Derry SFC quarter-final: Bellaghy 0-18 Banagher 0-8
BELLAGHY cruised into the semi-finals of the Northern Bank Derry Senior Football Championship with an emphatic 10-point win over a Banagher side that battled hard to the end without ever threatening to get within striking distance of the winners.
The sides exchanged points in the opening two minutes, Benny Lee and Gary Biggs from a free on target.
For the next 20 minutes Bellaghy dominated with points from Damien Cassidy (3) Paul Diamond, Joe Cassidy and Gavin Diamond to open up a 0-7 to 0-1 lead.
The Biggs brothers responded with a brace of points before Gavin Diamond and Joe Cassidy gave Bellaghy a 0-9 to 0-3 interval lead.
Each side scored on the restart, Gregory Biggs and Eunan Cassidy swapping points inside five minutes.
Further scores from Eunan and Joe Cassidy put Bellaghy in control at 0-12 to 0-5.
Pointed frees by Diamond and Lee put Tones eight points clear at the end of the third quarter.
Feeney responded to well taken scores from Lee and Cassidy, with inter-county stars Joe Cassidy and Paul Diamond also on target for the winners in the final minutes.
Bellaghy: K O Neill. P Diamond, P Downey, C Diamnond, K Diamond, C McNally, P Diamond, D Quinn, J Mulholland, P Diamond (0- 2), G Diamond (0-3), B Lee (0- 3) C Scullion, E Cassidy (0-3), J Cassidy (0-4), D Cassidy (0- 3)
Subs: F Glackin for C Scullion.
Banagher: D Mullan, R Lynch, G Simpson, D McLoughlin, P O’Kane, SM Lockhart, P Cartan, E Feeney (0-2), R O’ Kane, D Hassan, P O’Donnell, G McGillian, G Bigg (0-2), G Biggs (0-3), J O’Dwyer
Subs: E Lynch (0-1) for J O’Dwyer
Ref: K Brolly
NORTHERN Ireland athletes Amanda Crowe and Paul McBurney both qualified comfortably from their heats on the opening evening of the British AAAs Championships in Birmingham.
Crowe, running the 800m, came home in 2.08 which was three seconds outside the winning times of other heat winners Diane Modahl and Tanya Blake.
The Lisburn athlete will run in the final tomorrow.
McBurney won his heat ahead of trial favourite Mark Richardson.
The northerner will go in the 400m semi-finals this evening. European Champion contender Vicki Jamison begins her challenge this afternoon in the 400 hurdles heats.
OPINION on the poolside at the Irish Open Championships yesterday was evenly divided for and against Michelle de Bruin as world swimming chiefs failed to reach a decision on charges against Ireland’s triple Olympic gold medallist.
Her lawyer Peter Lennon claimed it could be weeks before one was forthcoming.
Smith faced the FINA panel in Lausanne, Switzerland, yesterday on charges that she tampered with a urine sample in a test earlier this year.
She faces a life ban if found guilty of the charges.
THERE is surely no more satisfying way of qualify for a European Championship final than through the back door.
For Ger Crossley, the only member of Brian Kerr’s U18 squad to hail from Northern Ireland, it has become the most important moment of his career.
Crossley was brought off for a rest during the second half of Thursday night’s victory over Cyprus.
While he was on the bench, word filtered through that Croatia had scored their second goal against England, which all but confirmed Ireland’s place in tomorrow night’s final.
“No, I certainly wasn’t expecting that sort of victory,” said Crossley at the team hotel in Ayia Napa yesterday morning, before the squad packed their backs and headed for Larnaca.
“Funnily enough, I had said to the boys that Croatia would win 2-1, but it ended up 3-0.
“We stood on the balcony and cheered them coming in.”
