Four Mayo players feature in entertaining Ryan Cup quarter-final
The Dublin students are now through to the last four of the Higher Education league competition
On Wednesday evening, UCD advanced to the last four of the Ryan Cup while two Mayo players were on the winning side as the Dublin based students ran out 1-19 to 2-13 winners over UL.
UCD, the hosts used the wind and the bench to their advantage as they ran out two point winners under lights in Belfield Thursday night.
It was the Limerick side that started the stronger, leading by six points after ten minutes with Crossmolina’s Diarmuid Coggins being deployed as a roaming corner forward.
Then up stepped Claremorris sharpshooter Niall Hurley to raise the Dublin side’s first orange flag with a great free from range. With the new rules on trial, the opponents buried a goal which was worth four points. A couple of more scores from that man Hurley had the score at 1-11 to 0-6 as the half time whistle sounded which saw UL go in front.
The Dublin side unleashed their bench at the beginning of the second half and Ballinrobe’s Diarmuid Duffy broke straight through from the throw-in but UL defended the effort well. Another south Mayo man was sprung from the bench by UL with Kilmaine’s Hugh O’Loughlin making his first appearance of the season. An early score from the visitors was their last score for nearly 20 minutes.
The comeback began with another Hurley effort before Leitrim’s Barry McNulty and Duffy took over in the middle third. Another two points from Hurley who finished the evening with 0-8 steered UCD in the direction of the semi-final.
This probably won’t be the last time these two teams meet and with a number of Mayo players to come back for both sides, the Sigerson campaign will be one to watch from a Mayo perspective.