Abbey CBS stun holders St Patrick's Maghera at Celtic Park

St Patrick’s Maghera 0-12 ... Abbey CBS 2-15

Newry's Abbey CBS came to Celtic Park on Sunday afternoon and they took holders St Patrick's Maghera apart in the ten minutes before half-time to cause the shock of the Danske Bank MacRory Cup quarter-finals.

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They were defeated by Newry's Abbey CBS at Celtic Park on Sunday

The visitors played with the advantage of the steadily rising breeze in the opening half. They led by three points after 15 minutes of play. Maghera then pulled them back with their first three points between the 15th and 21st minutes and it looked as if the holders would be in a good position by the break.

The last ten minutes turned that idea on its head. Abbey stepped up a gear and fired home 3-5 to take a lead of ten points into the break. They then opened the second half with the first two scores to give themselves a platform to deal with the expected onslaught from the holders.

The Maghera comeback never really materialised - despite Odhrán Doherty landing three two-pointers and Dara Doherty another between the 33rd and 47th minutes. Those were their only scores with, by now, a very strong breeze on their backs.

It seemed to be that Maghera’s sole tactic to haul in the lead was to go for the two pointers. They pulled more wide of the mark than they scored and their inside line was nowhere to be seen. Scoring four times in each half won't cut it at this level and they tamely exited the competition by failing to land a score over the last 15 minutes.

Credit however must be given to this Abbey team who were very disciplined at the back and had superb leadership in midfield from Diarmuid O’Rourke and Keelan McEntee, each a son of a 2002 All-Ireland medallist. O'Rourke and McEnteee controlled the play and hit a combined eight points.

Winning is also a habit and O'Rourke, along with five of his school mates, have been doing a lot of winning lately with Dromintee in the Ulster minor championship.

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We wondered, as conditions worsened through the second half, if the Newry side had the fitness to see the game out. We need not have worried. Michael O’Neill went down with cramp at the start of added time to be replaced by Ethan Lavelle - their only sub of the game.

Crossmaglen man McEntee hit the opening two points, each from a run through the centre and Daniel McKernan added a third score. But they also hit several wides during that period and Maghera would have been happy enough with a deficit of three points at the end of the first quarter.

Things seemed to improve further after Odhrán Doherty got Maghera off the mark from their very first scoring chance. Seán O’Kane added a point and then Doherty pointed a free. Maghera looked in a good place, level after 21 minutes. Then things began to unravel.

Daniel Carr edged Abbey ahead again, O’Rourke took another point and then Ryan O’Hare set Carr up for a 25th minute goal.

Maghera looked to take the sting out of those scores with a fisted point from Don Mulholland, but McKernan quickly cancelled it. Then a fast move on the left wing found Finn Madine in front of goals. The defender neatly side-stepped the tackle and hit the net. Fergus Toale’s two pointer in added time left Abbey ten clear at the short whistle.

That gap stretched to 12 on the re-start with a free from O’Rourke and a quick interchange of passes between O’Hare and O’Neill for the latter to point.

Dara Doherty and Odhrán Doherty picked off a couple of two pointers before O’Rourke and McEntee conjured up a point to lift Abbey again.

Two more two pointers from the Portglenone Doherty edged Maghera back to a deficit of five points, 2-11 to 0-12 in the 47th minute. But those were the last scores of the game from the holders.

O’Rourke lifted Abbey with a two-pointer free off the ground, my score of the game. Charlie McGrath took a fine point on a break and O’Rourke finished the scoring with a 20 metre free for a breach of the three defenders in the half rule.

Game over and Abbey were deservedly moving on to a semi-final meeting with Omagh CBS who had beaten St Patrick's Armagh on Friday evening.

Teams

Abbey CBS: James McBennett, Finn Madine 0-1, Conor Laverty, Cathal Burns, Michael O’Neill 0-1, Dara Havern, Fergus Toale 0-2 (to), Keelan McEntee 0-3, Diarmuid O’Rourke capt 0-5 (1tpf, 2fs) Oisín Byrne, Charlie McGrath 0-1, Daniel McKernan 0-1, Ryan O’Hare, Daniel Carr 1-1, Jack O’Mahoney 0-1. Sub: Ethan Lavelle for M O’Neill (60 + 1)

St Patrick’s: Sé Molloy, Niall McNicholl, Pádraig O’Kane capt., Shane Bryson, Tom Duffin, Rian Collins, Darragh O’Neill, Dáithí McCloskey, Odhrán Doherty 0-8 (tpf, 2 x tps, 1f), Matthew Diamond, Dara Doherty 0-2 (tp), Sionan McCormick, Don Mulholland 0-, Jack O’Neill, Seán O’Kane 0-1. Subs: Ewan McGrath for M Diamond (36), Finn Cartin for D Mulholland (57), Caolán Boyd for S McCormick (60 + 1)

Referee: M Loughran (Tyrone)