Paul Doole's goals. Seamus McLoughney, Ian Galway (free) and Jack Anderson tagged on three more points, before talisman Seamus McKillop added on a further 2 goals and one point from the full-forward position. Two further goals; one from a long distance Ian Galway free and Paul Doole's second of the night ensured that Bredagh had built up a healthy lead at half time.
Half-time Clonduff 0-02 5-06 Bredagh
I was a case of more of the same in the second half, with key features of the game being Bredagh's excellent support play in the middle third of the field and the clinical finishing of the Bredagh forwards. Seamus McKillop and Paul Doole added on a further goal each with a succession of points coming from Ally McAllister, Seamus McLoughney and Ian Galway ensuring that there was no way back for Clonduff. It was fitting that young Paul Doole scored the final point of the night, to cap a superb individual performance from Paul. However, overall this was an outstanding team performance against a Clonduff team which normally proves to be a very difficult assignment, especially at there home ground.
In defence, Danny Hughes was once again outstanding in Centre-half-back and was ably supported by Liam McCollum and Paddy Byrne, who were both really on their game in the wing-half-back slots. The full-back line, of Michael Mullan, Michael White, David Brady (who replaced the injured Michael White in the first half) and Rory McCaughey, was water tight, limiting their opponents to scraps of opportunities. At mid-field, Ian Galway and William Gilmore had excellent games, with William dominating Down senior panellist, John Murphy, throughout with and just about shading Paul Doole for "man of the match". As the score line suggests, the forwards were really on fire and all six linked brilliantly on the night, with Seamus McKillop and Paul Doole meriting specific mention for their individual scoring exploits.
Final score: Clonduff 0-03 7-13 Bredagh
Panel and Scorers: Rory Galway, Michael Mullan, Michael White, Rory McCaughey, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Paddy Byrne, William Gilmore, Ian Galway (1-5), Jack Anderson ( 0-1) Ally McAllister (0-2) Eoghan Donnelly (0-1) Seamus McLoughney (0-2) Seamus McKillop (3-1) Paul Doole (3-1) Cathair Bonnar, David Brady, Colin O'Neill, Ultan Power, Ciaran Nixon, Rory Galway.
ACHL Div 2: Warrenpoint 0-08 3-09 Bredagh
Another 10 point victory, another step closer to the Down Div 2 title but Bredagh got their fill of it with the Point matching them blow for blow in the middle third but it was Bredagh's last line and front line who proved too hot for the Point to handle. McGettrick at corner back and McLoughney at corner forward were the architects of Bredagh's win as the former broke down many of the opposition's attacks while McLoughney,with limited ball, hit 2-2 to see Bredagh comfortably over the winning line.
Warrenpoint dominated the early exchanges landing the first 2 points of the match but McLoughney with his first touch shook the Warrenpoint net and doubled his scoring rate shortly afterwards to give Bredagh a 7-4 lead. Galway was back to his best from the placed ball maintaining Bredagh's margin with a string of frees. McLoughney knocked over a neat point from wide on the right and just before half-time corner forward Paddy Byrne connected first time finding the bottom left-hand corner of the net to leave the half-time score 0-7 to 3-4. Admittedly this score flattered Bredagh as the Warrenpoint boys had the bulk of possession but failed to turn it into scores.
Second half
Bredagh's performance improved in the second-half with the introduction of minors Cormac Hughes and Matthew McAfee, both players laying down a marker for a starting position next time out. Galway landed 2 frees and a well taken point from play before McKillop lashed McLoughney's pass over the bar to extend Bredagh's lead. Meanwhile Warrenpoint simply couldn't penetrate Bredagh's last line of defence with McGettrick clearing everything that came his way, Whyte doing likewise and young Hughes cleaning up what they left behind and old hand McMullan self-assured in goals notching up another clean sheet. The best score of the game came in the 50th minute when McAfee won the ball on the 50 metre line, weaved past 3 defenders and knocked over a sweet point to cap a fine individual display.
Summary
This was far from Bredagh's best performance of the season as they struggled to keep pace with Warrenpoint's greater mobility, overall fitness will need to improve as the season moves into the heat of the championship. The full back line held their men while Rory McCaughey was the pick of the half back line after a shakey start with both McCollum and Hughes playing an important role in keeping Warrenpoint's best players quiet. William Gilmore was always in the thick of the action at midfield with his midfield partner Ian Galway having one of his better games of late. The half forward line of Anderson, McCamphill and Byrne struggled to get the better of Warrenpoint's half-back line but never stopped battling throughout. McLoughney was his usual deadly self although, because he never saw too much of the sliothar in the second half, McGettrick managed to pip him for the man-of-the-match accolade.
Next match up is Tuesday 26th June away to Clonduff. Players to meet in Cherryvale at 5.45.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Michael Mullan, Michael Whyte, Stephen McGettrick, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Rory McCaughey, Ian Galway 0-6 5f, William Gilmore, Paddy Byrne 1-0, Fergal McCamphill, Jack Anderson, Seamus McLoughney 2-2, Seamus McKillop 0-1, Mark Sidebottom, Cormac Hughes, Matthew McAfee, Ultan Power, David Brady, Cathair Bonnar.
ACHL Div 2: Warrenpoint 0-08 3-09 Bredagh
ACHL Div 2: Bredagh 6-10 Ballycran 4-06
28-10 sounds like an easy victory but this was far from the case in this top-of-the-table clash at Cherryvale on Tuesday night. Bredagh after a slow start surged ahead leading by 8 points at half-time. This advantage increased to 14 after 40 minutes but with 10 minutes to go the never-say-die attitude of Ballycran had reduce the deficit to 5 before Bredagh made the final push over the winning line managing to retain their pole position in the league.
Ballycran got the first score of the night from a long range free but McKillop leading the attack broke through in the 3rd minute and his unstoppable shot was the first of 3 great first half Bredagh goals. McLoughney rippled the net from what looked like an impossible angle and McAllister added another piledriver to extend Bredagh's lead. Ballycran replied with 2 pointed frees but these were matched by points from McKillop and McAllister to keep Bredagh comfortably in front. Even at this early stage Ballycran realised goals were needed to get back in contention but McMullan refused to be beaten while full-back Whyte was having another superb match.
Second half
Ballycran came out all guns blazing in the second-half dominating the early exchanges but superb defending from Whyte et al saw them return a meagre point from play. The turning point came in the 40th minute when Doole who had been threatening to score all evening bulged the net from close range, he repeated the dose almost immediately latching on to McKillop's through ball and Bredagh had what looked like an unassailable lead of 14 points. But Ballycran hadn't read the script introducing 3 subs and scoring a major in the next attack. Galway replied with a point from play, McLoughney added a brace, all were needed as in the next 7 minutes ballycran had found the net 3 times to reduce Bredagh's lead to 5. A dubious Ballycran penalty in the 55th minute looked like they were going to achieve the impossible but a great save from McCollum and resultant clearance from Hughes averted the danger as Bredagh closed out the game with a superb pointed free from Anderson, another from play from McAllister with Power nailling down the coffin with a goal on the final whistle.
Summary
This was a must-win match for Bredagh, it needed every man to stand up to the plate and the Ormeau Road men weren't found wanting. McMullan had another great game in goals with man-of-the-match Whyte pocketing the Ballycran full-forward and keeping him scoreless, he also managed to curtail Ballycran's other danger man, Conor Arthurs with two great saving tackles in each half. Hughes in the half back line was his usual brilliant self, something Bredagh fans have come to expect with his powerful interceptions and clearances from defence. He was ably assisted by McCollum and McGettrick on either side with Colin Murray putting in another powerful display at midfield before retiring injured in the closing minutes. Galway's free-taking wasn't on song but he still managed a point from play. Up front all 6 forwards got on the scoresheet and as the score suggests are a potent force against any team. McCamphill, McAllister and Anderson in the half foward division ooze confidence and experience - McAllister in particular stood out with 1-2 from play - providing excellent ball into an even more potent full forward line of McLoughney, McKillop and Doole who landed 4-4 between them. The bench weren't found wanting with Power grabbing a late goal, Mullan proved effective when introduced for the injured Dillon while Paddy Byrne did himself no harm when introduced at wing-back getting into the thick of the action with his rousing and fearless tackling.
Up coming games
Next match up in the Down league is another tough encounter away to St Peter's, Warrenpoint next Tuesday while tonight Bredagh are at home again in the Antrim league against Ballymena.
Panel and scorers: Lorenzo McMullan, Micky McKervey, Michael Whyte, Charlie Dillon, Liam McCollum, Danny Hughes, Stevie McGettrick, Ian Galway 0-1, Colin Murray, Fergal McCamphill 0-1, Ali McAllister 1-2, Jack Anderson 0-1, Seamus McLoughney 1-4, Seamus McKillop 1-1, Paul Doole 2-0, Michael Mullan, Paddy Byrne, Ultan Power 1-0, Cathair Bonnar, Joe Boyle, Ciaran Nixon, David Brady, Mark Sidebottom.
Bredagh 2.12 O'Mitchell Og 1.5
Bredagh senior hurlers recorded their first, on the field, win in Division 3 of the Antrim Hurling League on Wednesday 6th June at sunny Polegless. In truth this game was not as comfortable as the scoreline might suggest with the hosts battling manfully for the first 45 minutes and Bredagh eventually pulling away in the final 15. The first half in particular was evenly balanced, with Joe Boyle sniping a fine first half goal to give Bredagh a 3 point lead at half-time (Bredagh 1.5 O'Mitchell Og 0.5). During the first half a number of Bredagh's young guns were to the fore, with minors Michael Mullan, Matthew McAffee, Cormac White and the excellent Mark Devlin particularly prominent. Mark, who was making his senior debut, repelled several Mitchell's attacks in the first half with his direct, first-time, hurling. He was ably assisted in the half back line by Stevie McGettrick and another debutant, young Cormac White, whilst David Brady, Michael White and Paddy McGrenaghan were equally effective in the full back line, limiting their direct oponents to very few scoring opportunities. A point worthy of mention is that Michael, Cormac, Matthew and Mark are only 17 years of age, whilst Stevie, in his third campaign with the seniors, is a mere 20.
The second half began in the same fashion and in the initial stages it looked like the West Belfast lads were going to make a real push for a victory. It was during this period that William Gilmore proved his worth, with his skill and battling qualites to the fore ensuring that Bredagh held the sway at midfield. There can be no doubt that Bredagh has inherrited an excellent addition to the squad in the bold William and that he will be an outstanding hurler for Bredagh for many years to come. The final 15 minutes saw Bredagh open up a healthy lead and Cathair Bonnar was featuring prominently with driving runs from midfield, setting up a number of scoring opportunities for the forwards. Jack Anderson too was a key player during this time adding on 2 points to the 1 he scored in the first half. Fergal McCamphill was also proving to be a real talisman during the second period, initially in the half-forward line and at centre half back, when filling in for the injured McGettrick in the dying minutes of the game. Ultan Power eventually put the game beyond doubt with a goal in the final 10 minutes, to add to 2 earlier points. Substitutes Vincent McCool, Ciaran Nixon and Eamon Mulvenna also contributed well in the final quarter with Eamon scoring two well taken points in the final minutes to close out the game and ensure that Bredagh had secured their first win in the Antrim Hurling league.
The main plus-point from this game was the continued emergence of minor players, making the transition to the senior squad. Debutant, Mark Devlin, had an excellent match in the half-back line and Cormac White wasn't far behind, in this his first appearance for the seniors too. Michael "The Rock" Mullan and Matthew McAfee are growing in confidence with every game at this level and Stevie McGettrick is now a seasoned campaigner at the ripe old age of 20. More will follow in the coming months and Cormac Hughes and Rowan Smart, in particular, are expected to make the step up in the remaining Antrim league games, ensuring that the steady supply of young hurlers from the juveniles to the senior ranks continues to flourish.
Panel and Scorers: Rory Galway, Paddy McGrenaghan, Michael Mullan, David Brady, Mark Devlin, Stevie McGettrick, Cormac White, Colin O'Neill, William Gilmore,
Jack Anderson (0.3) Fergal McCamphill (0.2) Cathair Bonnar (0.1) Joe Boyle (1.0) Ultan Power (1.2) Mathew McAfee (0.2) Kevin Muldoon, Mark Sidebottom, Vincent McCool, Ciaran Nixon, Eamon Mulvenna (0.2), Mark Galway
Down Div 2: Ballyvarley 1-11 2-14 Bredagh
Bredagh put on a battling performance at 'fortress' Ballyvarley and came away deserving winners on the night. Bredagh's forwards were the mast |
