Friel hits 0-20 as Swatragh hold off 'Screen to lift Derry Junior hurling title

Swatragh 3-30, Ballinascreen 4-22

James Friel hit 0-20 as Swatragh were crowned Derry Junior Hurling champions following a thrilling extra-time victory over Ballinascreen at Find Insurance Owenbeg on Sunday.

Friel's accuracy from frees - he scored all but two of his shots across the 80 odd minutes - was the deciding factor in an exciting final which defied that fact that neither club was overly happy to be appearing in it! But 14 years after being crowned senior champions, Cathal J. Quinn's lovely late solo goal finally put the seal on a match that had swung one way, then the other with 'Screen very unfortunate after marginally shading the regulation 60 minutes.

Swatragh were last Oak Leaf club to get their hands on the Fr. Collins Cup before Slaughtneil's current dominance and have understandable concerns over the new hurling championship format, but there's no team in Ulster will want to meet them on this display. And in Friel they have one of the class acts in Derry hurling, his prowess from placed balls and vision from a deep lying play-making role hugely impressive. It was far from a one way Swatragh show though with Cathal J. Quinn also outstanding.

And while Swatragh were celebrating, the result was cruel on a 'Screen team for whom Paul Cleary hit 1-10 and the excellent Shea Murray missed a difficult late chance to win the game in normal time.

Indeed it was 'Screen who raced into an early and deserved lead, Shane Grant setting them on their way with a point inside the first 60 seconds. That was followed by scores from Cleary (f) and Paul McNicholl before Friel's first of the day got Swatragh up and running five minutes in.

'Screen were bossing it though and their response to Swatragh's opening point spoke volumes as Jude Connery drove in off the right wing to shoot low into the net past Niall McQuillan for 1-03 to 0-1 with six minutes gone.

Swatragh took time to settle in a game where the sides would be level nine times, but they gradually began to reel 'Screen in with Friel punishing every misdemeanour as they wiped out the lead by the 19th minute thanks to points from Friel (5f), Cathal Murray - with his side's first from play on 13 minutes - Cathal J Quinn and Fintan McGurk.

’Screen were continuing to tag on scores themselves through Jude Connery, Cleary (f) Reece McSorley but they were indebted to keeper Martin Mulgrew for a good save with his feet from McGurk's goalbound pull. From the resulting '65 Friel shot his side ahead for the first time at 0-10 to 1-06 on 22 minutes.

It was tit-for-tat from there to the break, Screen regaining the initiative with four unanswered scores from Cleary (2), Connery and Shane Grant for 1-10 to 0-10 only to see a controversial Swatragh goal send the teams into half-time tied once again. Dom Bradley had already reduced the arrears before, with 'Screen claiming what looked a foul on corner-back Ciaran McBride, Swatragh midfielder Cathal Murray was able to win possession, drive in off the line and flick home his team's opening goal from the most acute of angles.

A late Cleary free was the half's final score but at 1-11 apiece, there was nothing between them.

And so that trend continued into the second half as the teams traded proverbial punches without either being able to land the knock-out blow. First Swatragh grabbed a second goal only two minutes after the restart, Cathal J Quinn's brilliant run deserving a goal but paving the way for Fintan McGurk to pull first time on the loose ball for 2-11 to 1-11.

The goal was still the crucial score until the 44th minute when Paul McNicholl fortuitously registered a second major for 'Screen, his long range effort dropping over the head of Mulgrew and into the net to mean St. Colm's were now only one adrift again at 2-14 to 2-13.

And just two minutes later Ballinascreen were ahead again thanks to a third goal as great work by substitute Ryan Scullion allowed Jude Connery to tee up Cleary for a first time finish and a 3-14 to 2-15 lead. However Swatragh were level again by the 49th minute and with neither side able to engineer any daylight in a dramatic final 10 minutes, it was off to extra-time.

Three further times in the opening half of the extra period the teams would be locked, but late points from Cathal Murray and Friel, the latter a huge free from close to the sideline, saw Swatragh turn around 2-26 to 3-21 ahead and this time there would be no way back for 'Screen.

Aodhan O'Hagan did grab the opening score of the second period of extra-time but four unanswered scores from Friel (2f), Catahl J Quinn and McGurk finally provided a match winning cushion. They needed it too as Conor Murtagh hit the top corner with the goal of the match - and probably the championship - late on but the final say was Swatragh's, and Cathal J Quinn's as his excellent solo goal put the seal on a great Junior final.

Swatragh scorers: James Friel 0-20 (19f, 1 '65), Cathal Murray 1-2, Cathal J Quinn 1-3, Fintan McGurk 1-2, Dom Bradley 0-1, Sean Marty Quinn 0-2.

Ballinascreen scorers: Paul Cleary 1-10 (8f), Jude Connery 1-3, Shane Grant 0-2, Paul McNicholl 1-1, Reece McSorley 0-3, Conor Murtagh 1-1, Aodhan O'Hagan 0-1.

Swatragh: Niall McQuillan, Cathal Quinn, Patrick Turner, Ben Kearney, John McKeagney, Tiernan Walsh, Daire O Laoclainn, Conor Murray, Cathal Murray, Brendan Bradley, Fintan McGurk, Sean Martin Quinn, Dom Bradley, James Friel, Cathal J Quinn. (Subs) Kevin McAllister for B Bradley, 50mins; Shea Walsh for D Bradley, 54mins; Brendan Bradley for S Walsh, ET; Dom Bradley for K McAllister, HT (ET);

Ballinascreen: Martin Mulgrew, Shea Murray, Jamie Lee McGlade, Ciaran McBride, Shane Grant, Ciaran Doyle, Aodhan O'Hagan, James McDaid, Ruairi McWilliams, Jude Connery, Paul McNicholl, Reece McSorley, P, 50mins; aul Cleary, Ger Dillon, Caolan Connery. (Subs) Ryan Scullion for S Grant (inj), 41mins; Conor Murtagh for Ger Dillon, 50mins; Shane Grant for R McWilliams, 6mins (ET).

Referee: Sean McGuigan