U13 Hurling championship
Clonduff 4.04
Ballygalget 3.03
Clonduff u13 hurlers secured their place in the semi finals of the top-tier all-county championship with a sensational late victory over Ballygalget in Clonduff Park on Friday evening.
Having suffered an agonising one point loss away to Bredagh the previous Friday, in a game played in the middle of Storm Betty, they went into their last group game knowing that only a win would keep their championship hopes alive. Ballygalget were this year’s u-13 all-county division 1 league winners and Clonduff went into the game as severe underdogs.
Despite this, they showed strongly throughout the first half and created numerous opportunities, but struggled to get points on the board and Ballygalget went in at half time six points to the good.
Clonduff matched them score for score in the second half, but struggled to narrow the gap, and they were 5 points adrift of Ballygalget with only five minutes to go.
In a sensational turnaround, however, all of Clonduff’s hard work and perseverance throughout the game eventually paid off. Two goals and a flurry of points in the last five minutes turned a 5-point deficit into a 4-point lead and a stunned Ballygalget had no response as the boys held on to take an historic victory.
This is the first time in the history of the club that any hurling team has reached the semi-finals of a top-tier all county championship, and the lads had to beat both Ballycran and Ballygalget, two of the hurling kingpins of Down, to achieve this historic feat, of which they should be extremely proud.
They now face another Ards hurling stronghold, Portaferry, in the semi-final on Friday 1st September.
Team: Seán Óg, James, Daniel, Killian, Brendan, MJ, Jack, Seamus, McKenzie, Sammy, Tom, James, Shay, Rory, Mark, Dáithí, Gary, Ryan, Martin, Adam, Tiernan
Unfortunately the lads succumbed to Portaferry in that semi final but we are all very proud of the wonderful year these young boys had.
On the Strangford Ferry on their way to the semi final in Portaferry
