Cookstown Minors ‘Mastered’ in the Ulster Club by holders

Cookstown 0-8  Four Masters 1-12

TYRONE champions Cookstown Fr Rocks bowed out of the fonaCab Ulster Minor Club Championship at the semi-final stages on St Stephen’s Day in St Paul’s Belfast losing to defending champions Four Masters.

The Donegal men deserved their victory but the Fr Rocks lads will regret signs of inexperience at crucial stages when the game was in the mix.

Favourites Four Masters raced into an early advantage with points from corner forwards Oisin Doherty and Thomas Lenehan within five minutes.

Cookstown were beginning to find their rhythm and Lorcan McMurray opened their account when he reacted quickest after Eoin Long mark had come off the post. McMurray tied up the game as he raced up the centre to split the posts.

Eoin Long gave the Tyrone men the lead after McElhone had been fouled in the tenth minute but this was quickly cancelled out by Four Masters danger man Conor McCahill who received and then shot on the turn. Doherty put Masters back in front from a placed ball and the advantage was doubled with McCahill’s second score.

Four Masters were building momentum but key forward Kevin Muldoon picked up a black card for dragging down Michael Lennon. Cookstown failed to use the extra man and the only score during the ten minutes came from Masters centre back Callum McCrea. continued to have an influence driving forward, he ghosted past two Fr Rocks defenders and extended the lead to four (7-3) at the interval.

Cookstown started the second half in the ascendancy and playing their best football of the game began making inroads on the deficit.

A Long free and a point from Karol Wawrynkiewicz halved it before McCahill opened his second half account. Fr Rocks pressed forward and scores from Long and Lennon left the minimum between them with twenty to go.

Cookstown had opportunities in the next three attacks but didn’t register, passing up a goal opportunity following a mix up from the kick out. Lenehan converted an important mark to relieve the pressure, minutes later Tomas Carr scored from an acute angle and the lead was back to three, as the game entered it’s final quarter.

Yasin Baba swung over an excellent score to narrow the gap but this prove to be Cookstown’s final score, as a free from McCahill and the fifth of the afternoon from the same player gave the champions the insurance score.

The victory was wrapped up in the final minute when Kevin Muldoon’s shot was well saved by Sean Og Quinn but the rebound fell to Theo Colhoun who finished at the second attempt.

Cookstown finished with 14 players after Charlie Hawker picked up a red for an off the ball incident deep into added time.

The seven point winning margin doesn’t reflect the contest, but champions Four Masters have reached a third successive final and will clash with Derry champions Magherafelt, on New Years Day. The Donegal men will be aiming to do back to back titles, while Magherafelt will hope to secure the Ulster club double after lifting the Paul McGirr, earlier this month.

Teams & Scorers

Cookstown: Sean Og Quinn, Shane Corrigan, Darragh McHugh, Charlie Mulligan, Luke Neeson, Karl Wawrynkiewicz (0-1), Michael Lennon (0-1), Yasin Baba (0-1), Conall Sheehy, Sean Devlin, Lorcan McMurray (0-3, 0-1f), Charlie McElkearney, Chris Ward, Eoin Long (0-2, 0-2f), Jack McElhone. Subs used: Charlie Hawker for Ward, Matthew McCrellis for McElhone, Rian McIvor for McHugh, Daniel Ward for McElkearney

Four Masters: Lewis McCaughan, Cian Gavigan Daniel McGinty, Eoghan O’Neill, Patrick McGonagle, Callum McCrea (0-2), Aidan Quinn, Tomas Carr (0-1), Tiarnan McBride, Theo Colhoun (1-0), Turlough Carr, Kevin Muldoon, Thomas Lenehan (0-2, 0-1m), Conor McCahill (0-5, 0-1f), Oisin Doherty(0-2, 0-1f). Subs Darragh Griffin for Lenehan, Alan McHugh for Gavigan, Terence McGovern for McGonagle