Down Club Hurling & Football

[thewobbler]

Harps probably put on their best Championship performance in history tonight.

It wasn't a vintage Rosteevor team by any stretch, but had Murtagh and co brought their shooting boots with them, there could have been conceivably 15 points in it.

The workrate, intensity and desire were sublime. I reaaly don't think I've ever seen a Harps team tackle and harry like that. So top marks to Shane, Cathal and Ciaran.

It's difficult to pick a man of the match tonight, but Paul Murphy's fielding, Robbie White's support play and Damien Campbell's brilliance in defence all deserve a special mention.



As for best club players in Down, for the past 5 years or so, the like of Murtagh, Coulter, Ronan Sexton and Clarke have continually excelled. Sexton is the odd one there in that the others are one man scoring machines, but he has been the exemplerary link man.

Others who have rarely done anything other than impress for the clubs when I've seen them are Miceal Sloan, John Boyle, Conor Daly, Shane Ward, Anthony Devlin, Aidan Shields,
Colm Kearney, Liam McVeigh, James McGovern, Ryan Kelly, Damian McGrady, Mark Doran, Darren Cunningham, Joe Doran, Damien Campbell, Ciaran Sloan (kilclief), Gavin Barry, Brendan Grant, Dominic McEvoy, Peter Turley (hoops), Johnstone from Tullylish, Cormac Murphy and last but not least, Damien Rafferty.

[supersub]

Great win and overall impressive team performance from the harps tonight in a 1-11 to 0-5 scoreline against a very mediocre Rostrevor team. Paul Murphy had a good hour in midfield while the brilliant Ronan Murtagh terrorised the reds blanket defence.

Ballyholland scores: Ronan Murtagh 1-5, Patrick Quinn 0-4 Kieran Murphy 0-1 and Tony Havern 0-1.

Rostrevor scores: Colm Clerkin 0-2, Sean Magee 0-1, loyd Parr 0-1 and Dermot Mackin 0-1.

Very dissapointing from our point of view. Seemed to be second to everything and generally looked like we lacked the desire necessary to win this sort of game. Credit to the harps as has been mentioned they worked tirelessly all game and gave great support to each other on and off the ball! Hard to pick a main man but thought Paul Murphy was excellent. In saying this, rostrevor didn't put up much of a challenge to him or his team mates around the middle!

Another championship year passed us by in the first round - our lads need to look at themselves and ask dovthey really want to play for the shirt or are they happy to just turn up. Bitterly dissapointing. Any other neutrals at the game apart from MDG?

[supersub]

Also what did anyone think of Leo tonight? Some poor decisions I feel. Not that it stopped us from winning/competing but didn't think he handled the game too well.

[off the laces]

IFC FT: Drumgath 0-15 Saul 2-7

SP, is there no report on this one, who stood out?

[Wee Shea]

Supersub, does Aidy Mackin still play for you? Went to school with him, he was unreal underage.

[No1]

Some result for the Harps.  Murtagh is without doubt the most devastating forward we've ever come up against (although we haven't played in Div 1 in 30 years  ).  Lethal pace and excellent finisher.

Unlucky S*ul, maybe the new soccer team up there is having an effect.....................

[supersub]

Supersub, does Aidy Mackin still play for you? Went to school with him, he was unreal underage.

Yeh Aidy still plays but unfortunately due to work/family commitments he has not been able to commit to the senior team over the last year or so. Played a few reserve games at start of the year and easily the best player on show. Big loss, could do with his scoring!

[5 Sams]

Ballyholland  win

Bit of a shock that... any reports form it?

The Rostrevor boys didnt know what hit them last night. Harps put up a high intensity performance from start to finish and from from 1 to 20 which they simply couldnt get to grips with at all. As The Wobbler said they were lucky they werent beaten by twice as much....the Harps were that good. Although Murtagh scored 1-4 he wasn't firing on all cylinders. He had a dose of the Johnny Doyle yips in the first half and should have really killed Rostrevor off on his own by half time.

Its a credit to the work Shane, Cathal and Kieran are doing with these boys...as John Rafferty said to them after the game last night...you reap what you sow. First senior championship win in 10 years and I've a feeling it can be built upon if the draw is kind to us.

[amallon]

Ballyholland were by far the hungrier side and never looked like loosing.  Both sides played the short passing game and it wasn't pretty at times but Rostrevor's final ball into their forward division was terrible nearly all night.  Ballyholland just mopped it all up.  I thought Leo did alright, he got the square ball decision for the disallowed Ballyholland goal correct.  Both players were in the square when the ball was passed.  Rostrevor will find it hard to lift themselves for the rest of the league and could be in trouble.  Well done to Ballyholland very deserving winners.

[buglebhoy]

Great win for the Harps last night. It was a similar performance to that of Down's on Saturday were by the underdog showed more hunger and desire to turn their opponents over and come out on top.

Mayobridge's new field looking pretty good. When's it opening? Car park could do with a bit of maintenance. 

[Out in Front]

Drumgath 0-15 Saul 2-7

Saul took the lead after eight minutes through Nathan Keenan
Miceal Quinn levelled matters three minutes later.
The sides were level again midway through the half at 0-2 apiece.
Drumgath opened a four-point gap with McConville, Mark Connolly (2) and Peter Hynes scoring.
Two late frees from Keenan brought Saul back into the game 0-6 to 0-4 at half-time.
Drumgath opened the scoring after the break with points from Stephen Parsons and Declan Sheeran.
Saul struck back with a goal from Paul Ferris - 0-8 to 1-4.
Sheeran and Ferris exchanged points before Keenan grabbed the equaliser - 0-9 to 1-6
Two Connolly points and one from McConville put Drumgath three ahead.
Saul struck for their second goal from Michael Vint - 0-12 to 2-6.
Vint put Saul ahead with a point
Two McConville points edged Drumgath back in front before Sheeran hit a point on the stroke of full-time.

[amallon]

The new field in the Bridge will be ready for next season.  The sorting the car park is to be done in the last phase of the development hopefully next year.

Bryansford Castlewellan should be a good one tonight.  Castlewellan could really do with the win tonight to put some life into their season, but I can't see anything other than a Bryansford win.

[Radda bout yeee]

I know this is slightly of subject but thought someone on this board would know

What were the teams lined out for down in the all ireland finals in 1991 and 1994?

[supersub]

Rostrevor 0-5 Ballyholland 1-11

We went to the bridge looking for a win
Ballyholland the opposition, losing would be a sin
The teams arrived early ready for battle
Hard to call this one, harps will give it a rattle.
The crowd stood eagerly awaiting the action
'Reds in the next round' they were hoping would be the caption.

The game threw in and it was all guns a blazing
Harps were at full tilt, the intensity amazing
Reds got the first score, threw young Sean Magee
But not long after the harps had three.
Murtagh was flying, he was a hard man to mark
With the towering Murphy the difference was stark.

Havern struck out, McGrath went to ground
But Leo bottled it, just a yellow he found.
Coming up to half time a leak at the back,
Murtagh burst through the defending was slack.
The troops trotted off, reds losing by five
It will take some effort to keep this game alive.

The second half began and went much the same way,
Harps knocked over again, it wasn't the reds day.
Leo pulled over to the line by his mate,
A strike by McGrath, red card was his fate.
How could this be, the first half saw the same
Though only yellow for Havern, the ref was to blame!

The game went on and there wasn't much fight
Rostrevor lost out, no work rate no bite.
All credit to Harps they did their club proud
Celebration after this must have been allowed!
And so it's gone by, another first round defeat
It's not a good feeling this old 'getting beat'.

Where do they go now? Where to begin?
Hopefully next year we will get that first round win.

[amallon]

Top class supersub!

Didn't get to tonights game any updates appreciated.