Round-up: Saturday's Masita All-Ireland Post Primary Schools action
Outside the Hogan Stand, Croke Park. Photo by Ray McManus/Sportsfile
2024 Masita All-Ireland Post Primary School Hurling Finals
Paddy Buggy Cup (Senior B Hurling)
St Killian's, Carnlough 4-13 Blackwater Community School 0-13
St. Killian’s College of Carnlough in Antrim were crowned Paddy Buggy (Masita All Ireland Senior B) champions after a dominant opening 10 minutes of their All-Ireland final at the NGDC at Abbotstown paved the way for their success. The Paddy Buggy Cup will travel to the Glens after they defeated Waterford’s Blackwater Community School by 4-13 to 0-13.
The winners secured complete control of the contest inside the opening 10 minutes when they ran riot, racking up a 3-3 to 0-0 lead. St. Killian’s enjoyed the dream start when a ferocious Oran McCambridge run culminated in him scooping possession into Antrim senior Joseph McLoughlin, who struck his side’s opening goal.
Eight points separated the sides when Callagh Mooney’s long-range delivery was secured by Orrin O’Connor, who duly pulled first time to the net. Another Cormac McKeown delivery from distance found the net directly to propel the Antrim side 3-3 to no score in front, leaving the Munster champions with a mountain to climb.
To Blackwater’s credit, they battled manfully in a contest which could easily have turned into a landslide. A Ben Cummins free gave the Waterford side their first score and settled them into the contest after a poor start.
They continued to battle hard and show moments of real quality, with joint captain Ben O’Sullivan striking over a sensational score during the opening period. However, St. Killian’s led by 3-8 to 0-6 at the interval, as they didn’t give their opponents the goal chance they badly needed.
The Waterford side kept plugging away, with fellow joint captain Ben O’Keeffe firing over a booming long-range free to make this a three-score game.
However, St. Killian’s were in no mood to entertain notions of a comeback. as Orrin O’Connor rifled to the roof of the net.
Niall McInerney Cup (Senior D Hurling)
St Mary's, Newport 6-17 St Enda's, Galway 1-7
In Tulla, St. Mary’s of Newport were crowned Niall McInerney (Senior D) Cup champions as a Shane Flanagan hat-trick was enough to put clear daylight between themselves and Galway’s Coláiste Einde. The Tipperary school emerged 6-17 to 1-7 winners as they produced a sensational display in their biggest game of the year.
David Minogue’s side were superb from the outset and never trailed as they backed up their emphatic semi-final victory with another impressive triumph. Coláiste Éinde, from Galway city, came through a sensational 13-goal thriller in their semi-final win over Dean Maguire College of Carrickmore, but were unable to trouble their foes’ defence in the same manner today.
St. Mary’s edged in front during the opening exchanges before they struck their first blow when Darren Collopy galloped through and found joint-captain Shane Flanagan, who blasted to the bottom corner of the net. The roles were reversed for the second major as moments later Flanagan found the onrushing Collopy, who shrugged off all would be challengers to force home a second major.
This helped his side lead 2-3 to 0-1 after 10 minutes and although Cian Corcoran stemmed the momentum with four points in the opening period, the Tipperary side were classy. Neat Cillian Collins and Tommy Cusack efforts before the break saw the winners lead 2-10 to 0-5 at the change of ends.
A scintillating team move saw St Mary’s dash any hopes of a comeback two minutes into the second half as Collins and Poole combined to tee up Flanagan to rattle the onion sack from close range. Collopy netted a penalty to register his side’s fourth major while Brian Tobin nabbed his goal as he buried to the net to capitalise on excellent close control from Callum Poole.
Jason Carr, who bagged 4-1 in the Galway side’s semi-final win, managed to find the net after being denied twice previously, but Flanagan completed his hat trick as the game entered injury time to cap a man-of-the-match display and put the final exclamation point on a memorable All-Ireland win.
