By 
UNDER-16 GRADE ONE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL
Ardboe 1-14 Carrickmore 1-8
ARDBOE refused to be blown off course at stormy Healy Park on Sunday as they wrested the Grade One Championship title away from holders Carrickmore, six points the winning margin.
The gale force wind, sweeping down towards the car park end at Healy Park, dictated proceedings with each side toiling to make much headway.
The elements favoured Carmen in the first period but the swirling nature of it meant they still sought to work possession in close to the target before pulling the trigger.
The most composed marksman on view during the opening half an hour was Ciaran McKeown of Ardboe and he slotted over the first of his four first half scores in the second minute to get the Rossas up and running.
Carmen full forward Conal Loughran then surged up the centre to rifle over the equaliser before Vincent Gormley tagged on a free to put them ahead.
He was on target from another placed ball soon after but that ninth minute conversion proved to be Carmen’s final score of the first period, as an assured Ardboe back unit began to get a grip on the contest.
The lively McKeown slotted over a quick fire brace to restore parity, capitalising on some positive approach work from the likes of Luke Muldoon and Odhran Coleman.
It was Coleman who then registered to put the loughshore boys ahead, and Muldoon then bulldozed through with great purpose to skilfully split the posts.
Ardboe were looking the more assured unit in the run-up to the break and a well struck ’45’ by Jack Muldoon and sharp finish by McKeown, after Delaney Lavery cut in from the right, had them four to the good at the turnaround- 0-7 to 0-3.
Fifteen seconds after the resumption Ardboe midfielder Luke Muldoon thundered through to extend their advantage and Carrickmore continued to struggle to make any inroads, despite a game showing from the likes of Finbar Donaghey, Lochlann Gillen and Vincent Gormley.
However it was their opponents who held the incisive edge as Ruairi O’Neill capped some sprightly approach work with a point, and then in the 40th minute a ball centred by Cahir McKeown was fisted to the net by full-back Finbar Donaghey, leaving it 1-9 to 0-3.
McKeown widened the gap and though Carmen sub Brayden McNally tucked away a penalty goal, they could not build up a sustained period of pressure.
Seanie Slaine, Vincent Gormley and Lochlann Gillen did guide over some quality scores for Carrickmore down the home straight but there was no doubting Ardboe’s superiority on the day.
Scorers
Ardboe: Ciaran McKeown (0-6), Odhran Coleman (0-4,2f0, Daire McKeown (1-0), Luke Muldoon (0-2), Ruairi O’Neill, Jack Muldoon (0-1 each)
Carrickmore: Vincent Gormley (0-4,3f), Brayden McNally (1-1,f), Conal Loughran, Seanie Slaine, Lochlann Gillen (0-1 each)
Teams
Ardboe: Senan Devlin, Jimmy Canavan, Daire McKeown, Joe Gillespie, Matthew Mallon, Cahir McKeown, Shea McGinley, Jack Muldoon, Luke Muldoon, Brogan Devlin, Ruairi O’Neill, Delaney Lavery, Conan Doris, Odhran Coleman, Ciaran McKeown. Sub used: Jamie Devlin for D Lavery (60)
Carrickmore: Conall Bennett, Ruairi Daly, Niall Morris, Ryan Martin, Padraig Loughran, Finbar Donaghey, James Kerr, Sean Donnelly, Lochlann Gillen, Joseph Hughes, Vincent Gormley, Paudie McCallan, Ronan Hurson, Conal Loughran, Seanie Slaine. Subs used: Aaron McElhome for P McCallan (21), Lorcan Dobbs for S Donnelly (40)
Referee: Cathal McCrory (Greencastle)