Category / Football

by thesaffrongael

CPC pushed all the way by Keady in Foresters semi-final

Main picture Cross & Passion’s Cillian Cunning whose goal early in extra time set his team up for victory

Cross & Passion College, Ballycastle qualified for the Foresters Cup final when they beat Ardscoil Phádraig Keady in Thursday’s semi-final at the Meadowbank Sports Centre, Magherfelt. However they Ballycastle side needed extra time, and a little bit of luck, before they got over the line against an excellent Keady side.

Keady made a bright start, opening the scoring through Shea McCloskey, but CPC responded immediately with Paidi O’Kane pointing. It remained tight throughout the first half, with both sides working tirelessly and exchanging scores.

At the interval, CPC held a narrow 0-9 to 0-8 lead.

CPC built an early cushion in the second half, but Keady’s direct approach paid off when a high delivery into the square was finished to the net to level the game. Keady midfielder Caoimhin Mone was accurate from placed balls, showing great composure under high pressure. The back and forth game would finish level at the end of normal time.

Full-time: Cross & Passion College 0-19 St Patrick’s Keady 1-16.

Extra time proved decisive and the fact that Keady had lost their full-back to a second yellow card in the last minute of normal time was undoubtedly a boost for the Ballycastle school. They took full advantage when Cillian Cunning broke through and struck an early goal to give CPC momentum, and they added important points through Cahir McCloskey and Paidi O’Kane to extend their advantage.

Keady responded with a goal to keep the contest alive, but CPC managed the closing stages effectively, maintaining a five point lead to secure their place in the Foresters final.

Cross and Passion:
1 Ruairi Laverty
2 Peadar Doherty
3 Aaron Gillan
4 Cormac Bailey
5 Joe Deery
6 Oran Baudant
7 Lorcan Murtagh 0-1
8 Charlie McAuley 0-6
9 Peter Laverty
10 Damian Laverty
11 Patrick Campbell 0-2
12 Cillian Cunning 1-0
13 Cahir McCloskey 0-3
14 Paidi O’Kane 0-10
15 Ronan Elliott 0-2

Subs used:
Cahir McErlean
Cormac Scanlon

Ardscoil Phádraig, Keady
1 Fabian Hughes
2 Cain McCann
3 Johnny Loughran
4 Charlie Doyle
5 Harry Fox
6 Aaron Monaghan
7 Peter O’Callaghan
8 Caoimhin Mone
9 Ruairi Mullan
10 Caolan Carr
11 Sé McConnell
12 Peadar Donnelly
13 Eoghan Mallon
14 Shea McCloskey
15 Keegan McCann

Subs used:
Darragh McElroy
John McGeown

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by thesaffrongael

St Louis Ballymena Keep Knockout Hopes Alive with Historic Win

Danske Bank D’Alton Cup Schools Football

St Louis Ballymena 3-09 St Patrick’s Cavan 3-04

St Louis Ballymena kept their hopes of reaching the knockout stages of the D’Alton Cup alive with a hard-fought 3-9 to 3-4 victory over St Patrick’s Cavan in Garvaghey, Tyrone.

It marks a historic first-ever win for the school in the Grade A football competition, though it didn’t look likely in the opening stages. A wind-assisted Cavan side stormed into an early nine-point lead, registering 2-3 without reply in a dominant first-quarter display.

However, St Louis gradually found their rhythm. Nicholas McCrory, Conan McKeever and Cayden McGuckian began to assert control around the middle, turning the tide of the contest. Their efforts helped reduce the deficit to three points by half-time.

After keeping St Patrick’s scoreless for the remainder of the half, the St Louis forwards began to click. McKeever struck three points, Ronan Laverty added two, and Oisin Anyalechi had the final say of the half, leaving the score at 2-3 to 0-6 in favour of the Cavan side at the break.

The second half belonged to the Antrim men. Picking up where they left off, St Louis surged ahead with goals from Alfie Gordon and Kiran Jayaprakash, sandwiched between another brace of McKeever points to open up a five-point lead.

St Patrick’s responded with a late goal to narrow the gap to two, setting up a tense finish. But the Cullybackey Road side held their nerve, and a third green flag from McKeever sealed a deserved 3-9 to 3-4 victory.

Next up is St Michael’s Enniskillen on Tuesday nexxt — a huge opportunity for St Louis to reach the playoffs for the first time in the school’s history.

ST LOUIS

PJ Marron
Charlie OBrien
Lir Hodkinson
Lir Hamill
Mark Kirby
Joseph Killough
Nicholas McCrory
Conan McKeever
Cayden McGuckian
Oisin Martin
Oisin Anyalechi
Ronan Laverty
Alfie Gordon
Odhran Cassidy
Aidan Scullion

Subs Used
Kiran Jayaprakash
Cahan OKane

Subs
Connlaodh Clarke
Jack Curry
Daithi Diamond
Luca McCamphill
Oliver McCarroll
Matthew McQuillan

Scorers
Conan McKeever 1-5
Kiran Jayaprakash 1-1
Alfie Gordon 1-0
Ronan Laverty 0-2
Oisin Anyalechi 0-1

by thesaffrongael

Cross and Passion College beat St Louis in Year 8 Gaelfast final

Cross & Passion Ballycastle collected the Gaelfast Year 8 Hurling Cup when they beat St Louis Ballymena in Wednesday’s final at Woodlands, Belfast

St Louis started the brighter of the two sides, with Oscar Bradley leading the way and registering some excellent scores — most notably a superb long-range point from a free near the sideline. St Louis settled quickly, with Conor Delargy, Daniel McAtamney and Conn Óg McErlaine creating some impressive passages of play. CPC were forced to call upon their goalkeeper, Cian O’Mullan, to make a number of important saves to keep the game tight in the opening stages.

Cross and Passion responded well, with wing forward Archie Neil and centre half forward Conall Devlin leading the charge. Neil provided the turning point of the half when he delivered a superb pass into full forward Michael Johnson, who finished clinically to the net and raise the green flag to settle CPC’s nerves.

Both teams continued to battle fiercely for the next five minutes, but CPC’s defence and midfield began to assert control, with Brendan Murtagh and Joe McSparron repeatedly turning defence into attack. The full forward line of Michael Johnson and Eoghan McIntyre began to add to the tally, helping CPC build a three-goal lead by half-time. Thanks to the efforts of St Louis goalkeeper Aaron Johnson, along with half-backs Luca McCollum and Charlie Herald, the deficit could have been even greater.

CPC emerged for the second half determined to press home their advantage and dominated proceedings. Influential performances from Brendan Murtagh, Conall Devlin and Joe McSparron ensured a steady flow of goals and points, confirming Cross and Passion College as worthy Antrim Schools Cup champions.

Overall, CPC ran out comfortable winners, but it was encouraging to see two teams battling for every ball, tackling fiercely and demonstrating impressive levels of skill and work rate throughout. To their credit, St Louis fought until the final whistle, with Oscar Bradley continuing to lead by example.

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by thesaffrongael

Strong second half comeback sees Kilrea win comfortably

Ulster Football League Division 1

Group D Round 3

All Saints 2-12 Kilrea 4-13

Kilrea staged a strong finish to sweep aside the challenge of All Saints in a free scoring Ulster League encounter at a floodlit Quinn Park on Wednesday night.

Both sides were understrength for this final Group D encounter with the Derry men worst affected with a host of first choice regulars absent but when they introduced their big guns during the second half the floodgates opened.

It was the Ballymena side who made all the first half running and despite missing a host of chances they looked on their way to victory when they led 2-6 to 2-1 at the break.

Indeed the home side dominated the opening exchanges with Jack Patterson and Darrach Bradley their goal scorers but Diarmuid Bradley’s goal for the visitors late in the half kept Kilrea in touch.

Their opening goal had come from Daniel Madden, both splendid individual efforts, but Baker Bradley would have been reasonably happy with his side at the break though the amount of chances they had missed would surely have given him some concern.

All those concerns seemed to have been unfounded when Darrach Bradley kicked the first three points of the second half with only four minutes gone and when Sean O’Callaghan added another, the home side were 8 ahead.

Their Achilles heel was exposed again as Cathaoir Bradley netted for Kilrea in their first attack of the second half and suddenly the visitors had found another gear.

A superb exhibition of long range shooting saw Cathaoir Bradley, and Paddy Quinn raising a series of Orange flags and when Quinn weighed in with their fourth goal it was all over.

A good workout for both sides with Cathaoir Bradley, Paddy Quinn, Ryan Oliver, Darmuid Bradley, Daniel Madden and Louis McCormick in sparkling form for a Kilrea side who can still qualify for the knockout stages.

James McDonnell, Darrach Bradley, Ciaran Campbell, Sean O’Brien and Michael Read were best for an All Saints side who started well but faded as the game progressed.

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by thesaffrongael

Shane O’Neill’s Glenarm awards night

Above – The Under 12 Hurling team, who won the Brendan McGarry Cup received their medals at the Glenarm Shane Ui Neill’s awards dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.

A group of young men dressed in formal attire posing together, with one holding a trophy, in front of a backdrop of blue and black balloons.
Members of the Glenarm team who won the Under 21 B Hurling Championship in 2025, at the Glenarm Shane Ui Neill’s awards dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
Two boys holding awards, standing in front of a shiny, mirrored backdrop.
Ronan O’Loan and Tomas Mattews who last year won Year 8 Gaelfast All Stars, were presented with their trophies at the Glenarm Shane Ui Neill’s awards dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough
A young boy in a white shirt holding a trophy stands next to a man in a suit at a festive event with a glittery background.
Most Improved Under 12 Hurler of the Year Alexander Steele received his award from county chairman Seamus McMullan.
A young boy holding a trophy and a statue poses with an adult man in formal attire against a shimmering backdrop.
Under 12 Hurler of the Year Niall McKay with county chairman Seamus McMullan
Two men posing for a photo, one holding a trophy, with a backdrop of balloons and shiny decorations.
County chairman Seamus McMullan presents the Under 21B Huring Cup to team captain Niall McGarel at the Glenarm Shane Ui Neill’s awards dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough
A man and a teenage boy dressed in formal attire, posing together with an award trophy. The background features decorative balloons and a shiny wall.
Under 14 Most Improved Hurler of the Year Zac Drummond received his award from county chairman Seamus McMullan at the Glenarm dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
A young boy in a suit holding a trophy and an award statue, smiling against a shiny background.
Under 14 Hurler of the Year Gabriel McAllister at the Glenarm Shane Ui Neill’s dinner.
A young male holding a trophy stands next to an adult male in formal attire. They are posing in front of a shiny, reflective backdrop decorated with blue balloons.
Most Improved Under 16 Hurler PJ Kelly with county chairman Seamus McMullan.
A group of four people posing for a photo, including two boys holding a trophy, an older man in glasses, and a woman in a polka-dot dress.
Brendan McGarry and his wife Jean present the Brendan McGarry Memorial Cup in memory of their late son, to joint captains Tomas Matthews and Niall McKay at the Glenarm Shane Ui Neill’s awards dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough
Two men stand side by side, one holding a trophy and a sports award statue. They are dressed formally, with the man on the left in a suit and the young man on the right in a tuxedo. The background features decorative balloons and a shiny, sequined backdrop.
Under 16 Hurler of the Year Kian McGarel with county chairman Seamus McMullan.
A man in a suit poses alongside a young boy holding a trophy at an award event, with blue balloons in the background.
Most Improved Minor Hurler Tom Kelly received his award from county chairman Seamus McMullan at the Glenarm dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
Two men pose together for a photo at an award ceremony. One man, dressed in a suit with a tie, holds a trophy, while the other man, in a dark sweater, holds a shield-shaped award. They are smiling in front of a backdrop featuring blue balloons and a shiny decorative wall.
Minor Hurler of the Year Niall Rodgers received his award from county chairman Seamus McMullan at the Glenarm dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
A group of eight women stand together, each holding floral arrangements in decorative boxes, in front of a backdrop of blue balloons and mirrored decor.
Members of the Glenarm GAC ladies committee who were presented with flowers at the club dinner in Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
A formal photo of two men shaking hands at an event. The older man, dressed in a suit, smiles while the younger man, also in a suit, holds a trophy in his right hand. Balloons in shades of blue are visible in the background.
Under 21 Hurler of the Year John Scullion receives his award from county chairman Seamus McMullan at the Glenarm dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
A young man in a suit holding two sports awards, standing in front of a shiny backdrop with blue balloons.
Young Hurler of the Year Ciaran McLoughlin at the Glenarm dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
A smiling man in a tuxedo holding two sports awards, one depicting two athletes and the other a smaller figurine of a player, set against a shiny backdrop.
Junior Hurler of the Year Curtis Quinn at the Glenarm GAC awards dinner.
A smiling young man in a dress shirt and patterned tie holds a sports trophy and a small award statue against a backdrop of shimmering silver decor.
Senior Hurler of the Year Michael Furey at the Glenarm dinner in the Harbourview Hotel, Carnlough.
A smiling man holding a large wooden shield award with engraved plaques, standing in front of a backdrop of blue and silver balloons.
Jim Petticrew received the Clubman of the Year award at the Glenarm GAC dinner.
Group photo of 18 people celebrating an event, posing together with drinks. The setting features decorative balloons in blue and light blue, and a festive backdrop.
The Glenarm Mothers & Others team received special awards for a very successful first season

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THE NIGHT CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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