Ulster School Danske Bank Hurling
St Mary’s CBGS 5-15
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire 3-17
At Dunsilly
ST MARY'S Christian Brother's School clinched a quarter-final berth in the Gallagher Cup on Thursday afternoon, as they managed to squeeze a five-point victory over Gaelcholáiste Dhoire at Dunsilly, thanks to heroics from shot-stopper Aidan Holbrook in the dying moments.
The West Belfast school sealed the victory in what was a masterclass of hurling excellence between the sides with high-scoring and first class stick work making it a game for the ages.
Despite playing into a strong breeze in the opening period, St Mary’s remained highly competitive in a half characterized by intense, top-tier hurling and frequent scoring.
St Mary’s opened the scoring in the third minute with a point from play by Lorcan O’Rawe but Gaelcholáiste Dhoire responded swiftly, showcasing their sharp attacking threat with back-to-back points from Odwan Ó Giollain.
The game’s first green flag was raised in the eighth minute when Dylan Hand McCallin finished a brilliant individual effort for the boys from the Glen Road, but as the theme of the game would play out, Gaelcholáiste Dhoire struck back just three minutes later, with Odwan Ó Giollain finding the back of the net, followed quickly by another point from play to extend their lead.
Nip and tuck was truly the essence of this tie as both sides could not be separated but for the divine intervention of Aidan Holbrook signalled his intent for the afternoon with a fantastic save under pressure in the 12th minute denying the Derry side from pulling into a strong lead.
Ben Gamble scored a crucial goal for St Mary's
St Mary’s Dara Ward and Gaelcholáiste Dhoire’s Felix Mac Oscar both exchanged scores before the game sprung to life with three goals in three minutes much to the delight of the Dunsilly spectators.
Odwan Ó Giollain netted his second with a great individual finish for Gaelcholáiste Dhoire, but Dylan Hand McCallin answered immediately, scoring a brilliant individual goal under intense pressure for St Mary’s to keep them firmly in the tie.
Following a long-range free from Gaelcholáiste Dhoire’s Charlie Ó Muirí, St Mary’s Anton Corr sent a long-range shot toward the goal, which was fumbled into the net by Gaelcholáiste Dhoire goalkeeper Fionnan Ó Beart and the West Belfast school had cut the deficit to within one.
A flurry of points followed, with Seán Ó Ceallaigh and Damhnaic Ó Ceallaigh scoring for Gaelcholáiste Dhoire, while Ben Gamble, Frazer McGivern, Emmet Rainey, and Lorcan O’Rawe kept the scoreboard ticking for the West Belfast school.
A defensive error allowed Gaelcholáiste Dhoire’s Cathair Ó Ceallaigh to snatch a goal in the twenty-fifth minute, but St Mary’s finished the half strong.
After another brilliant save by netminder Holbrook, Ben Gamble saw his initial goal attempt saved before finishing the rebound to the net for the men in green and gold, granting St Mary's a two-point lead at the small whistle.
The second half continued the breathless pace, as Gaelcholáiste Dhoire came out firing needing to close the gap after the restart, and that they did, registering quick points from Brogan Ó Dughaill and Damhnaic Ó Ceallaigh. But St Mary’s held their nerve and maintained their advantage through a Daire Burke free swiftly followed by a superb point from the under pressure Anton Corr.
The Derry natives rallied and strikes from Felix Mac Oscar and Odwan Ó Giollain kept Gaelcholáiste Dhoire right in the contest and any hope of St Mary's pulling away was non-existent, they knew they were in a battle for a spot in the final eight.
In the 40th minute, Lorcan O’Rawe fired over a spectacular point from far out on the left wing for St Mary’s to restore their two-point advantage. However, the defining moments of the second half belonged to Aidan Holbrook with the St Mary’s shot-stopper stepping up and producing a brilliant save in the mid-way point of the second-half.
Moments later, Holbrook was called upon again with an unbelievable point-blank stop with the ten minutes from the whistle, that kept his team’s momentum alive.
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire secured points from Odwan Ó Giollain but St Mary’s found their crucial fifth goal in the forty-fourth minute when Frazer McGivern provided a fantastic finish from play.
In the final moments points from Damhnaic Ó Ceallaigh and a free from Brogan Ó Dughaill kept Gaelcholáiste Dhoire in the hunt.
However, St Mary’s demonstrated excellent composure to close out the game as scores courtesy of Emmet Rainey, Lorcan O’Rawe, Dara Ward, and Dylan Hand McCallin all helped their lead increase to a healthy state.
The security score from Anton Corr capped off the thrilling contest with a long-range strike in the fifty-eighth minute, and St Mary's confirmed their spot in the final eight of the Danske Bank Ulster Schools Cup.
St. Mary’s CBGS: Aidan Holbrook; Fionntan Burns, Oliver Crossan, Anthony Brennan; Eoghan Herron, Darragh Loughran, Oran McCann; Ben Gamble, Anton Corr; Frazer McGivern, Dara Ward, Daire Burke; Emmet Rainey, Dylan Hand McCallin, Lorcan O’Rawe.
Gaelcholáiste Dhoire – Fionnan Ó Beart; Gara Mac Bhoscaidh, Eanan Kolbohm, Cahir Buistir; Oisín Ó Coinn, Brogan Ó Dughaill / Ó Cinneide, Micheal Mac Ghiolla Domhnaigh; Ultan Ó Ceallaigh, Charlie Ó Muirí; Liam Ó Cleirigh, Cathair Ó Ceallaigh, Damhnaic Ó Ceallaigh; Odwan Ó Giollain, Seán Ó Ceallaigh, Felix Mac Oscar.
Referee – Brendan Totten
