Cappataggle 4-23

Gort 2-18

Darren Kelly at Duggan Park

CAPPATAGGLE defied their previous form at Duggan Park on Sunday as a pulsating start toboth halves allowed them run out comfortable winners in this senior hurling championship preliminary quarter-final.

A Liam Collins goal after two minutes set them up before Lewis Coughlan got their second for a seven-point interval advantage.  Within six minutes of the restart, Niall Collins and Oran Finn also raised green flags.

Gort were shell-shocked! Even though they suffered a first round loss to St. Thomas, they appeared to have turned the corner in drawing with Turloughmore before putting five goals past Portumna.

But while David Huban’s charges kept battling despite once being 17 points behind, they played catch-up the whole afternoon and never got closer than within two points of Cappataggle.

Steven Creaven’s team dominated the opening exchanges as they tried to isolate their two inside men (Liam Collins and Jarlath Mannion) and both played a part in the opening goal. Lewis Coughlan’s ball found Mannion out right and he forced a save from keeper Gavin Lally.

However, Liam Collins was quickest to react and he batted to the net. He extended that advantage before adding another thanks to Darragh Dolan’s spadework. Two more points from Mannion by seven minutes had it 1-4 to 0-0 in Cappataggle’s favour.

Gort finally got off the mark on eight minutes with Paddy Commins’ free after Greg Lally had been denied by a one-handed James Skehill save. And the sides shared the next four scores – Oran Finn and a Niall Collins placed ball tallied for Cappataggle, with Commins twice replying for Gort.

But Gort then had a breakthrough on 16 minutes. Jason Grealish dropped back as a holding midfielder and his drive down the left allowed Richie Cummins take the catch and sneak in behind James Garvey. He shot, Skehill’s body blocked, but the ball deflected into the net.

Pictured: Cappataggle’s Jarlath Mannion speeding away from Gort’s Eoin Killeen at Duggan Park.