 Jim McKernan's Down side had to battle hard to beat the Division 3 side |
Down held off battling Derry to edge a 3-20 to 1-22 verdict in Saturday's Christy Ring Cup opener at Newry. Eoin Clarke's 17th-minute goal helped Down lead 1-13 to 0-10 at half-time. Gareth Johnson's goal helped extend Down's lead to nine but Sam Dodds' extraordinary haul of 16 points kept Derry in touch. An Ally Higgins goal increased Down's lead to 3-16 to 0-17 but a Conor Quinn goal left only a point between the sides before Down pulled clear late on. The two teams served up an excellent contest with Dodds' score-taking the undoubted talking point from the clash. Eoin Clarke rattled in Down's opening goal from close range after James Coyle's shot had come back off the woodwork. Down led by six at the interval and Gareth Johnson blasted in the Mourne County's second goal four minutes into the second half. At nine points ahead, Down looked in control but Derry then hit four unanswered points with Ben Dodds and Sean McNicholl also among the scorers. Down appeared to have finally broken Derry resistance when Higgins lashed in a long-range Simon Wilson free to the net. But Conor Quinn replied with a Derry goal from a twice-taken 20-metre free to cut Down's lead to five. Derry hit four further points to cut Down's lead to the minimum with four minutes left but points from Eoin Clarke and Simon Wilson helped the home team take the win.
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