Derry Intermediate Championship: Quarterfinal opponents confirmed

The final round of group games in the Derry Intermediate Championship were completed at the weekend; however, the quarterfinalists had already been confirmed going into the matches; all that had to be decided was who would play who in the knockout phase of the competition.

Foreglen secured their progression to the quarterfinals as the victors of Group B, as they beat Faughanvale 2-15 to 2-13 on Saturday. 

This victory over Faughanvale will give Foreglen a lot of confidence.

Cahir O’Connor was vital in securing the victory for the visitors, as he scored 2-2. 

The match was close at halftime, but Foreglen would reach another gear and secure the victory just before the final minutes of the game, before Faughanvale would rouse for a late flurry of scores to bring the scoreline closer, but Foreglen had already secured the victory.

Both sides will be excited for the quarterfinals now as they tested themselves in this game, knowing they are both well capable of lifting the championship title.

Coleraine secured second in the group after their final day victory over Greenlough. 

It was a dominant performance by Eoghan Rua as they won 4-16 to 2-9, as they look to demonstrate their quality ahead of the knockout rounds, especially following an impressive victory over Faughanvale and draw away to Foreglen.

Three second-half goals secured the win for Richard Carey’s side, as they seemed to have found consistent form following their defeat to Glenullin in the second round.

The final game of the group saw the current intermediate championship holder soundly beaten by already eliminated Desertmartin.

The hosts scored seven goals as they won 7-13 to 3-8.

Glenullin will need to find form somewhere, as they have now suffered humbling defeats at the hands of Desertmartin and Faughanvale as they look to win their third consecutive intermediate championship.

They will face a stellar test as they face Ballinderry in the next round. 

Credit must be given to Desertmartin for their performance. Knowing they were already eliminated, they put on a show for their home crowd, particularly Derry senior star Lachlan Murray, as he scored 2-7.

Group A was won by Ballinderry as they continued their perfect form with another convincing win, this time against Claudy, 2-14 to 3-5.

Claudy finished bottom of the group, failing to pick up a single point in the championship campaign. 

The Shamrocks were without a number of their key players as they turn their attention towards the quarterfinal task of Glenullin.

They will be favourites to defeat the defending champions but will need to remain focused on the task at hand.

Claudy will look to put this season behind them as they look to regroup and go again next year.

Castledawson secured second in the group and will now face Faughanvale in the quarterfinals. 

Their 2-17 to 0-10 victory over Limavady is the perfect preparation for this massive challenge with Faughanvale.

Limavady knew they had been eliminated prior to the fixture but still fought to the end in this game, but four points from Colman Bradley and goals from Dara O’Kane and Aidan Keenan for Castledawson proved to be too much.

Faughanvale will be a test for Castledawson, but with only one defeat at the hands of Ballinderry, they will be confident they can overcome the sizeable task of St. Mary’s.

The final game in the group was contested between Banagher and Drumsurn as the two clubs battled over third position in the group to theoretically secure an easier opponent in the quarterfinal, but either Foreglen or Eoghan Rua would be challenging.

Banagher came out on top as they beat Drumsurn 1-10 to 1-8.

It was a tightly contested fixture throughout, but Banagher were able to celebrate the victory and feel like they have found form at the right time, after two victories in the last three games.

Drumsurn have been given the tough task of Foreglen in the quarterfinal now after the defeat.

They will feel like they can upset the odds, but know they will need a massive performance in order to do this.

The quarterfinals will take place the weekend of October 6, with Ballinderry playing Glenullin, Castledawson facing Faughanvale, Banagher coming up against Eoghan Rua, and Foreglen squaring off against Drumsurn.