18 December 2009
On Friday 11th December 2009, at the Athletic Grounds, Armagh, St.Malachy's College from the Antrim Road in Belfast collected the school's first hurling trophy in history.
The BT Ulster Colleges Year 9 McGreevy Cup Final was keenly contested between the Belfast boys and St.Patrick's Keady. The game started with plenty of battling for possession before Keady opened the scoring with a point from play. This kick started St.Malachy's into gear, who then hit 2-6 without reply, including goals from Anton Lidster and Conor McEvoy. Half-time saw the Belfast side leading 2-6 to 0-3.
The second half was a more even affair, with St.Patrick's not accepting defeat which made for a great game for the spectators of both schools. The second period saw the Armagh boys cut St.Malachy's lead to two points, outscoring them 3-0 to 0-2 in a short space of time to make the score 2-8 to 3-3, without any particular wind advantage for either side throughout the game. Keady got their goals when two goal-mouth scrambles were struck to the back of the net and a penalty was deflected into the goal off a hurley. With five minutes to go, the game could have gone either way.
St.Malachy's then seized the initiative, when Conor McEvoy rose to take the ball into his hand twenty metres from goal, ran straight for the goal, and struck the ball to the net above the goalkeeper's head for a goal. This, accompanied with Killian Jenning's goal won the cup for St.Malachy's. Points throughout the game from Eoghan Conlon who dominated midfield, Ruairi Donaghy and Manus Mullan also helped steer the McGreevy Cup towards the Antrim Road for the first time. The St.Malachy's defence was strong apart from the shakey ten minute period in which they leaked three goals, but they also made many stops.
Coach Mark Devlin says, "It is excellent that the boys have won the school's first hurling trophy this year, especially after losing out by one point last year to Knock in the same final. The school has embraced hurling from what I have seen this Autumn and it is down to work done in the school by Phil Molloy and in the local clubs, especially St.Enda's in Glengormley, where most of our team are from. For all of our games we had more than 30 pupils in the squad and the same at training, so they deserved it".
Aidan Bannon, St.Enda's,
Kurtis Maguire, St.Enda's, Ben Rice, Glenavy, Rian McCreight,St Endas
Matt Magennis, St.John's, Cormac Crummey, St.Enda's, Ronan O’Fril, St.Enda's,
Eoin Conlon, St.Enda's, Ryan Straney, Lamh Dhearg,
Anton Lidster, St.Enda's, Conor McEvoy, St.John's, Edward O’Connor, St.Enda's,
Killian Jennings, St.Enda's, Ruairi Donaghy, St.Enda's, Manus Mullan St.Enda's.
Subs used : Eoghan Maguire, St.Enda's, Pascal Clarke, St.Enda's, Pearse Fitzsimmons, Lamh Dhearg, Colm Magennis, Glenavy
