Armagh Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals: Middletown Na Fianna 3-19 Derrynoose 2-12; Cúchulainn’s 2-20 Seán Treacy’s 2-6
TWO second-half goals from Ryan Gaffney were enough to cement a Middletown comeback and earn them an ultimately comfortable win against Derrynoose in Saturday’s Armagh SHC semi-final.
Underdogs Derrynoose competed well throughout and were four points to the good early in the second-half thanks to a Davy McCreesh goal and a pair of points from Aaron and Cormac Fox.
The wheels then began to come off the Derrynoose wagon from there on in, however, with a string of 10 unanswered points from the Gaffney brothers, Dean and Ryan, Marty Moan and Nathan Curry putting Middletown four in front.
By the time Derrynoose had managed their next score through an Aaron Fox free in the 59th minute, Ryan Gaffney had grabbed his first goal and his second in injury-time put the icing on the cake.
The defending champions will play Cúchulainn’s in the county final after the Armagh city men strolled to victory over Seán Treacy’s in yesterday afternoon’s second last-four encounter.
Cúchulainn’s were seven up at the break, 1-3 to 0-10, and had doubled that margin to 14 by the time the final whistle was blown.
