St Columb’s College started well and finished well to gun down Coláiste na Carraige in a Danske Bank Markey Cup semi-final in Strabane today.
Coláiste Na Carraige 3-7 St Columb’s College, Derry 1-16
By Charlie Collins in Strabane
Coláiste na Carraige looked to have recovered by the mid-way point of the second-half, when they led briefly, but it was the Derry school who finished with a bang to tee up a final meeting with Abbey Vocational School.
St Columb’s had a blistering start, the Derry side hitting 1-4 in the opening nine minutes.
The goal came via Eoghan Cassidy in the fifth minute as he surged from his own half before riffling in.
Coláiste na Carraige hit back when Pauric Love pounced to hammer home after Dylan O’Gara’s shot was spilled by Matthew Stephenson.
Cahir McMonagle, Fergal Mortimer and Cassidy struck to open up a seven-point lead for St Columb’s.
At the break, St Columb’s led 1-9 to 1-4 with Ronan Gillespie hitting a trio of points for the south-west Donegal side.
Coláiste na Carraige got in for a second goal in the first minute of the second half.
A wonderful move by the Kilcar-Naomh Columba contingent concluded with Ryan McShane applying the finish to bring them to within two points.
Indeed, they were ahead on 45 minutes when Eoin Cormack took a pass from Paul O’Hare and brilliantly found the top corner.
Gillespie tacked on a point to make it 3-7 to 1-11 – but they wouldn’t score for the remainder.
Instead, Fergal Fortimer and Shea Brown brought St Columb’s level before three points, from Brown, James Lynch and Conor McLaughlin, finally sealed the deal for St Columb’s.
Coláiste Na Carraige: Colin Doherty; Thomas Byrne, Cormac O Leime. Aiden McGinley; Dylan Kelly, Dylan O’Gara, Ryan McShane (1-0); Ronan Gillespie (0-5, 1f), Oisin Byrne; Eoin Cormack, (1-0) Eric Carr (0-2, 1 ’45), Joseph Lyons; Paul O Hare, Pauric Love (1-0), Seanie Boyle. Sub: Eoin Love for Boyle (39)
St Columb’s, Derry: Matthew Stephenson; Padraig Nelis, Conor McLaughlin (0-1), Michael Lynch; Tiarnan O’Kane (0-1), Shane McElhinney (0-1), Eoghan Cassidy (1-0); Cormac Mooney, (0-1) Jason McAleer; Shea Brown (0-2), Fergal Mortimer (0-6, 3f), James Lynch (0-1); Cahir McMonagle (0-2), Caoimhin O’Conner, Ryan Brown. Subs: Jude Og Moore for O’Connor (half-time), Naoise Meenan for Mooney (half-time), Jack McLaughlin for McAleer.
