St Patricks Maghera win MacRory Cup

Danske Bank MacRory Cup Final:
St Patrick’s Maghera 2-5 St Paul’s Bessbrook 0-10

Maghera school St Patrick’s were crowned MacRory Cup winners for 2013 after beating St Paul’s from Bessbrook 2-05 to 0-10 in the final on Monday 18th March.

The south Derry boys were in command after early goals scored by Conor Carville and Stephen O’Hara.
St Patrick’s led 2-01 to 0-03 at half-time with Aaron McKay landing two of the St Paul’s points.

Five scores by forward Ciaron O’Hanlon ensured an exciting finish with St Patrick’s edging it by one point.
St Paul’s, in their first year at MacRory level, made a determined fightback in the second half.

O’Hanlon landed three early on with Peter Cassidy fisting one over for St Patrick’s.

However, two Gerald Bradley frees restored Maghera’s four-point advantage and it looked like St Paul’s would need a goal to turn it around.

The gap remained at four as O’Hanlon and St Pat’s sub Conor Convery exchanged points.

St Paul’s went all out for that desperately-needed goal and it needed a great save by Ciaran McCloy to keep out Daniel Nugent’s effort.

Then a goalbound effort from Eoghan Burns was touched over by St Pat’s defender Declan Hughes, restricting the Bessbrook school to the single point.

Late scores by Caolan McCullough and O’Hanlon meant a nervy two minutes of stoppage-time but St Pat’s hung on to in by one point.