A giant was slayed by a minnow in Ballyhaunis on Saturday.
All the odds were stacked against St Mary’s University in the Sigerson Cup final.
The tiny Belfast teaching college with a student population of about 1,000 took on the mighty UCD. The Dublin university not only had the population advantage with about 25 times more students to choose from, but they also had history on their side.
UCD entered into the final as defending champions with 33 Sigerson Cup titles in the trophy cabinet. St Mary’s, on the other hand, had just one, and that solitary triumph came in 1989.
Five minutes into the game, it looked like the favourites were on course to get the result everyone had expected as they fired in two early goals. However, St Mary’s weren’t about to take this one lying down. When the pressure was heaped, they used it to create diamonds by scoring nine points unanswered/
Poor UCD shooting was the story of the second half, but St Mary’s bravely held on to win the game by 0-13 to 2-6 and claim just their second ever Sigerson Cup title.
Coach Paddy Tally sank to his knees at the full time whistle in a cathartic reaction to the incredible result.
Video courtesy of Jerome Quinn Media
