Errigal Ciaran Juveniles retain the Championship

ERRIGAL CIARAN 1-13 COOKSTOWN 2-7

ERRIGAL Ciaran retained the Grade One U16 Championship title when they held off a spirited comeback from Cookstown in the decider at Pearse Park in Galbally on Saturday afternoon.

It was the holders who opened the scoring in the second minute from a Charlie Maguire free but straight from the kick out Cookstown levelled matters when midfielder Rian McIvor charged through to kick a brilliant point. In the fourth minute full forward Eoin Long converted a 13m free after a foul on Lorcan McMurray for what proved to be the only time that they would get their noses in front. Errigal Ciaran keeper Jude Curran then made a good save to deny McMurray before a McDermott free at the other end of the field levelled matters.

In the 13th minute a mistake in the Cookstown defence saw Senan Canavan first time the ball to the net and in the next attack the same player got through again but this time he blazed his shot over the bar. McDermott then converted a free followed by a “45” as they began to make the elements count. Cookstown were struggling at this stage with the holders winning ball around the middle and their half back line of Michael Mullin, Paul McGinley and Aodhan Quinn getting forward at every opportunity. Long got a much needed Cookstown score from a free but that was cancelled out by a brilliant effort from Quinn from out on the left wing before another McDermott free left it 1-7 to 0-3 at the break.

McDermott opened the second half scoring from a close in free and he followed that up with a superb conversion from out on the left wing. Long scored from a mark for the Father Rocks and in the 38th minute the same player gave his side a lifeline when he got on the end of a McMurray pass to palm in via the bar. McDermott and McMurray exchanged points before a Maguire free left half a dozen between the sides going into the final quarter.

With twelve minutes to go good work from Yasin Baba saw him find McMurray whose cross saw substitute Mark Devlin get on the end of it to bundle to the net. Long followed that up with a free and with less than ten minutes to go the deficit had been cut to just two points. McDermott converted another free but Cookstown responded with a well struck 45 from Karl Wawrynkiewicz. As the game slipped into injury time Cookstown lost Charlie Mulligan to a black card having already had a yellow with McDermott converting the resulting free to bring the scoring to an end.

The Scorers

Errigal Ciaran

Shea McDermott 0-8 (7F, 1 “45”), Senan Canavan 1-1, Charlie Maguire 0-3 (3F), Aodhan Quinn 0-1

Cookstown

Eoin Long 1-4 (3F, 1M), Mark Devlin 1-0, Rian McIvor 0-1, Lorcan McMurray 0-1, Karl Wawrynkiewicz 0-1 (45)