CAVAN SFC
Handball star Paul Brady won the man-of-the-match award as his club Mullahoran got the better of Kingscourt Stars by 1-8 to 0-7 in yesterday’s county final replay in Kingspan Breffni Park.
Brady warmed up for this week’s World Handball Championships in Citywest in Dublin by helping his club to triumph and win their first crown since 2006.
The replay was a hard-fought clash with the teams tied at 0-5 apiece at the break before Kingscourt Stars moved ahead by 0-7 to 0-5 in the 44th minute. But that proved to be their last score with Enda O’Reilly (2) and Eddie O’Reilly striking over the points to push Mullahoran into the lead and Phillip Brady was the hero with late goal sealing their success.
Mullahoran now progress to meet Tyrone champions Errigal Ciarain in the preliminary round of the Ulster Club SFC in Kingspan Breffni Park on October 21st.
DOWN SFC
Mayobridge will face Kilcoo in this year’s Morgan Milk county senior football final on October 21st after both claimed semi-final victories over the weekend.
Mayobridge were 4-15 to 1-10 victors in their semi-final clash against Longstone last evening in Páirc Esler. Conleth O’Hare fired home an early goal to help Mayobridge lead by 1-7 to 0-5 at half-time and he grabbed a second goal after the break. From there Mayobridge cruised home with Barry Garvey and Ryan Brady striking late goals for the winners while Michael Ireland struck a consolation goal for Longstone.
Mayobridge, who won eight titles between 1999 and 2008, will now face 2009 champions Kilcoo after they got the better of Bryansford by 1-11 to 0-13 in the other semi-final last Friday night. The teams were level at 1-4 to 0-7 at the break with Paul Greenan firing home Kilcoo’s goal.
Darragh O’Hanlon, Conor Laverty and Paul Devlin were amongst their point-scorers in the second-half as they secured a narrow victory.
LEITRIM SFC
Melvin Gaels won their first county senior football crown since 1998 in Páirc Sean MacDiarmada in Carrick-on-Shannon yesterday with a 2-7 to 0-7 final success against Glencar-Manorhamilton. In the process they denied their opponents a fifth successive title with the only two goals of the game proving the crucial scores.
James Phelan found the net in the first-half to help the winners, lead by attacking talisman Emlyn Mulligan, to be ahead by 1-4 to 0-4 at the break. And Jessie McGuinness grabbed the second goal to seal their triumph and propel them into a Connacht preliminary round clash with the Roscommon champions, St Brigid’s or Padraig Pearses, on October 28th.
Emlyn Mulligan was part of the victorious Melvin Gaels side yesterday. Pic: INPHO/Ryan Byrne
MAYO SFC
Ballintubber, who are chasing their third successive county senior title this year, will face Ballaghadereen in this year’s senior football final after they both triumphed in their semi-final clashes in McHale Park in Castlebar yesterday.
Ballintubber needed to produce a resilience performance to overturn Crossmolina in the first semi-final by 1-7 to 0-8 after having trailed by 0-8 to 0-4 entering the final quarter. The champions revival was kickstarted by a goal from substitute John Duffy with Danny Geraghty and Alan Dillon, who notched 0-4, raising the white flags that sealed their triumph. Crossmolina had lead by 0-6 to 0-4 at the interval but lost Ciaran McDonald to injury before half-time.
In the second semi-final a goal also proved the crucial score in Ballaghadereen’s 1-10 to 0-10 victory over Knockmore. Joe Dillon fired to the net early on for the winners and Barry Regan also impressed for them as they led 1-6 to 0-6 at the break.
Knockmore kept in touch thanks to the attacking brilliance of Aidan Kilcoyne, who notched their entire first-half scoring total, but 2008 champions Ballaghadereen held on for success. Interestingly both finalists will have to operate without influential attackers with Ballintubber’s Cillian O’Connor (shoulder) and Ballaghadereen’s Andy Moran (cruciate) both ruled out through injury.
SLIGO SFC
Curry lifted the county senior football title in the Yeats County yesterday with a 1-16 to 1-10 victory over St Mary’s in the final in Markievicz Park. Jason Marren’s first-half goal helped the winners lead by 1-7 to 0-8 at the interval but St Mary’s kept in contention with Stephen Coen cutting the gap to a point when he fired to the net from a penalty in the 48th minute.
Yet Curry who were grateful to a 0-10 return from county star Adrian Marren held on and now progress to a Connacht semi-final meeting with the Mayo champions, either Ballintubber or Ballaghadereen, on November 11th.
