Cumann Pheadaír Naofa 2-10 Ballycran 1-8
Having hit a bad vein of form over the last two weeks with defeats to Ballela and Carryduff, Gerry’s lads were looking to make amends with victory at home to a physically bigger Ballycran side. It was a great moral boosting win for the lads. Goals from Antoin Magill & Cathal Fagan along with some superb team work ensured victory this evening over Ballycran 2-10 to 1-8.
Cumann Pheadaír Naofa got off to a good start with Antoin Magill opening the scoring from 40m out from goal within a minute, but Ballycran struck back with three points of their own and was putting Chris Rooney, Feargal Murphy & Eugene McConville under massive pressure in the back line as they probed for the opening goal. Mark Rafferty playing as captains roll in at midfield and stepped up for the next point for Cumann Pheadaír Naofa. Cathal Fagan was tormenting his marker with his sharp turning and direct running to goal and with fifteen minutes gone pointed his own free after being fouled in possession. Ballycran picked off two long range scores as the forward line found the that the blues defense would not going to yield too easy. Mitch Murphy replied with a long range shot of his own to level the game at four points apiece midway through the half. With twenty minutes on the clock, Fagan leapt full stretch to pluck an Oggie Murphy clearance out of the sky with ease above two defenders, turned and soloed in from the 45m line leaving defenders in his wake to fire an unstoppable bullet to the net, Cumann Pheadaír Naofa were now leading by the slimmest of margins.
Two minutes later Cumann Pheadaír Naofa were unlucky not to have had a second goal when Niall McParland, under severe pressure under a melee of defenders flicked the sliotar into his hand, turned to goal and flashed the sliotar inches past the far-left hand post. Full forward Jack Rafferty was playing some outstanding hurling and always looked comfortable & composed when in possession and it was he who struck a great point 50m out to ensure Cumann Pheadaír Naofa lead at half time 1-5 to 0-6.
The second half was barely a minute old when Antoin Magill had pounced for Cumann Pheadaír Naofa second goal, a well taken effort as he showed his marker a clean pair of heels to strike low and hard past the Ballycran keeper. Four minutes later Jack Rafferty, who was having a fantastic day in blue lobbed over a sixty metre strike to push the home side advantage to six points. Warrenpoint were now cruising as the entire team gained confidence in themselves as everything seemed to be going their way and Rafferty once more grabbed another fine score from distance. Just to emphasize their advantage James McParland, playing at wing back, scored the next two points, his second a fifty metre free.
But Ballycran weren’t going to let the Warrenpoint men away just that easy as they hit a purple patch to get the next two points which was quickly followed by a superb goal from ex county star Mick Braniff with ten minutes left to play. Warrenpoint were guilty of a few missed scoring chances with Cathal Fagan, Mitch Murphy and Antoin Magill just pulling their shots wide of the posts as Ballycran exerted ferocious pressure on the man in possession as they tried to force Cumann Pheadaír Naofa to give up the sliotar and get the sliotar down the field quickly. With just five minutes remaining it was Thomas Magill who got the last score of the game to leave the blues five point winners.
Team: D Freer, E McConville, C Rooney, F Murphy, J Gray, O Murphy, J McParland (0-2), A Magill (1-1), M Rafferty (0-1), T Magill (0-1), M Murphy (0-1), C Fegan (1-1), S Rooney, J Rafferty (0-3), N McParland
