NEWRY Shamrocks won their first Down SFL title in 46 years with an impressive 1-13 to 1-7 emphatic victory over Castlewellan at Ballymartin.
Their title famine came to an end because of the draw between holders Burren and An Riocht.
In a game of high-grade football it was the Shamrocks side which looked the more impressive.
Trained, coached, managed and inspired by former All-Ireland winning captain D J Kane, they eased through to an historic victory.
Gary Lyons and Gary Smith gave Shamrocks a slight edge at midfield while in defence Donie O’Hanlon, Con Davey and Keith Kelly were most impressive.
In the 10th minute Castlewellan struck for goal. Finbar Rice and Martin McKibben did a one-two for McKibben to send the ball to the net.
But the title was sewn up for Shamrocks midway through the second half when DJ Kane put Collie Burns through for a goal followed by points from Shane Davey and Keith Kelly.
Shamrocks: P Crimmins; G Loughran, D O’Hanlon, P McGoldrick, D McParland, C Murphy, T Kearney, G Lyons, G Smith (0-2), C Burns (1-2), D J Kane (0-2), S Davey (0-3), G Trainor (0-1), K Kelly (0-3), B Loughran.
Castlewellan: M McVeigh, D Ward, M Guinness, C Rice, D Anderson, K Keaveney, G Keaveney, K Owens, M McKibben (1-2), F Rice, A McVeigh, C McCann (0-1), P Hardy (0-1), M McGeown (0-1), C McCabe (0-2)
Referee: M Cole (Warrenpoint).
ooooooOOOOOoooooo
LIAM Coyle’s goal for Derry City at Brandywell on Saturday required a level of skill for which he should really need a licence.
No stranger to the extraordinary on the football field, Coyle surpassed even his own brilliance with this strike.
With Derry a goal down, through a Martin Reilly strike, and half-time approaching they were enjoying sustained pressure without really looking like getting a goal.
But when Coyle received possession with a defender on his heels and his back to goal, he juggled the ball to one side and crashed a 20-yard volley in off the crossbar.
The goal illuminated what was a pulsating game between the current league champions and the current league leaders.
Derry's next fixture is away to Shelbourne, another game they can't afford to loose.
But Liam Coyle is already sidelined with a recurrance of a back injury which made him doubtful for the Pat’s match and which forced him off after 64 minutes.
Derry City: O'Dowd, Doherty, Brunton, Hutton, Curran, Dykes, Mohan, Hegarty, Coyle, Hargan, Keddy Sub: Beckett for Coyle (64)
St Patrick's Athletic: Woods, Burke, Lunn, Lynch, Hawkins, Gormley, Morgan, Osam, Reilly, Gildean, Molloy
Referee: Hugh Byrne (Dublin)
ooooooOOOOOoooooo
BELFAST flyweight Damaen Kelly is on course for a hat-trick of wins by Christmas after scoring his second inside the distance victory in Manchester at the weekend.
And Clones heavyweight hope Kevin McBride followed his example forcing the referee to intervene in the first round of his planned Saturday night eight rounder.
The 24-year-old Turf Lodge fighter Kelly blasted Bulgaria’s Bogidar Ivanov out of the reckoning with a KO in round one at the Bowlers Niteclub close to Old Trafford.
Ulster GAA Writers' Association 1997 annual awards night banquet in Bundoran, county Donegal
