Hurling Titles For Eoghan Ruadh And Naomh Colum Cille

Sunday 08.09.2019

Club

The Tyrone senior and junior hurling finals took place at Healy Park on Sunday afternoon resulting in wins for Dungannon Eoghan Ruadh and Naomh Colum Cille.

The Junior final pitched a young and developing Omagh side against a very talented and experienced Naomh Colum Cille outfit with the East Tyrone side winning comfortably. Goals from Gary Mulgrew, Chris Kearns, Niall O’Neill and Paddy Mc Cusker ensured the title remained with the black and reds.

Omagh will take great heart from their second half showing especially with Tom Mc Clements, Ciaran Lagan and Liam Flanagan all getting on the scoresheet.

While the  result of the Junior Final was a foregone conclusion long before the end the same could not be said about the senior contest. The outcome of that game hung in the balance throughout as both teams served up a real thriller before the Dungannon lads edged it 1-20 to 2-15.

Eoghan Ruadh came into the game as warm favourites but Eire Óg obviously had not read the script. Right from the off the pace, intensity and skill levels were high and little separated the sides during a very entertaining and eventful first half.

After an initial period of Eoghan Ruadh pressure Liam Armstrong opened the scoring for Eire Óg on four minutes. Eoghan Ruadh hit six of the next seven scores as Damian Casey, Keifer Morgan, Matthew Mulgrew and man of the match Tiernan Morgan were all on target.

Casey and Justin Kelly swapped points before scores from Tiernan Morgan, Mulgrew and Casey put Eoghan Ruadh five clear with twenty minutes gone. Eire Óg needed a lift and after Justin Kelly pointed a free team captain Bryan Mc Gurk got the Carrickmore outfit back into the contest with a well taken goal.

Casey landed another brace of points to stretch the lead to three before Ryan Butler and Bryan Mc Gurk pointed to leave a single point in it with half time beckoning. A Lorcan Devlin point right at the end of the half meant the Eoghan Ruadh lads went in at the break leading 0-13 to 1-8.

The second half continued in the same vein as the first with some big hits, fine scores and outstanding hurling. Both teams contributed handsomely to a memorable game as the pressure mounted and the game progressed. Justin Kelly and Damian Casey landed points for their respective teams before Dermot Begley converted a long distance free to level the game. Casey and Kelly continued their personal scoring duel before a lovely run and finish from Tiernan Morgan edged the Dungannon men in front again.

As the game entered the last ten minutes Morgan extended his team’s lead to two before Branan Molloy was introduced from the bench. Casey landed a nice score and them Molloy pounced on a mistake in the Eire Óg defence to finish to the net and put his team six clear.

Lesser sides would have buckled but not Eire Óg. Back they came with a brilliant placed ball goal from the stick of Begley and two further Kelly points to narrow the gap to two points.

Both sides went for broke and Eoghan Ruadh had chances to seal it but the normally reliable Casey was just off target while Eire Óg keeper Conor Mc Elhatton brought off two superb saves to keep his team in the game.

Five minutes of additional time were announced and in spite of tiring bodies there was no let up in the pace or quality of the game. Eoghan Ruadh ace Casey pointed but Dermot Begley cancelled that one out with another fine effort for Eire Óg to leave the final score 1-20 to 2-15 in favour of the East Tyrone men.

A brilliant game, well refereed and enjoyed by the huge crowd in attendance.