Danske Bank MacRory Cup play-offs
St Mary’s, Magherafelt 2-16 St Patricks, Dungannon 2-12
A SCORING blitz of 1-5 without reply in the third quarter proved to be key at Rossa Park yesterday afternoon as St Mary’s, Magherafelt got past the dogged challenge of St Patrick’s Academy to qualify for the Danske Bank MacRory Cup quarter-finals.
The Tyrone side had given the pre-match favourites plenty to think about in the first half, with the sides going in level at the break after Dungannon had kicked the opening four points of the contest.
But that purple patch after half-time gave St Mary’s an advantage that they were never to lose, though they were forced to live on their nerves in the closing eight minutes after Conor Holmes had found their net twice.
That left only a score between the sides but substitute Shea McCann then hit a late insurance point for the Derry lads on a day when all of their scores came from play, with impressive half-back duo Luke Grant and Darra McGuckin weighing in with 1-6 between them.
The Academy certainly hit the ground running with Eoin Long opening the scoring from a mark after only 20 seconds and Liam McGeary and Lorcan McMurray (2) adding points by the fourth minute.
That early good work was undone in the next attack when St Mary’s carved open their defence for Jude Beattie to place Eamon Young for a well-taken goal.
McGuckin, Young, Beattie and James Sargent all had quality points for Magherafelt but Dungannon stayed in touch with scores from Long, Joel Kerr, McMurray and McGeary to leave it honours even at the short whistle, 1-6 to 0-9.
McGuckin, Young and Sargent all had quality points on the restart and within four minutes they were six clear when Grant blasted to the net.
It was all Magherafelt in the third quarter as they upped the tempo with further scores from Ronan Doherty and Grant before a McMurray free in the 45th minute finally opened Dungannon’s second-half account.
Dungannon had a let-off when Fergal Logan palmed a Magherafelt goal chance off the bar and with eight minutes to go the Tyrone school were given a glimmer of hope when Holmes burst through for a goal.
Logan and Kerr exchanged points as did Lorcan Higgins and McMurray before Holmes reacted first to a breaking ball to claim his second major a minute into injury-time.
After being in control for most of the second half, Magherafelt were now only three in front but they weren’t to be denied with McCann landing that late score.
St Mary’s L Grant 1-3; E Young 1-2; D McGuckin 0-3; J Sargent
& J Beattie 0-2 each; F Logan, R Doherty, L Higgins & S McCann 0-1 each
St Patrick’s L McMurray 0-6 (0-3f); C Holmes 2-0; E Long [1m, 1f], J Kerr & L McGeary 0-2 each
St Patrick’s, Armagh 1-10 St Michael’s, Enniskillen 1-4
ST Patrick’s, Armagh continued their unbeaten run in the Danske Bank MacRory Cup with a six-point win over St Michael’s, Enniskillen in Pearse Ógs grounds to reach the quarter-finals in early January.
The Fermanagh side, who hadn’t won a game in the group stages, set up defensively in the opening half and relied on a quick counter-attack to pick off scores.
The tactic was paying off until the 18th minute when Cathaoir Hughes’s effort at a point dropped just under the bar for a goal.
Armagh therefore were able to turn around at the break with a lead of 1-4 to a single point from Luke McAnespie.
Michael McSorley scored two points from frees with James Daly and Turlough Muldoon accounting for the other two Armagh scores.
Conor Mulligan gave Enniskillen a huge lift with a goal seven minutes into the second half to reduce the lead to three points and the teams then traded three points each over the next 15 minutes.
However, St Patrick’s never looked like relinquishing that lead with Tiarnan Moore excellent during the second half and Ryan McGahon turning over several St Michael’s attacks before late scores from Daly, Hughes and Ruan McQuade made the game safe for the home side.
St Patrick’s will face either Abbey CBS, Newry or St Macartan’s, Monaghan in the quarter-finals. That play-off has been postponed due to the death of Abbey’s head of PE Jody Gormley. A re-fix date has still to be announced.
St Patrick’s C Hughes 1-1; M McSorley 0-4; J Daly 0-3; T Muldoon & R McQuade 0-1 each
St Michael’s C Mulligan 1-0; K Prior 0-2; L McAnespy & M McDermott 0-1 each
St Patrick’s, Cavan 1-9 Southwest Donegal 1-15
THE first upset of the Danske Bank MacRory Cup play-offs came yesterday afternoon when Southwest Donegal got off to a terrific start in Kingspan Breifne against St Patrick’s, Cavan and led from pillar to post to reach the quarter-finals.
There they will face the winner of this afternoon’s tie at Augher between the holders Omagh CBS and St Paul’s, Bessbrook.
That quickfire start had them six points to the good before the home side opened their account. The goal came from a fine move down the right wing, with Darragh Hennigan palming the cross to the net from close range, while Eoghan Bán Mac Niallais hit two of the points.
Cavan improved during the second quarter, but they still trailed by 1-6 to 0-3 at the break, despite points from Charlie Fallon (two) and Conor Doyle.
Player-of-the-match Shane Callaghan extended the Atlantic coast side’s lead on the re-start with two points, before Cavan hit their best period of the game, during which they reduced the gap between the teams to 1-11 to 1-7.
Paddy Brides scored the goal flicking to the net after a high ball in from Fallon caught everyone out.
The gap was down to three with just over five minutes left on the clock, but late scores from Shane Sweeney, Callaghan and Gavin Sweeney saw the Donegal combination side through.
St Patrick’s P Brides 1-1; C Fallon 0-3 (0-2f); C Doyle, O Maguire, F Buckley, F Brady & U O’Reilly 0-1 each
Southwest Donegal S Callaghan 0-5; D Hennigan 1-0; D Brown 0-2 (0-1f); P McBride (f), E Bán Mac Niallais, A Cunnea, A Neely, M Campbell, C McDaid, Gal Sweeney & S Sweeney 0-1 each
Play-off fixtures
Friday
Omagh CBS v St Paul’s, Bessbrook (Augher, 12.30pm)
Abbey Vocational, Donegal v Cathair Dhoire (Convoy, 1.30pm)
St Patrick’s, Maghera v Our Lady’s, Castleblayney (Owenbeg, 2pm)
St Colman’s, Newry v St Ronan’s, Lurgan (Darver, 7pm)
TBC Abbey CBS, Newry v St Macartan’s, Monaghan
