Clinical St. Louis’ see off Red High in cup semi-final

27 February 2013

A RUTHLESSLY efficient St. Louis’ booked their spot in the MacLarnon Cup final at Drumaness yesterday afternoon.

The Kilkeel school were much more clinical over the 60 minutes and wasted nothing in terms of possession and scoring opportunities.

The same could not be said for the Red High, who gave away hard-earned possession and squandered a host of scoreable chances.

St. Louis’ were up and running after only two minutes when Ronan McAlinden pointed from a 21m free. This was followed two minutes later with an opportunist goal from James Reilly after another McAlinden free fell short.

Kory Colgan tagged on a point for the Kilkeel side as they took a 1-2 to 0-0 lead after five minutes. The Red High were seeing plenty of the ball, but shot four wides inside the first 10 minutes before Conor McGrady converted a 25m free in the 12th minute.

McGrady then lofted over an exquisite point from play before Shane Murray did likewise to leave the Downpatrick school trailing by two points, 1-2 to 0-3, after 15 minutes.

Reilly tagged on two points to extend the St. Louis’ lead to four points before McGrady converted a free in the 22nd minute to leave the Red High three points behind.

St. Louis’ finished the first half on top and further scores from Piarius Kane and McAlinden gave them a 1-6 to 0-4 lead at the break.

St. Patrick’s went for broke at the start of the second half and two frees from McGrady left three points in it again, but every time the Red High closed the gap, St. Louis’ responded with scores of their own, and McAlinden continued that trend with another free to leave his side with a 1-7 to 0-6 lead after 38 minutes.

McGrady and Reilly exchanged scores, as did Daithi Young and McGrady, before John Connolly bombed forward to point St. Louis’ into a 1-10 to 0-8 lead after 48 minutes.

Kane and McGrady swapped points before Owen McEvoy, who had just replaced Murray, blasted the ball to the back of the net after an untidy scramble to bring the Red High to within two points of St. Louis, 1-11 to 1-9.

St. Louis’ responded with a point from Reilly and a brilliant goal from Kane, who unleashed an unstoppable shot after the Red High had given the ball away.

It was all St. Louis’ now and McAlinden wrapped things up for the Kilkeel school with a converted free to see his side safely through to yet another Ulster colleges’ final.

St. Patrick’s: R. Bryce, C. Mahoney, S. Cochrane, D. McCarron, R. Murdock, A. Doherty, P. Cochrane,, P. Martin, R. Wells, A. McClements, D. Corrigan, D. McComiskey, S. Murray (0-1), C. McGrady (0-8), C. Harney. Subs: S. O’Reilly for Harney, J. Bell for Corrigan, A. Fegan for Mahoney, O. McEvoy (1-0) for Murray.

St. Louis’: C. Magee, R. Spiers, S. Gallagher, S. Sloan, C. Rooney, T. McInerney, J. Connolly (0-1), R. McAlinden (0-6), K. Colgan (0-1), J. P. Farrell, J. Reilly (1-2), D. Young (0-1), P. Kane (1-2), G. McDowell, C. McKay.

St. Louis’, Kilkeel 2-13

St. Patrick’s, Downpatrick 1-9

MACLARNON CUP SEMI-FINAL

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