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Superb McBride goal helps Derry earn draw

Ulster SHC/Derry 2-9 Down 1-12: These two sides will have to do it all again next Sunday after a battling second-half display…

Mon May 23 2005 - 01:00

Ulster SHC/Derry 2-9 Down 1-12: These two sides will have to do it all again next Sunday after a battling second-half display saw Derry earn a replay at Casement Park last night. Down led by five points at the break but Derry fought back to earn a draw after a goal from Seán McBride.

Derry got off to an ideal start when Geoffrey McGonigle latched on to a long puck from Ruairí Convery to bundle the sliotar to the Down net.

Points from Gregory Biggs and Reamonn Kennedy saw Derry lead by 1-2 to no score after seven minutes but Down then began to dominate. Points from Martin Coulter and Gerard Adair got them off the mark. On 22 minutes they took the lead when Martin Coulter finished to the net from an acute angle and they led by 1-9 to 1-4 at the interval.

Derry started the second period with renewed vigour and points from Kennedy and McGonigle got them to within striking distance. In the 47th minute McBride rocketed a first-time shot to the top corner of the Down goal to tie the score at 2-6 to 1-9.

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With 13 minutes to go the pendulum swung in Down's favour as Andy Savage and Martin Coulter give them a one-point lead but Biggs tied things up again for Derry with a free from 80 metres with 10 minutes remaining.

Both sides had chances to win it late on with Brendan McGourty going close for Down and Biggs dropping an injury-time sideline cut just short of the target but the draw was a fair reflection of proceedings.

In Gaelic Park, New York, last night the home side gave Antrim a fright as the reigning Ulster champions were brought to extra-time before prevailing by 2-20 to 2-14 to book their place in the Ulster final on June 5th.

DERRY: K Stevenson; B McGoldrick, L Hinphey, G Brunton; C Brunton, M Conway, P O'Kane; Gary Biggs, Gregory Biggs (0-2, free); R Convery, R Kennedy (0-2), P Hearty; S McBride (1-0), G McGonigle (1-4, four frees), F McGuigan. Subs: C Quinn for Hearty (30 mins), J O'Dwyer (0-1) for McGuigan (48 mins), Aaron McCloskey for Cathal Brunton (58 mins).

DOWN: Graham Clarke; L Clarke, S Murray, C Coulter, Gabriel Clarke, G Savage, S Wilson (0-1, free); G Adair (0-2), P Monan; E Clarke (0-1), G Johnson (0-1), B McGourty; M Coulter (1-3, one free), E Trainor (0-2), S Clarke (0-1). Subs: A Savage (0-1) for Monan (48 mins), J McCusker for S Clarke (61 mins).

Referee: G Devlin (Armagh).