By 
Dean Maguirc Carrickmore 1-18 St Mary’s CBS Belfast 2-8
DEAN Maguirc Carrickmore are just sixty minutes away from successive appearances in the Ulster Schools MacLarnon Cup Final after seeing off the challenge of St Mary’s CBS Belfast on the 3G pitch in MUSA on Thursday afternoon.
It was a game that the winners always looked to be in control of and they never looked back after establishing a 1-6 to 0-1 lead by the end of the opening quarter.
St Mary’s did mount a comeback and at one stage they had reduced the deficit to three but the sign of a good side is that they are always able to respond with scores and this is exactly what Dean Maguirc did every time they were challenged.
The Dean defence played well as a unit with Michael Gallagher, Ciaran McCrystal, Eoghain Conway and Padraig Donaghy to the fore, the latter causing the St Mary’s side untold problems with his continuous bursts forward.
At midfield Phelim McCrory produced a man of the match performance alongside Michael McCallan while up front Vincent Gormley and Caolan Grimes were to the fore with 0-7 between them. They now meet further Belfast opposition in the form of Aquinas in the semi final.
The Dean opened the scoring inside sixty seconds when McCrystal came out of defence well to find McCallan who picked out McCrory off the shoulder for a well worked point. St Mary’s levelled with a superb effort from wing half back Oisin McLaren after he had gone past two or three challenges.
The Tyrone lads then enjoyed a purple patch that went a long way towards them winning the game. Caolan Tracey blasted over the bar for an advantage that they were never to lose before Gormley found the range.
In the 10th minute Dean Maguirc struck for their goal when McCrystal and Donaghy combined for McCrory to fire home.
The Dean now had the bit firmly between their teeth and Donaghy fisted over after another lung bursting run before Tracey registered again. The Dean had their tails up and when Marcus Conway, Donaghy and Grimes combined for the latter to score there was already a long way back for St Mary’s.
The Belfast school though then enjoyed their best spell of the game with quality scores from Matthew Murray, Caden Lagan, Odhran McAuley and Padraig O’Muirigh to play their way into the game.
Eoghain Conway and Gormley responded for the Dean but in the 25th minute it was game on when Murray found the back off the net after he reacted first to a O’Muirigh shot coming back off the bar.
Carrickmore though didn’t panic and they reeled off the last three scores of the half from Gormley, Odhran Curran and Grimes to leave it 1-11 to 1-5 at the break.
McCrory and McAuley exchanged early second half points before the winners increased their advantage with scores from a brace of Grimes frees either side of a point from play from McCallan.
That left it 1-15 to 1-6 with the game being played on Dean’s terms but they were given a wake up call in the 51st minute when McLaren gathered a loose ball to score a goal. As was the case throughout the game, Dean Maguirc wasted no time in responding via points from Donaghy and Lorcan Meenagh and while St Mary’s had the final say through Oisin Boyle and O’Muirigh it was only academic at that stage.
Scorers
Dean Maguirc: Phelim McCrory 1-3, Caolan Grimes 0-4 (3f), Vincent Gormley 0-3, Padraig Donaghy 0-2, Caolan Tracey 0-2, Eoghain Conway 0-1, Odhran Curran 0-1, Michael McCallan 0-1, Lorcan Meenagh 0-1 (f).
St Mary’s Belfast: Oisin McLaren 1-1, Matthew Murray 1-1, Odhran McAuley 0-3, Caden Lagan 0-1, Oisin Boyle 0-1, Padraig O’Muirigh 0-1
Teams
Dean Maguirc Carrickmore: Tarlach Treacy, Eoin Kelly, Michael Gallagher, Adrian Berlowski, Ciaran McCrystal, Eoghain Conway, Padraig Donaghy, Phelim McCrory, Michael McCallan, Caolan Tracey, Vincent Gormley, Rory Woods, Marcus Conway, Caolan Grimes, Odhran Curran. Subs: Eoghain Mullan for Curran, Shane Morris for Woods, Lorcan Meenagh for Grimes, Ciaran McKenna for Berlowski, Cal McAleer for Marcus Conway
St Mary’s Belfast: Caoimhin McCorry, Liam Connolly, Brendan McMorrow, Ryan Donnelly, Oisin McLaren, Caden Lagan, Jay Gault, Caolan Wilson, Oisin Boyle, Darren Delander, Odhran McAuley, Fintan McKinney, Matthew Murray, Padraig O’Muirigh, Sean Og McLaren. Subs: Zak Kennedy for Delander, Eoghan Miller for Sean Og McLaren
Referee: Paul Faloon, Down