08 September 2011
St Gall’s caused the biggest shock in recent memory when they dumped eleven times champions Dunloy out of the Contract Services Senior Hurling Championship in Wednesday evening’s quarter-final replay at Casement Park.
When the two sides drew last week’s game most hurling observers felt that St Gall’s chance had probably gone and that a pre-warned Dunloy would have too much in their arsenal for the Division 2 side this time around. However there was nobody in the St Gall’s camp thinking that way and buoyed by their performance in the drawn game they confidently booked a semi-final place against Cushendall on Sunday next at Loughgiel.
St Gall’s got off to a flying start and with team captain Karl Stewart leading the line brilliantly from midfield they pulled 0-6 to 0-1 clear after fifteen minutes, all six coming from Stewart. Dunloy began to settle and with Sean Dowds starting to do damage up-front they pulled back to 0-6 to 0-5 at the break as Dowds hit four points on the trot.
Turning to face the breeze St Gall’s appeared to have a mountain to climb, but just as they had done in the opening half they hit the ground running and three brilliant points from play from Stewart, ‘Aidso’ Gallagher and Conor Burke pulled them four clear within two minutes of the restart. Sean Dowds pulled a point back for Dunloy but St Gall’s were dominant and Stewart added another point before right-half forward Sean McAreavey fired in a goal to pull his team seven clear.
Ironically the goal seemed to boost Dunloy more than it did St Gall’s and within a minute substitute Nigel Elliott had his team back in the game with well struck goal at the other end. As St Gall’s appeared to lose their way Dunloy cut the gap to just two with two Paul Shiels points, and with the excitement at fever pitch both teams squandered goal chances with amazing misses at either end. Shiels had a late chance go narrowly wide as the game went deep into injury time before St Gall's captain fantastic Stewart sealed an historic win with a point from a ‘65’.
ST GALL’S – Daniel McConnell, Stephen Morrison, Sean Burke, David Sheehan, Kieran McGourty, CJ McGourty, Terry Austin, Karl Stewart, Alfie Hannaway, Aodhan Galalgher, Kevin McDonnell, Sean McAreavey, Kieran Gall, Anton McCaffrey, Niall O’Neill.
SUBS USED – Jackson McGreevey, Conor Burke, Chris McCartney, Sean O’Hare, Paddy Flanaghan
DUNLOY – Chris Brogan, Mickey McClements, Conor McKinley, Cathoir Cunning, Gareth McAllister, James McKeague, Kevin Martin, Colin Cunning, Kevin Molloy, Paul Shiels, Dean Dowds, Kevin McQuillan, Paddy Richmond, Alastair Elliott.
SUBS USED – Paddy Doherty, Nigel Elliott
REFEREE – Geroid Robinson (St John’s)
