Omagh almost certainly secure MacRory passage

Danske Bank MacRory Cup
Omagh CBS 4-11 St Mary’s Magherafelt 1-11
EVEN allowing for the fact that Omagh CBS had the advantage of the strong breeze in the opening half of this Danske Bank MacRory Cup group game in the Mid Ulster Sports Arena Cookstown yesterday, they were still good value for their 4-11 to 1-11 victory that almost certainly guarantees them a place in the MacCormack Cup league semi-finals and a MacRory quarter-final.
Ahead by 3-6 to 0-3 at the break, it was merely a case of holding their shape and preventing the boost a Magherafelt goal might have given their challengers. Indeed that goal from Kealan Friel didn’t come until the 59th minute and Omagh already had the points in the bag by then.
Although St Mary’s opened the scoring, they fell behind in the 4th minute to a goal from Aodhan McConnell. Four minutes later they were 2-2 to 0-1 in arrears with Mark Hayes also finding their net after good work from the half-forwards in the build-up.
Aaron Montgomery scored a third goal for Omagh in the 22nd minute and they turned over at the break with a 12 points’ advantage.
That increased to 4-6 to 0-4 five minutes after the re-start when Aaron’s brother Eoghan Montgomery added another goal and that was still the gap between the sides entering the last quarter when Padraig Mitchell’s point started a run of scores for Magherafelt that culminated in a goal from Kealan Friel in the 59th minute.
However that was merely a consolation score as Omagh head into a final game against a St Mary’s CBGS side that has already shipped two heavy defeats and St Mary’s look to take something from a repeat of last March’s MacRory Cup final with St Ronan’s Lurgan. That latter game should decide 2nd and 3rd places in the group.
Omagh CBS : Aodhan McConnell 1-4, 0-3 frees, Aaron Montgomery 1-3, Eoghan Montgomery 1-1, Mark Hayes 1-0, Tom Donaghy 0-1, Sean McDonagh 0-1, Ruairí Donnelly 0-1.
St Mary’s : Kealan Friel 1-0, Padraig Mitchell 0-3 frees, Ben McErlean 0-2 frees, Dominic McAteer 0-2, Ciaran O’Neill 0-2, Eunan McElhennon 0-1, Ruairí O’Hagan 0-1.

Group C
Pl W D L Pts Score diff
Omagh CBS 2 2 0 0 4 14
St Ronan’s Lurgan 2 1 0 1 2 15
St Mary’s Magherafelt 2 1 0 1 2 11
St Mary’s CBGS Belfast 2 0 0 2 0 -40