Electric Ireland UMFC wins for Derry, Tyrone and Monaghan

Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Football Championship

Tyrone 1-10 Cavan 0-12

Derry 1-21 Down 0-3

Armagh 0-8 Antrim 0-8

Monaghan 3-12 Fermanagh 0-5

With one opening round fixture last weekend, the Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Football Championship kicked off in earnest on Saturday all across the province.

Winless Down were no match for Derry at home surrounds of Páirc Elser in their second outing as they went down heavily to fancied Oak Leaf side in Group A.

Having taken care of Down during the league, Derry got to work early. Despite James Sargent hitting the crossbar from an early penalty John Boyle and Oisin Doherty had the visitors in control, 0-10 to 0-1 up at half time.

Eamon Young quickly added a goal upon the resumption but despite Rian Magorrian and Barra McEvoy’s best efforts the Oak Leafers ran out easy winners on the day.

Elsewhere in the Group at Brewster Park, goal hungry Monaghan were victorious in the curtain raiser against Fermanagh.

Two late first half majors from Ethan McCaffrey and Matthew Finn gave the scoreboard a misleading look and then with Conor Mulligan and Ben Warnock reducing the arrears in the second half for the Erne-siders, Max McGinnity popped up with another late green flag to secure the young Farney’s their second win.

Meanwhile at Kingspan Breffni, Tyrone edged out hosts Cavan by the minimum in Group B. The young Blues landed the last three points of the game but the Red Hand county hung on to victory.

Tyrone led by five at half time thanks to Ruairí McCullagh’s class and a brace each from Aidan Hegarty and half back Conor Devlin. Ben O’Hara and Jake Whyte kept Cavan in touch but Darren Donaghy’s 44th minute goal would prove too much for the hosts in the gutsy finish.

In a repeat of last weekend’s senior contest between Armagh and Antrim at the same venue in Box- It Athletic grounds, the Group B result was on course to be the same.

With the hosts dominating from the off, the young Saffrons roared back with three points in the final five minutes of the game to take a share of the spoils.

Niall McParland opener, Calum Hughes closer and a sweetly struck 45 from captain Daragh McNulty powered Armagh on to a four points to no score lead, but two points before the interval provided the visitors hope for the second half revival that was to come.

Callum Gribbin was the hero, saving a point for Antrim with a leveller from play.