London celebrate winning the Christy Ring Cup final at Croke Park. Photo by Stephen Marken/Sportsfile
Christy Ring Cup final
London 1-27 Derry 1-24
By Paul Keane at Croke Park
New recruit Davy Devine rose to the occasion with a terrific 1-12 as London, coached by Cork's Anthony Nash, claimed the Christy Ring Cup title.
A strong final quarter performance that included six points in a row at one stage ultimately won it for London who have secured a first title since 2012 and their second overall. Their reward is a place in next season's Joe McDonagh Cup competition.
That will be a significant jump in standards though Devine has shown that it's possible to move seamlessly from one grade of hurling to another.
The Westmeath man was a Warwickshire player just last year but moved to London for 2025 and was the difference in this final.
In all, London scored eight of the game's last 12 points as they turned the screw late on - and Devine scored five of those.
The Kilburn Gaels clubman also scored London's goal midway through the first-half while Enda Egan and Dylan Dawson contributed seven points between them in the breakthrough win.
But it's agony again for Derry who have slipped to their third final defeat in a row and their fourth in five seasons.
They got it back to a one-point game late on and appeared to have momentum on their side at that stage but 72nd and 74th minute points from Devine secured the win for London.
Derry topped the Ring Cup group previously and, significantly, beat London by 2-19 to 1-18 when they met in the round robin.
London previously slipped up in the Division 3 National League final against Mayo, who played earlier today in the lower tier Rackard Cup final.
So Derry supporters travelled to Croke Park optimistic about finally ending their streak of Ring Cup final defeats.
But they never managed to get ahead of a slick and fully focused London side that led for the majority of the contest.
London signalled their appetite for destruction with four of the game's first five points.
Devine struck two of those from frees and then popped up at the back post to volley to the net following Sean Glynn's run through the centre and lay-off.
Slaughtneil's Cormac O'Doherty was Derry's main scorer, hitting nine points overall.
London led by 1-15 to 1-12 at half-time though a resurgent Derry wiped out the deficit after the restart, drawing level at 1-19 apiece in the 52nd minute when Cushendall clubman Christy McNaughton hit his third point of the day.
That's when things got really interesting because London reeled off six points in a row in response, seizing control of the game and then wincing as Derry picked off four points themselves.
Eamon Conway had a strong second-half for Derry and clipped over their last score in the 71st minute, leaving a point in it at that stage.
London weren't to be denied and pulled clear for the three-point win with those two stoppage time Devine scores.
Derry were awarded a free in at the death but O'Doherty's rasping shot was blocked on the line for a 65 that also failed to yield the goal they needed to force extra-time.
Scorers for London: David Devine 1-12 (9fs), Enda Egan 0-4 (3fs, 1 65), Dylan Dawson 0-3, Sean Glynn 0-2, Conor O'Carroll 0-2, Paul Kennedy 0-1, Conor McCormack 0-1, Tom Millerick 0-1, Jack Morrissey 0-1.
Scorers for Derry: Cormac O'Doherty 0-9 (8fs), Thomas Brady 1-1, Eamon Conway 0-4, Christy McNaughton 0-3, Ruairi O Mianain 0-2, Richie Mullan 0-2, Cahal Murray 0-1, Shea Cassidy 0-1, Ryan McGill 0-1.
London: Mark Kilgannon; Niall Fitzgerald, Conor Byrne, Stephen Whelan; Tom Millerick, Enda Egan, Padraig Muldoon; Adam Cunney, Paul Kennedy; Jack Morrissey, Sean Glynn, Dylan Dawson; Conor McCormack, Conor O'Carroll, David Devine.
Subs: Niall Geoghegan for Fitzgerald 35+2, Rory Lodge for Kennedy 44, Owen Sheil for McCormack 55, Tom Hanifin for Cunney 69, Donnacha Leahy for Dawson 72.
Derry: Sean Kelly; Sean Cassidy, Mark Craig, Patrick Turner; Ruairi O Mianain, Richie Mullan, James Friel; Meehaul McGrath, Eamon Conway; Thomas Brady, John Mullan, Cormac O'Doherty; Cahal Murray, Christy McNaughton, Shea Cassidy.
Subs: Paddy Kelly for Friel & Ryan McGill for Brady 56, Gerald Bradley for McGrath 61, Callum O'Kane for Mullan 68.
Referee: Padraig Dunne (Laois).
