Derry SHC Final: Slaughtneil 3-24 Kevin Lynch’s 1-10
Slaughtneil made it 13 county titles in-a-row soundly beating Kevin Lynch’s by 18 points at Owenbeg on Sunday.
Shea Cassidy (1-8) top-scored for the reigning provincial champions with Brendan Rogers (2-2) and Chrissy McKaigue (0-5) also filling their boots.
The Emmet’s attacked this game like a side hungry for their first taste of silverware and not a team that had annexed the Fr Collins Cup for the previous dozen years. Chrissy McKaigue, playing inside forward, nailed two early points as his side raced to a 0-6 to no score lead.
Underdogs Kevin Lynch’s finally opened their scorecard when Richie Mullan converted a free from distance with almost 10 minutes gone.
That, however, only seemed to anger the beast as Slaughtneil’s response was both immediate and emphatic when Rogers’s marauding run resulted in the first goal of the game in the 11th minute.
Four minutes later they scored their second goal when Cassidy lasered his bullet into the top left-hand corner of Seán Kelly’s net.
And by the time Rogers kicked home goal number three it left the Ulster champions 3-14 to 0-3 up at half-time.
In fairness to Davy McCloskey’s men they improved after the break, but would wait until the 44th minute before Corey O’Reilly accounted for their first point from play.
Richie Mullan battled to the dying moments of this one-sided encounter, notching a personal total of 1-7 in a losing cause.
But this was Slaughtneil’s day, again. Buccaneering defender Finn McEldowney, Ruairí Ó Mianáin and Cathal Ó Mianáin all caught the eye for Paul McCormack’s side, who take another step towards defending their provincial title.
SLAUGHTNEIL: O O’Doherty; F McEldowney (0-1), P McNeill, C McAllister; R Ó Mianáin (0-2), M McGrath, Shane McGuigan (0-3); Se McGuigan (0-1), Chrissy McKaigue (0-5); M McGuigan, C Ó Mianáin (0-1), E Boylan; B Rogers (2-2), C O’Doherty, S Cassidy (1-8, 3f).
Subs: J McGuigan (0-1) for Se McGuigan, E Cassidy for M McGuigan (both 40 mins); P McCullagh for McGrath, Cathal McKaigue for Boylan (both 49 mins); D McNamee for McAllister (50).
KEVIN LYNCH’S: S Kelly; O McElhinney, J Mullan, E McKeever; S Millar, C Kelly (0-1), N Ferris; D McGilligan, C O’Reilly (0-1); T Brady, N McNicholl, S O’Neill; M Craig, R Mullan (1-7, 6f), N McGonigle.
Subs: T McHugh for O’Neill (20 mins); P O’Kane for Craig (27); C Óg McCloskey (0-1) for McGonigle (37); KB Mullan for Millar, C Gaile for Brady (both 44).
Referee: Ciarán O’Kane.
