Portaferry make it five Down SHC titles in a row with win over 14-man Ballygalget

Portaferry make it five on the bounce. Pic: Laszlo Geczo/Inpho

Down SHC final: Ballygalget 2-17 Portaferry 2-28 

There was no stopping Portaferry on Sunday in Pairc Esler where they made it five Morgan Fuels Down Senior Hurling Championship titles in a row against 14-man Ballygalget.

For the past three years Ballygalget have been second best in the final and Sunday was no different despite putting it up to the Down kingpins for most of the game.

Portaferry showed just why they are the best in the county however, with a dominant final quarter that saw them run out 11-point winners in the end.

Both sides raced out of the blocks in this hugely entertaining final with Ciaran Mulligan netting for the Ports with just two minutes on the clock and the scoreline reading 0-5 to 1-3 in the fifth minute.

Ballygalget had done their homework having lost by 15 points to Portaferry earlier in the competition and went looking for a goal of their own. 

They came close with a clever move that saw Eoin Pucci play a close-range free short to Shea Pucci but the latter lost his footing and the chance as he was about to strike. 

A maximum was imminent however and it came from the same player following a flowing team move between Tim Prenter, Cathal Coulter and Pucci. 

That put Ballygalget into a 1-5 to 1-4 lead but the sides were level seconds later when Daithi Sands pointed and so it continued with the match square again 1-10 each with 22 minutes played. 

Cathal Coulter raised a second green flag for Ballygalget and there was only a point between the teams at the break with Ballygalget leading 2-11 to 1-13 at the break.

Jordan Doran was red carded on 38 minutes leaving Ballygalget down to 14 men and that was all Portaferry needed to pull away in the last quarter. 

Eoghan Sands scored their second goal and with a 2-16 to 2-12 lead there was no stopping them as they saw out the game in the last five minutes to win 2-28 to 2-17 in the end.

Scorers for Ballygalget: Cathal Coulter 1-6 (4f), E Pucci 0-5 (4f), T Prenter 0-3, S Pucci 1-0, Owen McDermott 0-1, M Fisher 0-1 (1f), M Og Dorrian 0-1.

Scorers for Portaferry : T McGrattan 0-13 (9f, 1'65), C Milligan 1-1, E Sands 1-2, F Turpin 0-4 D Sands 0-4, N Fitsimmons 0-2, C Coleman 0-1, R Blair 0-1.

BALLYGALGET: E Clarke; M Toner, B Teggart,C Watson; M Fisher, J McManus, Caolan Coulter; T Prenter, J Doran; Cathal Coulter, M Og Dorrian, Cormac Coulter; E Pucci, S Pucci, O McDermott. 

Subs: O Coulter for Cormac Coulter (h-t), D Pucci for E Pucci 40.

PORTAFERRY: P Smyth; D Mallon, B Trainor, C Taggart; C Smyth, M Conlon, D Mallon; T Murray, C Milligan; F Turpin, E Sands, T McGrattan; C Coleman, N Milligan, D Sands. 

Subs: R Smyth for Mallon (27), S Conlon for Smyth (h-t), N Fitzsimmons for Milligan (40), R Blair for E Sands (46), N Rogers for Coleman (60). 

Referee: C Masterson.