Danske Bank Casement Cup Semi Final

Danske Bank Casement Cup semi-final

St Mary’s Magherafelt 1-13 Rathmore Grammar 0-11

LAST season’s beaten finalists St Mary’s Magherafelt are back in the Danske Bank Casement Cup final after a Morgan Nelson goal two minutes into the second half backed up an 0-8 to 0-3 interval lead as they set up to face the breeze in Allen Park in Antrim yesterday afternoon.

Five points did not look to be an insurmountable lead at the break, but the goal really pushed the boat out on Rathmore and players such as Dominic McAteer at corner-back, midfielders Ronan McKenna and Josh Higgins playing deep and Emmett Donnelly foraging maintained the Convent’s advantage until the end.

St Mary’s probably had more scoring options and but for the excellence of Cal Burke in the Rathmore goals could have had more than that Nelson goal. Anthony Gallagher and Daragh Stevenson were others to step up to the plate for the city side.

Nelson scored half of Magherafelt’s first half total, all from frees, and when a poc out was worked all the way down the pitch two minutes into the second half, the Creggan forward was on hand to finish to the net.

Daragh Stevenson and Colin Bohill each posted four points, three from frees, during the second half, but they couldn’t get inside for the all-important goal that could have closed the gap to give them a chance of reaching the final.

St Mary’s will play the winners from Friday’s second semi-final between Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s Knock and the combined schools’ team from Tyrone.

St Mary’s : Morgan Nelson 1-4, 0-4 frees, Ronan McKenna 0-3, Ruairi O’Hagan 0-2, John Duffin 0-1, Josh Higgins 0-1, Ronan Kalla 0-1, Ethan Carey-Small 0-1

Rathmore : Colin Bohill 0-5, 0-3 frees, Darragh Stevenson 0-5, 0-4 frees, Alan Hydeman 0-1.