Sligo senior hurlers march on to league final

Back 27/03/2022 @ 00:22 | hurlingnews | Sligo senior hurlers march on to league final

Sligo senior hurlers came from behind in a rousing second half display to qualify for the final of the Allianz hurling league Division 2B with a one-point victory over Donegal in Letterkenny of Saturday – 1-20 to 1-19

The victory means that Sligo will play for a national trophy in hurling for the fifth season in succession and is just one game away from, most remarkably, being promoted for the third successive years.

Sligo started this match trading points for the first ten minutes with point from Andy Kilcullen – one from play, one from a free – but then the hosts moved ahead with first an slightly ahead but Donegal hit for a goal in the 11th minutes and then added three successive points to go seven points up before Finnian Cawley put one over for Sligo, their fourth and a first score for 11 minutes.

As things livened up heading towards the half time break, Tomás Cawley, Rory McHugh and Ruairi Brennan had points for Sligo to kept the scoreboard ticking over but Donegal; matched them to keep the margin at 6 points, 1-6 t to 0-7.

Sligo had introduced Tony O’Kelly Lynch and Conor Hanniffy just before the break and their strength  aided the Sligo cause  as they notched four points through O'Kelly Lynch, Tomás Cawley, Joe McHugh and Andy Kilcullen in the first ten minutes of the second half to bring the margin to two.

The last 20 minutes were a game in itself. First of all, having been clawed back to a two point margin, and having played tit for tat for ten minutes – matching points for Sligo by Hanniffy and two from Kilcullen (one a free) – Donegal surged again yielding two points to stretch the lead out to four with less that ten minutes to go.

Sligo were not to be denied though and Andy Kilcullen, who would emerge as Sligo’s top scorer on the day, followed in on a long-range efforts from Hanniffy to find the net and bring it back to two points. Hanniffy made it a one point game again before Kilcullen levelled it up from a free with less than five minutes on the clock.

The sides swapped frees but Sligo were emerging the stronger and more disciplined in the last few minutes which yielded opportunities that were stylishly delivered by Conor Hanniffy and Joe McHugh. Donegal reduced the margin to one with the last puck of the game but Sligo held out to secure a place in next week’s Div 2B League final against Derry.

Sligo: Jimmy Gordon; Niall Kilcullen, Mark Hanniffy, Kevin O’Kennedy; Gavin Connolly, Rory McHugh (0-1), Fionn Connolly; Finnian Cawley(0-1), Niall Feehily; Joe McHugh (0-2), Gerard O’Kelly Lynch, Kevin Gilmartin (0-1); Ruairi Brennan (0-1), Andy Kilcullen (1-8), Tomás Cawley (0-2).

Subs. Conor Hanniffy (0-3) for Brennan, Tony O’Kelly Lynch (0-1) for Gilmartin,