Depleted Drumkeerin reach seventh Final in a row
A depleted Drumkeerin side got the better of a more fancied Bornacoola outfit in Aughnasheelin last Sunday and, in doing so, reached the Final of the Under 21 B Championship by virtue of a four point victory.
U-21 B CHAMPIONSHIP SEMI-FINAL
DRUMKEERIN 3-9
BORNACOOLA 1-11
Last year's U-21 A Championship finalists, Drumkeerin produced an outstanding final quarter, hitting an unanswered 3-1 in the closing minutes with substitute Daragh Flynn responsible for two of the three goals.
In quite an incredible feat of consistency, Drumkeerin have now reached their seventh Under 21 Final in a row, including last year's appearance against Glencar/Manor in the premier A grade.
They must await the winners of the Carrigallen and Kiltubrid clash next weekend to find out who they will meet in the decider.
In an entertaining match, the teams were level four times in the opening half. Bornacoola raced into a three points to one lead with scores from County Senior star David O'Connor (2) and County Minor Sean McKeon with Eddie McTiernan pointing for the north Leitrim men.
McTiernan and Stephen Gilhooley levelled matters before Sean McKeon and Ciaran Walpole exchanged points to keep the sides level.
Bornacoola edged ahead again with points from Declan Shanley and a McKeon free but by halftime, Drumkeerin had once again restored parity through Brendan McNama and Gilhooley.
Gilhooley edged Drumkeerin back in front in the first minute of the second half but it took a brilliant save from Barry McPadden to protect that lead when he pushed a point blank goal bound shot from Mervyn Howard out for a forty-five.
However, Bornacoola did level through a David O'Connor point. The tit-for-tat continued with Eddie McTiernan and Mervyn Howard again on target for their teams, leaving the sides level for the sixth time.
Bornacoola seemed to be getting on top when Sean McKeon pointed a free and Paul Hackett scored from play but the introduction of Daragh Flynn had a dramatic effect for Drumkeerin as, within two minutes, he pounced for the first of two goals.
A point from Thomas Davitt and another goal from James McPartland, swiftly followed by Flynn's second suddenly saw Drumkeerin coming from two points down to eight points in front.
Bornacoola, however, kept battling and were rewarded with a Sean McKeon goal and a Paul Hackett point to cut the gap in half. But time proved their greatest enemy as it ran out of them as Drumkeerin incredibly advanced to their seventh Under 21 Final in a row.
Drumkeerin
Barry McPadden, Jason Byrne, Dean McVeigh, Thomas Davitt, Aidan Dolan, Thomas Lavin (0-1), Keith Gallagher, James McPartland (1-0), Patrick Byrne, Eddie McTiernan (0-3), Stephen Gilhooley (0-3), Ciaran Walpole (0-1), Brendan McNama (0-1). Subs: Fintan Harvey for P. Byrne, Daragh Flynn (2-0) for Walpole, Kevin Forde for McNama.
Bornacoola
Darragh Gavigan, Sean Ryan, Conor McCauley, Jason Conroy, Niall O'Connor, Damien McGowan, Paul Hackett (0-2), David O'Connor (0-3), Fergal Howard, Ollie Shanley, Mervyn Howard (0-1), Sean McKeon (1-4), Declan Shanley (0-1). Subs: Damian Moran for F. Howard.
Referee: Seamus Mulhern.
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Weather for Carrick-on-Shannon, Ireland
Tuesday 22 May 2012
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 11 C to 20 C
Wind Speed: 14 mph
Wind direction: South
Tomorrow
Sunny spells
Temperature: 9 C to 21 C
Wind Speed: 13 mph
Wind direction: South
