Slaughtneil crowned Derry champion for 10th year in a row

Slaughtneil 2-18

Kevin Lynch's 1-08

Slaughtneil are 10-in-a-row Derry senior hurling champions after an emphatic second half saw them cruise past Kevin Lynch's at Owenbeg on Sunday afternoon.

Second half goals from Jerome McGuigan and half-time substitute, Brendan Rogers, whose introduction sparked the Emmet's into life, took the game away from a Lynch's side who had led 0-06 to 0-05 at the break.

With Rogers back, Slaughtneil found an extra gear after the break to outscore Lynch's by 2-13 to 1-02 in a second half that became a victory procession for a remarkable group of players, two of which, Chrissy McKaigue and Se McGuigan, have played in all 10 finals.

Lynch's were dealt a major blow only seven minutes in when ace defender Paddy Kelly was forced off injured, to be replaced by Ronan Mullan but if they were unsettled by the reshuffle they didn't show it. With a swirling wind, Lynch's greater intensity was upsetting Slaughtneil's rhythm.

The Emmet's had plenty of possession but with Rogers still confined to the bench after the wrist injury which has kept him out of both club codes so far this season, Slaughtneil were making precious little inroads against an excellent Lynch's backline.

That statistic was best illustrated in 14 first half wides for the Ulster champions, a figure in stark contrast to the three shots by the Dungiven men at the other end. Indeed, Lynch's first shot off target did not arrive until the 26th minute of a tactical opening half.

Slaughtneil captain Cormac O'Doherty with the Fr Collins Cup… alongside Kieran Leadon of Leadon Timberframe and Derry GAA Chairperson John Keenan, following today’s SHC Final