Sport

Coulter does trick for Down

Ulster SHC replay Down 3-21, Derry 4-9: Down earned a place in the Ulster final after putting in a determined second-half performance…

Mon May 30 2005 - 01:00

Ulster SHC replay Down 3-21, Derry 4-9: Down earned a place in the Ulster final after putting in a determined second-half performance to finally see off the challenge of Derry at Casement Park yesterday.

Derry impressed in the first-half and managed to match the favourites in most departments but they fell away during the second half as the Down men upped their game. They took control of the game and it was only the two goals Derry poached that kept them in the game at all during the closing phases of the match.

Geoffrey McGonigle cracked home a couple of goals on the 14th and 16th minutes to push Derry 2-4 to 2-2 ahead but Ger Adair and Seán McGourty both scored points to balance the scores in the 18th minute.

Down's goals were scored by Martin Coulter with the first arriving in the fifth minute and the second seven minutes later when his dropping free from 45 metres was fluffed by goalkeeper Kevin Stevenson.

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Three minutes into the second half the lively Seán McBride stormed in from the right to blast the sliotar to the Down net and send Derry 3-8 to 2-8 ahead but that score seemed to push the eventual winners into a higher gear.

Gareth Johnston pointed and three further scores by team captain Simon Wilson - two 65s and a long-distance free - sent Down into the lead on 45 minutes. They never again fell behind as Coulter netted again with midfielder Andy Savage (two) and Johnston hitting over points for a 3-15 to 3-8 advantage.

McBride struck for a fourth Derry goal in the 56th minute but the losers scored only one more point before the finish as Down sailed into next week's final, where they play Antrim.

DOWN: Graham Clarke; L Clarke, S Murray, C Coulter; Gabriel Clarke, G Savage, S Wilson (0-5, two 65s, two frees); A Savage (0-2), G Adair (0-1); E Clarke, P Monan (0-1), B McGourty (0-1); ½Coulter (3-3, 1-2 frees), G Johnston (0-7), S Clarke. Sub: D Flynn for S Clarke (69 mins).

DERRY: K Stevenson; B McGoldrick, L Hinphey, G Brunton; C Brunton, M Conway, P O'Kane; P Doherty, Gregory Biggs (0-1); R Convery (0-1), R Kennedy (0-1), C Quinn; S McBride (2-3), G McGonigle (2-3, 1-3 frees), J O'Dwyer. Subs: P Hardy for Quinn (53 mins), A McCloskey for Doherty (53 mins), P Sweeney for Convery (69 mins).

Referee: B Kerry (Westmeath).