Hurlers suffer heavy defeat to Derry in Christy Ring

Derry 2-26  Tyrone 0-13

BIG improvements are now being demanded from the Tyrone hurlers after life in the higher levels of the Christy Ring Cup got even tougher for them after they slumped to this heavy loss against Derry on Saturday.

It’s a result which means that the Red Hands now need to be on form in the remaining games in the competition. An away clash against Sligo in round three is next up for them as they search for a first victory.

Team manager, Stephen McGarry, kept his players on the pitch long after the final whistle sounded at Owenbeg. Both he and they will know what’s required as their campaign continues with that crucial trip to Connacht next Saturday.

Close contests in the National League suggested that this clash against Derry would once again see the two counties battle for supremacy. But, it was clear from the opening minutes that the home team were dominant and held all the aces here.

Victory was essential for Tyrone following their loss to London in the opening round of the competition. They had been hoping to make their mark against the Oak Leafers, despite the absence of a number of key players.

Injuries to Oran McKee, Seamus Sweeney, Sean Og Grogan and Joe McToal, as well as the late withdrawal of Ben Gormley at midfield, severely undermined the competitiveness of the Red Hands.

As a result, their challenge in this second round clash never really materialised.

Derry soon opened their account. A brace courtesy of Cormac O’Doherty, followed by a Corey O’Reilly point got them going. Then, a goal from Dara Mooney after good work from Meehaul McGrath really set them on the road.

Fionn Devlin, Dean Rafferty and sweeper Cormac Munroe worked hard for the Red Hands. Bryan McGurk used his skill to good effect around midfield, and they won some possession. However, too often long balls into the danger area were comfortably intercepted by the opposition offence.

The home team continued to pile on the pressure as the first quarter developed. Two points from Cormac O’Doherty and another courtesy of Darragh McGilligan edged them 1-6 to no score ahead. In contrast, Tyrone struggled to launch meaningful attacks and two wides was all that they had mustered at this stage of the game.

Things, though, did get marginally better subsequently. Ruairi Devlin and Rory Weir worked hard and Bryan McGurk showed good skill to open the Red Hand account with a long range score. Minutes later, Aidan Kelly increased the total and there were hopes that they might stage a mini-revival.

Aidan Kelly burst through to score Tyrone’s best point of the half and reduce the deficit down to nine points, 1-9 to 0-3 into the second quarter. However, Derry’s slick passing, superior touch and defensive prowess continued to see them take control all over the field.

Darragh McGilligan, Corey O’Reilly, Cormac O’Doherty and Sean Cassidy pointed to put them 1-14 to 0-4 ahead, Tyrone’s additional point coming courtesy of an Aidan Kelly free. Sean Duffin fired over a great effort soon after, before the task facing them became even tougher.

Derry’s second goal came just before half-time and marked the expertise of their passing. Darragh McGilligan and Ruairi O Mianain combined to set up John Mullin who fired low and hard to the net. It confirmed the almost total dominance of the Oak Leaf county as Cormac O’Doherty left them enjoying a very comprehensive interval lead of 2-15 to 0-5. Urgent action was required and demanded on the resumption for Tyrone to stem the tide and put a more respectable look on the scoreboard. The early indications continued to be bad, as Darragh McGilligan and Sean Cassidy extended the lead to 2-18 to 0-6.

Tyrone though finally began to make their mark. With Lorcan Devlin providing extra cover in the defence, three points in quick succession boosted their confidence. Aidan Kelly took a pass from Lorcan Devlin to score, and moments later won possession from a Bryan McGurk pass to fire over again.

His three points at the start of that second half were important for Tyrone and the work of Dean Rafferty, Lorcan Devlin and Cormac Munroe and Bryan McGurk was crucial to keeping Derry from going even further ahead.

In reality, though, their main aim was now to finish strongly. The two managers introduced a number of substitutes and the steady flow of scores for the home team eased somewhat as the minutes ebbed away during the final quarter. Derry always remained very much on top. A series of points from Ruairi O Mianain and Corey O’Reilly. They led by 2-22 to 0-8 at that stage, before the Red Hands enjoyed the best spell of the game.

Four points in a row from Aidan Kelly paid a good dividend for both him and their workrate outfield. Each of the scores came from frees and, while they made no difference to the ultimate outcome, a 13-point total provided a timely boost in confidence.

Derry finished strongly to win by 19 points, leaving Tyrone now with work to do to secure their Christy Ring status.

The Scorers
Tyrone
Aidan Kelly 0-11 (7f), Sean Duffin 0-1, Bryan McGurk 0-1.
Derry
Cormac O’Doherty 0-8 (6f), Darragh McGilligan 0-5, Corey O’Reily 0-4, Dara Mooney 1-0, Ruauri O Mianain 0-3 (2f), Paul Cleary 0-2, Sean Cassidy 0-2, Richie Mullin 0-2 (1f).

The Teams
Tyrone
Ciaran McElhatton, Dean Rafferty, Fionn Devlin, Mark McClean, Ruairi Devlin, Cormac Munroe, Anthony Crossan, Mark McCann, Bryan McGurk, Lorcan Devlin, Aidan Kelly, Rory Weir, Cormac Taggart, Sean Duffin, Turlough Mullin. Subs: Conall McKee for M McCann (41), Mark Corry for T Mullin (53), Ronan Maguire for C Munroe (58), Cian McGuigan for S Duffin (60), James McCann for C Taggart (62).
Derry
Oisin O’Doherty, Paddy Kelly, Mark Craig, Niall Farren, Sean Cassidy, Richie Mullin, Meehaul McGrath, Cormac O’Doherty, Ruairi O Mianain, Corey O’Reilly, Aimon Duffin, Darragh McGilligan, John Nullan, Dara Mooney, Paul Cleary. Subs – Callum O’Kane for C O’Doherty (41), Thomas Brady for M Craig (50), Sean Kelly for R O Mianain (54), Christy McNaughton for P Kelly (60), Padraig Neilis for D McGilligan (62).