Drumragh Juveniles do the double

Drumragh 2-8   Stewartstown 1-9

DRUMRAGH completed the Grade three U16 double in dramatic circumstances at Garvaghey on Saturday morning when they scored a late goal to defeat Stewartstown in the Championship Final.

This was a repeat of the league decider which the Sarsfields won with a bit to spare but this time around it was completely different and Stewartstown will be wondering how they lost it.

The Harps never trailed until injury time at the end of the game when a long delivery in from Ryan Baxter deceived everyone and ended up in the back of the net with what proved to be the winning score.

Stewartstown were a different side from the league final and they started well with a trio of points from full forward Rian Biggs inside the opening quarter. It took Drumragh until the 21st minute to open their account from James Fyffe but efforts from midfield duo Conor Gormley and Aidan McCarney then had them on level terms approaching halftime. Stewartstown finished the half strongly with another Biggs score and one from Michael Hughes to leave it 0-5 to 0-3 at the break.

A McCarney free opened the second half scoring for Drumragh but that was quickly cancelled out at the other end of the field by Hughes. Respective centre half forwards Turlough Collins and Conan McCullagh exchanged points before Collins and McCarney both scored again to leave it all square at 0-7 apiece. With ten minutes to go Stewartstown struck for their goal via Padraig Doran and at that stage they looked as if they would go on and win the game.

McCarney and Hughes swapped points before the Sarsfields drew level with a stunning 56th minute goal. Wing half Baxter showed great awareness to flick the ball into the path of midfielder Gormley who surged through on a forty metre run before sending an unstoppable shot to the roof of the net.

It was a score that stunned the Harps and with the game in injury time Drumragh got a fortunate goal when Baxter’s ball into the danger area saw Ronan Bresnahan and James Robinson contest it and the ball bounced all the way to the net. Stewartstown had the final saw with a Charlie Park point but moments later the final whistle sounded as Drumragh completed the double.

Drumragh scorers – Aidan McCarney 0-4 (1F), Conor Gormley 1-1 (1F), Ryan Baxter 1-0, Turlough Collins 0-2, James Fyffe 0-1

Stewartstown scorers – Rian Biggs 0-4, Michael Hughes 0-3, Padraig Doran 1-0, Conan McCullagh 0-1 (F), Charlie Park 0-1