Football

Our Lady's and St Columb's reach MacLarnon quarter-finals

Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup quarter-final play-offs: Our Lady's, Castleblayney 2-15 St Malachy's, Castlewellan 2-11; 


St Columb's, Derry 2-13 Rathmore, Belfast 2-4

HOLDERS Our Lady's, Castleblayney are through to next month’s quarter-final draw of the MacLarnon Cup after coming through a play-off in Silverbridge on Friday against St Malachy’s, Castlewellan.

Early goals from Mícheál Bannigan, one of their star forwards last year, and Alan Courtney gave them a strong platform in the game.

Castlewellan came back with a goal from Scott Kinley and they also hit the crossbar, but Our Lady’s were still good value for their 2-8 to 1-7 interval lead.

Castlewellan dominated the second-half in terms of possession, but didn’t manage to break the Monaghan side down often enough to leave them in with a chance of winning.

Conor McCrickard’s goal closed the difference to four at one stage, but Bannigan responded almost immediately and ‘Blayney go through to the draw along with St Columb’s, Derry, who won the other play-off; Patrician, Carrickmacross; Holy Trinity, Cookstown; St Ciarán’s, Ballygawley and St Eunan’s, Letterkenny, all of whom topped their groups and are seeded for the draw.

ST COLUMB’S, Derry went through to the quarter-finals with a handy play-off win over Rathmore Grammar at MUSA on Thursday.

Seán Bradley’s 24th minute goal was crucial to the outcome as Rathmore had held St Columb’s to six points in a strong breeze up until that point, but when the Faughanvale forward netted, hopes of a second-half revival by the Belfast side dimmed.

Caolan O’Connor scored four points as St Columb’s reached the half-way point with a 1-8 to 0-0 lead.

Although Rathmore’s Lorcan Heenan hit the opening point of the second-half, Mark McAdams despatched a 36th minute penalty for St Columb’s to put them well out of reach.

Rathmore’s two goals, a penalty from Malachi Doherty and another strike from Daire Larkin, were not enough to eat into the lead and St Columb’s breezed home.

MATCH STATS


Our Lady’s scorers: M Bannigan (1-7), A Courtney (1-2), H McGinn (0-2), F Connolly (0-2), T Duffy (0-1), D Hanley 0-1.


St Malachy’s scorers: S Kinley (1-1), C McCrickard (1-1), R Deegan (0-4), G McKibben (0-2), D McClements (0-1), T Noade 0-1.

St Columb’s scorers: S Bradley (1-2), M McAdams (1-0), A Moore (0-5), C O’Connor (0-4), E McElhinney (0-1), S Mortimer (0-1).


Rathmore: M Doherty (1-0), D Larkin (1-0), E Carleton (0-2), L Heenan (0-1), P Lavery (0-1).