Mixed fortunes in MacRory Cup quarter-finals

THERE WAS mixed fortunes for the three Tyrone schools in MacRory Cup quarter-final action over the past week.

Omagh CBS accounted for St Colman’s Newry 1-16 to 1-9 after extra-time to book their passage into the last four, where they will be joined by Holy Cross Cookstown who edged past Abbey CBS 1-9 to 0-10.

However there was disappointment for St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon who were comprehensively beaten by St Mary’s Magherafelt 2-18 to 0-9.

Omagh CBS turned on the style in extra time to finally get the better of a gallant St.Colman’s. With just five minutes to go Newry had their noses in front but man of the match Oisin Gormley then conjured up a brilliant equaliser and in those closing moments it was Omagh CBS who passed up a number of opportunities to advance to the semi finals in normal time. In extra time though “The Brothers” at last broke their opponents’ resistance as they outscored them 0-8 to 0-1 to ensure their name went into the hat for the draw.

Omagh couldn’t have wished for a better start to the game as they struck for a goal with only three minutes on the clock when Patrick McCann drilled a low shot to the bottom right hand corner of the net.

St.Colman’s opened their account in the 13th minute from a Dara Quinn free. Michael Murdock then converted another free for the Newry lads but Omagh responded either side of the first water break through a McCann mark and an excellent effort from play from Eoin McElholm. That left them four clear but within five minutes the sides were level as Finnegan first of all scored from a mark before bursting through to blast to the Omagh net. Quinn then put St.Colmans in front for the first time but Omagh had the final say of the half through Conor McGillion to leave it 1-4 each.

In the opening attack of the second half McCann landed another point but Colman’s responded with two frees from Quinn.

A surging run from centre half back Sean O’Donnell finished with him striking a wonderful equaliser before Gormley edged them in front with a superb effort from distance. By the second water break though Colmans were level as defender Eoin McKee got their first point from play. At this stage the Newry school were in the ascendency and they went in front via Callum O’Neill. Omagh though dug deep with a brilliant Gormley equaliser.

In extra time though there was only one side in it as St.Colman’s visibly tired. O’Donnell hit an outstanding point with the outside of his boot and Gormley followed up with a beauty despite being under pressure.

McGillion then got in on the act and while Finnegan responded it was McGillion again who left it 1-12 to 1-9 at the break. On the restart a strong run from McElholm saw him win a free which he converted himself and substitute Charlie Donnelly made an impact with two neat points either side of one from Jared Brogan as Omagh closed the game out strongly.

Holy Trinity showed tremendous guts and character to grab a winning goal deep into injury time at Pairc Esler in Newry on Thursday evening to defeat Abbey CBS and qualify for the last four of the MacRory Cup for the first time in the school’s history.

Leading by a point at the interval the winners struggled to make an impact up front after the break and with less than ten minutes left to play they trailed by two and had yet to add to their first half tally. Their opponents were also down to fourteen men at this stage but the winners refused to accept defeat and kept plugging away and they got their reward when Shea Lawn converted a last minute free to level matters.

It looked a certainly that it was going to require extra time to decide but Holy Trinity demonstrated their battling qualities as they turned over Abbey CBS in their own defence and when the ball was played across the goalmouth by Shea Quinn there was Ryan Quinn to palm home a dramatic winning goal much to the delight of the travelling support.

It was the Newry school who began the better of the two sides with Niall Furlong splitting the posts in the opening seconds before Luke McKeever quickly doubled their advantage from a free. After Lawn had opened the Cookstown account Blaine Ryan, Shea Quinn and Ruairi McHugh (2) all had quality scores. Points from Eoin Loughran and Darcy Burns either side of the water break closed the gap.

Midfielder Pearse Blessing levelled matters early in the second half but by the second water break another McKeever free had Abbey CBS in front. By this stage Ryan Quinn had entered the fray and along with fellow substitute Terry Devlin they enabled Holy Trinity to gain plenty of possession. Abbey lost McEvoy for the remainder of the game in the 48th minute but soon after another McKeever free left them two clear.

Holy Trinity had missed a number of chances but a Lawn free in the 53rd minute finally opened their account before the same player levelled matters from another placed ball. With extra time looming the joint effort of Blaine Ryan and Shea Quinn saw them turn O’Callaghan over and when the latter raced through before offloading to Ryan Quinn who did the rest.

St.Patrick’s Academy Dungannon’s attempt to become the third Tyrone side to reach this season’s McRory Cup semi finals ended in failure at Ardboe on Sunday afternoon when they were well beaten by an excellent St.Mary’s Magherafelt side.

The Derry lads played against the wind in the first half at Coney Park but they were well on their way to victory by the short whistle having established a 2-8 to 0-6 advantage. The Academy had stuck with their opponents for twenty seven minutes of that opening period but when the winners grabbed two late goals you always felt that the writing was on the wall for Dungannon.

Niall O’Donnell, John Lavery and Tom Shivers all had Magherafelt points inside the opening five minutes and it could have been worse for the Academy had keeper Niall Robinson not pulled off an excellent save to deny man of the match Conhuir Johnston a goal. Ryan Donnelly opened Dungannon’s account in the 7th minute but the warning signs were already there for them as time and time again Magherafelt were able to cut through their defence at will.

James Quinn hit a couple of scores with Cormac Devlin also on target but each time Magherafelt were able to respond through Ruairi Forbes and Johnston. Quinn then got his third of the half and at that stage it was 0-8 to 0-6 and the Academy would have been relatively content to be still in contention. All that was about to change though as first of all O’Donnell converted a penalty and then on the stroke of halftime Johnston capped a fifty metre run with an outstanding goal.

Quinn had the opening score of the second half from out on the left wing but Magherafelt quickly got on top again. Wing half back Forbes bombed forward for his second point of the afternoon with Johnston and midfielder Ryan McEldowney (2) tagging on further scores to leave them virtually out of sight.