Old rivals Errigal Ciaran and Carrickmore set up final date

CARRICKMORE and Errigal Ciaran are set to meet each other in the Tyrone Senior Championship final for the first time since 1996 following their respective semi-final successes earlier today.

Carmen got the show on the road with a hard-fought 0-11 to 0-8 victory over outsiders Clonoe, aided by a fantastic attacking performance by Lorcan McGarrity, who finished with six points on the day, including a late insurance score in injury time.

Ryan Daly and Noel Hurson’s side were in the ascendancy for most of the first-half, in large part due to their supremacy under the breaking ball, but Clonoe dug deep with scores from Stephen McNulty and Paul Coney, and the sides were level at the break.

However, Rory Donnelly and Lorcan McGarrity popped over scores in the third quarter as Carmen nudged their noses in the front, while the introduction of mercurial forward Danny McNulty failed to turn the tide back in Clonoe’s favour.

The 15-time champions will now face their old rivals Errigal Ciaran, who dethroned reigning champions Dromore this evening at a rain-battered O’Neill’s Healy Park.

Errigal played some tidy football in difficult conditions, exemplified by yet another starring performance from Darragh Canavan up front. Dromore didn’t give their title up easily, with Emmet McNabb and Peter Teague knocking over scores with the game in the melting pot in the second-half.

Late points from brothers Darragh and Ruairi Canavan ensured that Errigal held on on a scoreline of 0-11 to 0-10 to reach their first final under management duo Mark Harte and Adrian O’Donnell, and that match against Carrickmore will go ahead in a fortnight’s time.