Calry claim Sligo hurling hat-trick

Calry St Joseph's 2-6 Western Gaels 1-6

Sligo star Keith Raymond bagged five points as Calry St. Joseph's claimed their third Sligo Senior Hurling Championship title in succession thanks to a goal victory over Western Gaels at Tourlestrane this afternoon.

In a repeat of last year's final pairing St Joseph's were forced to dig deep, only scoring three points in the second half, all in the closing ten minutes of this game.

Raymond got the reigning champions off the mark with the opening score of this game, but it was Western Gaels who netted the first three-pointer of the afternoon.

Thomas Ryan was the Gaels goal-poacher as he placed his side into a 1-00 to 0-01 lead by the seventh minute.

But Western Gaels were forced to take a back seat, as Calry's superior class came to the fore.

Goals from Tipperary native Mick Shelley and Sligo forward Michael Gilmartin pushed their side into a 2-03 to 1-02 lead by the 20th minute.

Neither side were to score again before the interval, and indeed it took the Calry outfit a half an hour before they added further scores.

Western Gaels showed great hunger in the third quarter, with points from all angles as they helped to cut the deficit to a point.

Despite Calry amassing 12 wides in this game, they came to the fore once more when it matter most as scores from defender Liam Reidy and Raymond (0-02) paved the way for a Calry three-in-a-row.

The Sligo champions now advance to the Connacht Junior Championship where they will face the Leitrim winners.