Omagh CBS 1-12 Patrician High Carrickmacross 0-11
A goal from substitute Vincent Lowry a minute from the end of normal time proved to be the decisive score as a relieved Omagh CBS side held off a determined challenge from Patrician High Carrickmacross at Fintona this afternoon to book their place in the Danske Bank MacRory Cup quarter final.
Wind assisted Omagh appeared to be in control at the break but credit to the Monaghan lads who produced a superb second half display that saw them fightback to take the lead twice before being pipped at the post in the closing moments.
Paudie Goodman, playing on his home ground, opened the scoring from a 45′ and by the 11 th minute Omagh were 0-4 to 0-0 to the good thanks to points from Thomas Meenan, Harley Patton and Jake Donnelly.
Harry Reilly opened the Carrickmacross account in the 13 th minute but despite having plenty of possession the Monaghan school coughed up a number of turnovers.
Diarmuid Martin, Patton, Meenan and Donnelly helped stretch the Omagh lead to 0-8 to 0-1 before Carrickmacross had the final say of the half from Joseph McArdle.
Cian Rafferty opened the second half scoring for Carrickmacross but they then had keeper Liam Mulholland to thank for an excellent save as he turned Meenan’s goalbound effort onto the post.
Peter Connolly reduced the deficit further when raising an orange flag before Ryan Baxter fisted over for Omagh. The Monaghan lads though were beginning to grow in stature with Tom Maguire and Michael Doogan Burke both raising white flags before a super two pointer from Oran Connolly in the 42nd minute left it all square.
Centre half forward Fergal McEnaney then edged Patrician in front for the first time but back came Omagh with an equaliser from full forward Martin.
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With nine minutes to go a Rafferty 45′ had Carrickmacross back in front but that proved to be their last score of the game.
Inspirational Captain Michael McNamee set up Meenan for the equaliser before the centre half back also supplied the ass for Baxter to put Omagh back in front in the 57 th minute.
Extra time was looking a possibility until Lowry struck for that winning goal.
Omagh scorers: T Meenan 0-3, V Lowry 1-0, H Patton, D Martin, R Baxter & J Donnelly 0-2 each, P Goodman 0-1 (45).
Carrickmacross scorers: C Rafferty 0-2 (1x 45), P Connolly, O Connolly 0-2 (2pt) each, H Reilly, J McArdle, T Maguire, M Burke; F McEnaney 0-1 each.
Press Eye – Belfast – Northern Ireland – 11th February 2024.
Danske Bank MacRory Cup Final, BOX-IT Athletic Grounds, Armagh.
Omagh CBS V St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon
Eoin Donaghy of Omagh CBS gets away from Conall Morgan of St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon
Photo by Andrew Paton/Press Eye
Our Lady’s Castleblaney 1-16 St Joseph’s Donaghmore 0-12
Two scoring bursts of six points without reply ultimately proved to be the difference between the two sides in this last sixteen encounter in the Danske Bank MacRory Cup in Castleblaney this afternoon.
The home side went into the game as favourites and they were given an early boost when St Joseph’s defender Oisin Cullen scored an own goal.
Adam Cushahan replied from a free for the Tyrone lads but it was then that Our Lady’s put their foot on the gas.
Tristan Nugent weighed in with a trio of points with Senan Hanratty, Evan Treanor and wing half back Charlie Mone also on target as they established a 1-6 to 0-1 lead.
Gradually Donaghmore began to come into the game and a productive spell yielded them points from Caolan McKee and Aidan Quinn coupled with an orange flag from Cushnahan.
Going into the closing stages of the first half the winners rallied again with scores from Nugent, Treanor and Hanratty to lead 1-9 to 0-5 at the interval.
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Having hit the last three scores of the opening period Castleblaney followed that up with the opening three of the second half as well via Treanor and Nugent (2) to leave them well in control.
Finbar Quinn and Tiernan McGeough exchanged points before another effort from Quinn was followed by one from centre half back Larry Shields as Donaghmore closed the gap slightly.
The winners though were always able to keep their opponents at arms length despite registering just a single point in the final quarter through wing half back Mone.
Cushnahan converted two frees either side of a two pointer from a placed ball as well but its Our Lady’s Castleblaney who marched on to the last eight after Christmas.
Our Lady’s Castleblaney scorers: T Nugent 0-7 (3f), E Treanor 0-4, O Cullen 1-0 (og), C Mone 0-2, S Hanratty 0-2 (1 x 45), T McGeough 0-1.
St Joseph’s Donaghmore scorers: A Cushnahan 0-7 (2 x 2ptf, 3f), F Quinn 0-2, C McKee, A Quinn, L Shields 0-1 each