High scoring MacRory win for St Patrick’s Armagh
Danske Bank MacRory Cup
St Patrick’s Armagh 3-15 St Malachy’s Castlewellan 1-15
This MacRory Cup match played in Saval was strange in that each team played well in spells, but found it difficult to cope with their opponent when the tide switched. In the end though, the first period of Armagh dominance was crucial to the outcome.
Conor McCrickard (2) and Niall Cassidy hit the first three points of the game for St Malachy’s, but they then conceded an unanswered 2-5 before McCrickard got them back on the scoreboard – and all inside the opening quarter.
Seamus Muldoon stroked home a 6th minute penalty for Armagh’s opening score and Justin Kieran followed it up with a second goal within 90 seconds. Their five points were shared by Muldoon, Keiran and Michael Conroy.
St Malachy’s hit back with four of the next five points before Armagh took off again with a flurry of points for a half-time lead of 2-10 to 0-7.
On the restart, Niall Cassidy tucked away a 34th minute penalty for Castlewellan and they closed the gap to just four points over the next ten minutes.
However in the 43rd minute as Castlewellan pressed forward, the ball was turned over and moved through the lines for Kieran to find the net for a second time.
Although Castlewellan finished strongly with McCrickard bringing his total to eight points, the damage had been done and St Patrick’s picked up their opening points of the campaign.
St Patrick’s : Justin Kieran 2-4, Seamus Muldoon 1-3, Michael Conroy 0-5, Dylan Horsfield 0-1, James McCoy 0-1, Cormac Smyth 0-1.
St Malachy’s : Niall Cassidy 1-1, Conor McCrickard 0-8, Matthew Carville 0-3, Sheelan Johnson 0-1, Brendan McKay 0-1, Tyrone Fagan 0-1.
