Danske Bank Corn Mac Neasa final
St Patrick’s, Lisburn 5-5 St Joseph’s, Belfast 3-6
A GOOD start was half the battle for St Patrick’s Lisburn yesterday afternoon as they became first time winners of Corn Mac Neasa at Coláiste Feirste.
They went 2-2 up in the opening ten minutes, the goals coming from Rónán Arthurs and Eoin Morris, and, although they failed to score again during the first half, they still held a four points’ advantage at the change of ends.
St Joseph’s had a lot of possession for the last 20 minutes of the first half with Beto Unhabo and Niall McCarthy both busy around the midfield area, but their only reward was a goal from Noah Kennedy.
However at the start of the second half, Charles McGrandles buried a third goal for Lisburn and, after Conal O’Hagan had pulled a goal back for St Joseph’s, McGrandles took off on a 50 metres run and finished it spectacularly by driving to the roof of the net.
From that point onwards Lisburn looked the lylike winners with McGrandles, Eoin Morris and Caeden Lees always a handful, despite the best efforts of Isaac Ngoubili and Osian Woods in the Ravenhill Road side’s defence.
St Patrick’s C McGrandles 2-0; E Morris 1-3 (0-2f); R Arthurs & R Denver-Largey 1-0 each; C Lees & D McParland 0–1 each
St Joseph’s L McCartan & C O’Hagan 1-2 each; N Kennedy 1-0; Beto Unhabo 0-2
Danske Bank Senior Medallion Shield semi-final
Assumption, Ballynahinch 2-10 Sacred Heart, Newry 2-6
TEN years on from their only success in the Senior Medallion Shield, Assumption, Ballynahinch are back in the final after using wind advantage to build up an interval lead of 2-7 to 1-2 in Castlewellan yesterday.
Goals from Lena Mason and Rose Carson helped them to that advantage with two points each from Cora Croskery and Áine O’Neill and junior player Alannah McKay.
However, a goal late in the first half from Sacred Heart’s best player Niamh McGrath left them in with a chance of turning the tables.
Assumption, though, closed down at the back during the second half and openings were scarce for the Newry girls, with Erin Douglas pulling off a superb save before Síofra Doherty scrambled a goal that came too late to put the winners under any real pressure.
St Conor’s, Clady had beaten another Down school – St Malachy’s, Castlewellan – last Friday by 7-8 to 2-5. The final will take place in mid-January.
Assumption R Carson 1-1; L Mason 1-0; C Croskery, C McConnell, Á O’Neill & A McKay 0-2 each; S Coulter 0-1
Sacred Heart N McGrath 1-3; S Doherty 1-0; O Crimmins, M Tumilty & E Smyth 0-1 each