Brilliant Aquinas Grammar take home historic first MacLarnon title
Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup finalAquinas Grammar 2-12 St Eunan’s Letterkenny 0-5AQUINAS Grammar controlled their first ever Dankse Bank MacLarnon Cup final last night to deservedly emerge from the Dub with the trophy. However had someone said after 16 minutes that St Eunan’s would be in arrears at the break, few would have believed it. The Donegal side had dominated the opening quarter in terms of possession, Aquinas only strayed down the pitch once.However the Belfast side turned the game on its head during the second quarter and led by a margin of seven points at the break. From there they never looked in trouble despite eight wides from the Letterkenny side during the second half.The Ravenhill Road school defended by the text book, maintaining a presence around the arc that didn’t allow many shots to come in even during the first half when they couldn’t get their hands on the ball.That was illustrated by the concession of just a single point in the first quarter when Callum McGilloway pointed a free that had been brought forward to the 20m line.Then momentum changed dramatically. Jacko Watson darted through for a point from a narrow angle after 16 minutes and midfielder Pádhraig O’Hare landed a shot from distance a minute later.Move on a few minutes and Watson pointed a free to be followed in the 25th minute by a two pointer from Conn Huston. By this stage it was all Aquinas.Read More:They pressed the kick out and won possession. Rhys Bray found JJ Higgins to slide the ball across goals and into the net. There may have been a hint of over-carrying in the move, but Aquinas were on top and they got away with it.Higgins landed a free to start the second half. Although McGilloway responded with a free, Aquinas, and in particular Higgins, were dictating the game. The Antrim under-age star turned a ball over in midfield, took on the St Eunan’s defence and pointed. Corner-back Oscar O’Connor screwed over another free and then O’Hare turned a ball over and found Fintan McArdle who put Jacko Watson through one-on-one. Goal. Game over.There were late frees from McGilloway and a couple of excellent points from Aquinas during the final quarter. But by that stage, the final score-line was of academic interest. Aquinas had made the breakthrough and will represent Ulster in the All-Ireland series at the end of the month and, more than likely, will be in the draw for next season’s Danske Bank MacRory Cup.Aquinas: JJ Higgins (0-2f) and J Watson 1-3 each, C Huston 0-2 (tp), O O’Connor, J McEvoy, P O’Hare and Higgins 0-1 each.St Eunan’s: C McGilloway 0-4 (3fs), S Boyle 0-1Aquinas Grammar: C McGarry, O Quinn, F Heaney, O O’Connor, C Vaugh, C Frazer, D McQuaid, P O’Hare, J McEvoy, V Marttila, JJ Higgins j-capt., R Bray, F McArdle, C Huston, J Watson j-captSubs: J Higgins for R Brey (32), J Dixon for O Quinn (45), S Bell for O O’Connor (53), R O’Donnell for V Marttilo (59)St Eunan’s: C Crossan, N Casburn, L McGinley, M Galvin, C Cassidy, E Day, C Doherty, C McGillway, P Devine capt., J Duddy, M McGinley, J Robinson, E Hickey, M Enright, S BoyleSubs: A McKinley for J Duddy (ht), S Sweeney for M Enright and J Cannon for E Hickey (both 36), R Lynch for N Cadbury ((45), P Mullan for J Robinson (53)Referee: P Gallagher (Tyrone)
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