U21 championship success for Harps
Harps completely altered game’s dynamic by hitting 1-2 in a 10-minute window
Armagh Harps won the Cormac Leonard u21 Intermediate Championship final beating St Patrick’s Cullyhanna, 3-15 to 1-7 at Box-It Athletic Grounds on Friday night with a dominant performance built on a clinical first half where they took control of the match.
Harps completely altered the game’s dynamic by hitting 1-2 without reply in a 10-minute window.
Oisin Gribben netted the game’s opening goal, while Dylan Daly and Joe Duggan chipped in with well worked points. Cullyhanna’s Tiarnan O’Neill and Eoin McCreesh briefly trimmed the gap back to four points. However, Odhran Agnew struck a close-range fisted point, followed shortly by a spectacular two-point score. Right before the break, a decisive penalty was awarded to the Harps. Cullyhanna goalkeeper Conor Heaney received a costly black card, and Caomh Agnew slotted home the spot-lick to set a commanding 2-8 to 0-5 lead at half-time.
In the second half St Pat’s generated hope when a long delivery from Conal McCreesh dropped short and inadvertently slipped into the net.
McCreesh and Darach McDonnell quickly added points to follow up.
However, Dylan Daly quickly squashed the comeback momentum by firing three successive unanswered points to keep the city side comfortably ahead.
Near the final whistle tensions rose ands both sides were reduced to 14 men.
Harps put the exclamation mark on the triumph when Odhran Agnew clinically drilled in their third goal.
Armagh Harps Scorers: Caomh Agnew (1-3), Odhran Agnew (1-3), Oisin Gribben (1-1), Dylan Daly (0-5), Conall McCann (0-2), Joe Duggan (0-1)St Patrick’s Cullyhanna Scorers: Eoin McCreesh (0-3), Conal McCreesh (1-0), Darach McDonnell (0-2), Tiarnan O;Neill (0-1), Padraig McCreesh (0-1).