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Loughgiel retain title in fine style

Loughgiel (Antrim) 2-25 Portaferry (Down) 0-12: ALL-IRELAND senior hurling champions Loughgiel completed a hat-trick of Ulster…

Mon Oct 29 2012 - 00:00

Loughgiel (Antrim) 2-25 Portaferry (Down) 0-12:ALL-IRELAND senior hurling champions Loughgiel completed a hat-trick of Ulster titles, at rain-sodden Casement Park yesterday, but it took an opportunist goal, just before the break, to set them on their way to victory.

Played in horrible wet and cold conditions, the Antrim champions ran out 2-25 to 0-12 winners over Portaferry but, for the opening 20 minutes the Mourne men gave as good as they got. However, they lacked the finesse of their opponents whose combined play was excellent.

The teams were level four times over the opening quarter but points from Benny McCarry, Shay Casey and Declan Laverty, inside six minutes, sent the champions 0-7 to 0-4 ahead.

The game-changing goal came in the 29th minute. Liam Watson sent a probing shot into the Portaferry goalmouth, keeper Karl Keating seemed to have the sliothar under control but the in-rushing Shay Casey knocked it out of Keating’s hand and into the net.

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That gave Loughgiel an interval lead of 1-12 to 0-7 and they dominated the second half of what was a rather scrappy contest, in conditions that were far from conducive to top drawer hurling.

Entering the last quarter, the holders were 1-18 to 0-9 ahead before Liam Watson whipped in another goal to effectively end the contest.

After only five minutes, in a brief flare-up, a Loughgiel player was lucky to stay on the pitch.

He seemed to strike an opponent with his camán, right in front of a linesman but no action, not even a booking, was taken by the referee.

LOUGHGIEL: D Quinn; P Gillen, N McGarry, M McFadden; James Campbell, M Scullion, Johnny Campbell; B McAuley (0-1), T McCloskey; L Watson (1-5, three frees), D Laverty (0-2), E McCloskey (0-8); B McCarry (0-3), J Scullion (0-5), S Casey (1-1). Subs: K McGarry for N McGarry (49 mins), D McKinlay for B McCarry (51 mins), C O’Connell for Quinn (53 mins), D McCloskey for Laverty and T Coyle for McFadden (both 57 mins).

PORTAFERRY: K Keating; C O’Prey, Barry Coleman, J Trainor; M Conlon, C Coulter (0-1), C O’Neill; A Savage (0-1), F Rodgers; S Murray, J Convery (0-1), A O’Prey; C Mageean, P Braniff (0-7, six frees), E Sands (0-1). Subs: N Kelly (0-1) for Mageean (26 mins), P Smyth for Coleman (30 mins), Brendan Coleman for A O’Prey (49 mins).

Referee: E Hasson (Derry).