Patrician Sweep to Glory in Farney final derby
Danske Bank Ulster Colleges’ Edmund Rice Rannafast Cup Final
Patrician High School, Carrickmacross 1-18 St. Macartan’s College, Monaghan 2-6
By Colm Shalvey for Irish News
Patrician High School, Carrickmacross won the Danske Bank Ulster Colleges’ Rannafast Cup for the first time since 2000 in some style in this all-Monaghan final at Páirc Grattan, Inniskeen on Friday night.
St Macartan’s College went into this much-anticipated clash with their county rivals as defending champions, but they were put to the sword by an impressive performance from the High School in front of a large crowd.
Andrew Woods, Seán Burns and Jack McMahon hit 1-14 between them for Patrician, who led from start to finish as they won this title for the second time. Patrician, who had turned over a highly-rated St Patrick’s, Maghera team at the semi-final stage, could even afford to concede two goals inside the last five minutes and still end up with nine points to spare.
Patrician got off to a flying start, with Andrew Woods kicking three points (two from frees) in the first seven minutes, before Oisín Wilcox hit the Carrickmacross school’s fourth in a row.
Robbie McAlister got St Macartan’s off the mark on 12 minutes and he quickly doubled his tally with a fisted effort after a strong run, but a sweetly-struck ’45 by Seán Burns and scores from Jack McMahon, Wilcox and the influential Ciarán McNulty opened up a six-point gap.
Aaron Mohan replied from a free for the Sem, but McMahon’s second point kept Patrician well clear and although Oisín McKenna sent one over at the other end, another from Woods (the pick of his four in the first half) sent Patrician in leading by 0-10 to 0-4.
Cormac McKenna got the first point of the second half for the Sem, but their uphill task got much tougher within a few minutes.
First, Burns tapped over a free, before Liam Óg Murray won a penalty and even though Burns saw his first attempt stopped, he sent the rebound in for the opening goal. Burns added a point at the end of a searing run from deep and substitute Donnach Swinburne also got on the scoresheet as the High School pulled further away and they had chances in this spell of dominance to get another goal.
Another McMahon point and a brace from Woods continued the one-way traffic until McAlister ended 20 scoreless minutes for the Sem.
The holders did manage to rally in the closing stages via a brace of goals from sub Patrick McCarron, who twice flicked dangerous centres into the net within a few minutes of his introduction, but it was too little, too late for the Monaghan town school to get back into contention.
McMahon converted a free late on to seal a famous win for the High School, who celebrated rapturously as their captain Conor McKeown lifted the silverware.
Patrician High School: R McCloskey; T McCourt, S Kindlon, C McKeown (Capt.); C McNulty (0-1), K Slevin, O Martin; N Marron, L Óg Murray; B Kieran, A Woods (0-6, 3f), O Wilcox (0-2); S Burns (1-4, 0-2f, 0-1 ’45), J Gillick, J McMahon (0-4, 1f).
Subs: D Swinburne (0-1) for Gillick (H-T), C Hanratty for Burns (45), D McCahey for Kieran (50), C Ward for McNulty (53), P Russell for Wilcox (60).
St Macartan’s: E Treanor; R O’Toole, P Meehan (Capt.), C McKenna (0-1); J Shields, T McSkeane, T Croarkin; S Treanor, G McPhillips; R King, O McKenna (0-1), O Gleeson; R McAlister (0-3,1f), M O’Brien, A Mohan (0-1f).
Sub: C Woods for S Treanor (45), C McCrystal for King (50), P McCarron (2-0) for McSkeane (53), J Clerkin for Shields (59).
Referee: P Falloon (Down).
