All-Ireland club hurling final: Watson fires Loughgiel to glory March 17, 2012





Loughgiel Shamrocks' Damien Quinn and Johnny Campbell lift the AIB ALl-Ireland club SHC trophy at Croke Park ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne Loughgiel Shamrocks' Damien Quinn and Johnny Campbell lift the AIB ALl-Ireland club SHC trophy at Croke Park ©INPHO/Ryan Byrne

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Loughgiel Shamrocks beat Coolderry by 4-13 to 0-17 at Croke Park to claim the Tommy Moore Cup.Liam Watson registered an amazing 3-7 for the winners as the Antrim champions captured the All-Ireland club title for the second time in their history, the previous success coming in 1983.A hat-trick of first-half goals from Antrim talisman Watson and another from Shea Casey fired PJ O'Mullen's charges into a commanding nine-point half-time lead, 4-6 to 0-9.Coolderry's Cathal Parlon, wearing No.12, went straight in to the edge of the square and he hit a shot from close range into the side-netting inside the opening minute. Loughgiel goalkeeper DD Quinn seemed to have his angles covered.At the other end, Watson opened the scoring from a free after a minute and 45 seconds. When Brian Carroll was fouled, the Offaly champions' dead-ball specialist Damien Murray was on hand to nonchalantly level the scores on four minutes. Kevin Brady followed up with a wide off his weaker left side.In the sixth minute, Eoin Ryan pointed for Coolderry but opposing No.15 Casey then ran through the favourites' defence and kicked the sliothar to the net to make it 1-1 to 0-2. Murray replied with a point for the Leinster kingpins.Eddie McCloskey floated over a fantastic point for the Shamrocks off his left side from the left wing and corner forward Brendan McCarry followed up instantly to make it 1-3 to 0-3 with nine minutes played. But Parlon and Carroll knocked over a quickfire brace of points to close the gap to the minimum.And the sides were level for the second time when Carroll had ample time and space to take his second successive score. McCloskey missed the target before Watson showed what he's made of with an excellent point under pressure.Amazingly, in the 18th minute, Watson was on hand to flick a groundstroke to the net (just about!) after Stephen Corcoran had parried a shot from Casey: 2-4 to 0-6 and a great start for the northerners. Wing back Kevin Brady ran the length of the pitch to pull a point back after Parlon had struck an upright.Murray and Watson both missed frees from out the field but Joey Scullion, with the No.14 on his back, struck a lovely point from distance to restore the Ulster champions' four-point cushion. Watson won and converted a free to leave the underdogs ahead by 2-6 to 0-7 after 24 minutes. Five of their starting forwards were on target already.Murray's third converted free narrowed the gap and Coolderry full back Trevor Corcoran was perhaps lucky to escape with a yellow card when he clumsily caught Watson on the forehead with the butt of his hurl. But Watson had the last laugh when, after receiving treatment, he gathered himself and rocketed a shot to the top left corner of the net from the resultant free. Watson disguised his shot, pretending he was going for a point, and caught the Coolderry defence off guard from 20 metres.Astonishingly, the same player followed up with his third goal a minute later, juggling the sliothar on his hurl after collecting from McCloskey and keeping his composure to pop it across the line. Murray replied with a pointed free but the northern raiders led by double scores at the interval, 4-6 to 0-9.Coolderry surely knew before the game that Watson was a major threat, after his immense semi-final display, so they will have been disappointed to have let him get 3-3 in the first half. Kevin Connolly came on for full back Corcoran for the Offaly men during the interval and Loughgiel introduced Seamus Dobbin, who was booked within a minute of the restart.Murray floated over the resultant free and Connolly followed up with a point from play and Quinn made a good save to deny Connolly a goal before Parlon had the gap down to six with just four minutes played in the second half, 4-6 to 0-12. And it was a five-point game when Carroll floated his effort between the posts into the empty Hill.Watson was fouled by Coolderry captain Brendan O'Meara and he tapped over the free to lift the siege. Loughgiel struck their fifth wide via McCloskey in the tenth minute of the second half and Joey Scullion followed with their sixth. Still, they led by six points with less than 20 minutes to go, 4-7 to 0-13.Corner back Paul Gilligan defended like his life depended on it as Coolderry raided looking for a goal but Murray pointed a free after Neil McGarry's foul on the ever-dangerous Parlon.Midfielder Barney McAuley avoided the hook to float over another Loughgiel point and exceptional centre back Martin Scullion made two wonderful interventions to ensure the Red & Whites of a six-point cushion with three-quarters of the match played. When Joey Scullion was fouled, Watson was on hand to convert and make it 4-9 to 0-14 in the 48th minute.It was looking ominous when Watson pointed over his shoulder; Ryan replied for Coolderry. But seven points separated the teams with ten minutes left, 4-10 to 0-15. Murray's seventh free closed the gap but time was against the Leinster champions as they still trailed by six with only seven minutes of normal time to play.Watson brought his individual tally to 3-7 when he stroked over a free from the halfway line and Brendan McCarry added a point on 54 minutes: 4-12 to 0-16. Murray drilled over another free but Coolderry had no way back…McCarry supplied the winners' 13th point in the 58th minute after more magnificent defending by Martin Scullion and after the final whistle sounded Johnny Campbell collected the silverware on a massive day for Antrim and Ulster hurling.Loughgiel - DD Quinn; P Gillan, N McGarry, R McCloskey; J Campbell, M Scullion, J Campbell; B McAuley (0-1), M McFaden; J Scullion (0-1), D Laverty, E McCloskey (0-1); B McCarry (0-3), L Watson (3-7), S Casey (1-0). Subs - S Dobbin for McFadden, T McCloskey for Dobbin, D McCloskey for Casey.Coolderry: S Corcoran; B Kelly, T Corcoran, A Corcoran; K Brady (0-1), J Brady, B O'Meara; K Teehan, D King; B Carroll (0-3), B Teehan, C Parlon (0-2); E Ryan (0-2), M Corcoran, D Murray (0-8). Subs - K Connolly (0-1) for T Corcoran, B Larkin for Kelly.Ref - A Kelly (Galway).