Group 2
St John’s 0-8 Cargin 2-13
Rossa 3-11 Tír na nÓg 1-5
IT was as impressive as it gets from Cargin at a sunny Corrigan Park yesterday as the defending champions powered past St John’s.
The result secures first place in the group with a game to spare and leaves the Johnnies and Rossa to battle it out in a fortnight to decide who joins them in the last eight.
Ronan Devlin’s men were superior right throughout the field, mixing clever play with a great appetite for work and the Cargin men will be very happy with their performance. It means there is nothing riding on their final game against Tír na nÓg, who are now eliminated.
This game took a little while to settle, but it was Cargin who were quicker to do so, with Tómas McCann pointing a free and then landing from play either side of Eoghan Run Lambert’s first big stop of the half when his feet thwarted Conhuir Johnston.
Conall Bohill got the hosts off the mark 10 minutes in but the Erin’s Own men rattled off a trio of scores in quick succession through Benen Kelly, James Laverty and Pat Shivers.
The Johnnies were in danger of being overrun as they couldn’t seem to gain much by way of possession but did manage to steady as Paddy McBride squeezed over.
However, each time they did manage a score, Cargin had a reply, with Tomás McCann responding to that score and another from McBride, while Kelly responded to one from Conor Adams.
St John’s didn’t help their cause with five poor wides in the first half and although Lambert would make another point-plank stop, this time from Michael McCann who was always a threat on the edge of the square, Conhuir Johnston pointed in added time to ensure a 0-9 to 0-4 advantage at the break.
A pointed free just after the break from McBride hinted at a St John’s revival, but it failed to materialise as Johnston replied before Tom Shivers got in on the act.
The goal Cargin had threatened duly arrived on 37 minutes as Pat Shivers clipped a ball inside to Johnston who laid off into the on-rushing Sean Og O’Neill, who gave Lambert no chance this time.
That was as good as that with David Johnston then seeing a shot cannon off the top of the bar, strike the post and drop over.
The Johnnies had little to take from this game aside from a beauty of a score by Conor Adams, but McCann replied in kind for his fifth of the day and three minutes from time, they grabbed a second goal.
Again it was Johnston with the assist as he galloped through the middle and laid off to Tom Shivers who did the honours to cap a fine win.
Rossa got their campaign back on the rails with a 3-11 to 1-5 home win over Tír na nÓg.
Dominic McEnhill netted midway through the first half and although the Randalstown side hit back with a goal of their own through Barry McCormick, Rossa led 1-4 to 1-2 at the half.
McEnhill would grab his second goal two minutes after the restart and a third Rossa goal followed soon after when a mistake from the kick-out gave Stephen Beatty a gift of an opportunity to finish and seal the win.
Group 1
Aldergrove 0-10 Lamh Dhearg 0-19
St Enda’s 0-5 Dunloy 3-15
The top two in Group 1 are already decided with a round of games to go as last year’s finalists, Dunloy, and Lámh Dhearg are assured of a place in the last eight.
On Saturday at Hightown, the Cuchullains romped to a win over Naomh Éanna as goals from Anthony Smith, Keelan Molloy and a Caolan Gillan penalty had them virtually out of sight at the break, leading 3-8 to 0-4.
The previous evening, Lámh Dhearg also made it two wins from two as they claimed victory at Aldergrove.
Just four points was the margin with 10 minutes to play when Aldergrove’s Emmett Irvine was sent off and this would end his side’s hopes as the Red Hands, led by Conor Murray who finished with eight points, powered home.
Group 3
Moneyglass 2-9 Portglenone 1-17
Ahoghill 1-13 Glenravel 0-10
Portglenone had to come back from a 2-5 to 0-9 half-time deficit at Moneyglass whose goals came through Conleth McCann and James McCormick, but Casement’s gradually took over in the second period with Aidan McAleese finding the net after 49 minutes to help them to a win and top spot.
In the other game, Ahoghill grabbed their first win with a 1-13 to 0-10 victory over Glenravel as a goal two minutes after the break helped them get off the mark.
Group 4
Creggan 0-8 St Brigid’s 1-11
St Brigid’s made it two wins from two with an impressive win at Creggan.
The Biddies led 0-8 to 0-1 at the half and although Creggan ate into the gap in the second period, a goal from Rory McErlean five minutes after Tiernan McAteer’s lobbed effort had come back off the crossbar at the other end, saw the city side take a big step towards the last eight.
Round three fixtures
Group 1
Sunday, September 1 (1pm) St Enda’s v Aldergrove (Corrigan Park) Lámh Dhearg v Dunloy (Ballymena)
Group 2
Friday, August 30
Tír na nÓg v Cargin (Dunsilly, 6.45pm)
Saturday, August 31 St John’s v Rossa (Lámh Dhearg, 5pm)
Group 3
Friday, August 30 Moneyglass v Ahoghill (Portglenone, 6.45pm)
Sunday, September 1 Glenravel v Portglenone (Ballymena, 3pm)
Group 4
Round three
Saturday, August 31 Creggan v St Gall’s (Lámh Dhearg, 3pm)
Sunday, September 1 Aghagallon v St Brigid’s (Corrigan Park, 3pm)
