Andersonstown SC Antrim Intermediate Hurling Championship, Group Two
St Paul's 0-15 Kickham's, Creggan 0-17
THERE would be no great escape for St Paul's on a sunny Saturday afternoon as Creggan held firm to bank the points in Group Two of the Intermediate Hurling Championship to keep their own ambitions of a top-two finish alive.
Conor McCann top-scored with 11 points, 10 from frees and the high free count was surpassed by the hosts who had 11 of their scores from placed balls in a game that was well contested but lacked much by the way of flowing hurling.
The hosts battled well and were right in it, but on balance, Creggan were just that bit better with a 7-4 advantage in scores from play and that probably told the tale as St Paul's for all their endeavour, couldn't get a run in the second period that may have tipped things their way and kept them in the hunt for a last four place.
The visitors flew out of the traps with four points in as many minutes. Morgan Nelson began and ended the sequence with Conor McCann and Diarmuid Mulholland contributing as St Paul's struggled to settle.
But settle they did as they clawed their way into the game as Caolan Crossan settled them from a free and then Liam Walsh made a good fetch and returned over the bar from inside his own half.
Caolan Crossan, who hit 10 points for the hosts, gets out to gather
Another pair of frees from Crossan had the sides level, but Creggan had a good goal chance in between when Mulholland found himself in on the right, but flashed his shot across the face of goal and wide from a tight angle.
Stephen Rooney then nudged the hosts ahead from a long free, but this sparked Creggan back to life as Conor McCann tipped the balance his side's way from a pair of frees and Nelson thumped over his third of the half from midway.
St Paul's had a sight of goal of their own as Crossan bore in open goal, but his shot that was bound for the top-corner of the net was tipped over.
McCann cancelled this out from a free and the pair again traded late int he half as Creggan took a 0-9 to 0-7 advantage into the break.
Creggan put the squeeze on early in the second period, but no scores followed as the hosts broke out and Mark Munce pointed on the run.
Crossan levelled it again from a free, but a hat-trick from McCann at the other end gave Creggan a cushion once more.
This would set the tone for the second period with the game keenly contested, but little bit he way of free-flowing hurling broke out with Crossan tapping over another free and then from the poc-out, Sean Munce nipped in to gather and score.
But Creggan would manage the gap as McCann replied and again from Crossan, while Liam McCann nailed one from play in response to a Stephen Rooney free.
Creggan's Tiernan McLarnon on the run
St Paul's were right in it but when Crossan narrowed the gap to one on two occasions, it was cancelled out with McCann bringing his tally to 11 for the day and then older brother, Thomas, bounced off a challenge in stoppage time to restore the two-point gap.
The hosts had one last charge at finding a winning goal for the second time in four days, but Crossan's floated free inside was cleared as Creggan held on to keep their hoes of a semi-final berth alive, but it is the end of the road for St Paul's this year.
The other game in the group saw Sarsfield's claim a 3-25 to 1-13 win at Glenravel to get back on track after Wednesday's defeat to St Paul's.
In Group One, St Gall's are now out as they fell to a 1-22 to 3-11 defeat at Tír na nÓg who are now guaranteed a place in the semi-finals, but Cushendun suffered a 2-25 to 4-17 loss at Glenarm that means they must now get something in their last game against Carey to advance.
ST PAUL'S: C Murray; T Auld, F Sewell, C Gallagher; T Duff, S Rooney (0-2 frees), L Walsh (0-1); M Munce (0-1), C Finnegan; D Stevenson, C Crossan (0-10, 9 frees), D Chapman; S Munce (0-1), L Phillips, B Burns.
Subs: C Duffy for S Munce (46), A Carey for C Finnegan (49), D McGreevy for D Chapman (54), S Lawell for T Auld (55)
CREGGAN: K Rice; A Maguire, A McKeown, S O'Brien; T McLarnon, L McCann (0-1), J McAteer; S Duffin, R McCann; M Nelson (0-3), N McAuley, C McCann (0-11, 10 frees); D Mulholland (0-1), T McCann (0-1), C Rice.
REFEREE: Darren Mullan
