Bessbrook through in MacLarnon

Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup Round 2 Eliminator
Fri 31st January in Granemore : St Paul’s Bessbrook 2-14 Abbey Vocational Donegal 1-6
FROM the 7th minute of this Danske Bank MacLarnon Cup Round 2 Eliminator in Granemore when St Paul’s Bessbrook won an Abbey kick-out and strung together a quick move which finished with Sean McVerry firing home from close range, it was clear that Our Lady’s Castleblayney would have a derby quarter-final next week.
That put St Paul’s 1-1 ahead and it went to 1-3 before Kyle Campbell got forward for Ab-bey’s opening point in the 14th minute. But Bessbrook’s discipline in the tackle and speed of movement was better than their opponents who contributed at times to their own problems by holding possession into the tackle.
Unfortunately for Abbey VS, Campbell lasted only five more minutes in the game, with his high tackle on Caolan Reavey punished with a red card and Tony O’Callaghan’s free stretched the Bessbrook lead to 1-5 to 0-1.
Abbey rallied, under the leadership of full-back Richard O’Rourke who moved to midfield, and they scored three points before Caolán Laverty got in a reply just before the break.
Five points ahead and with the wind behind them, Bessbrook though pulled away with the opening four points of the second half, the pick of them from Lee Rice after just 25 seconds.
O’Rourke eventually landed a free in reply and then a second free from him dropped short in the Bessbrook area and sub Ciarán Ronayne stabbed it to the net.
Any chance of a comeback however was immediately put to bed with a sweeping move down the right flank and Reavey floating a beautiful pass in for Rice to punch to the net.
It got a bit scrappy towards the end with Abbey reduced to 13 players when a forward picked up a second yellow, but St Paul’s were the better side with eleven different players hitting the target and a lot of good team play.
St Paul’s : L Rice (1-1), S McVerry (1-0), C Reavey (0-3, 0-1 free), T O’Callaghan (0-2 frees), C Laverty (0-2), S Magill (0-1 free), G Murphy, F O’Brien, R Magee, O King and A Cun-ningham (all 0-1 each)
Abbey VS: C Ronayne (1-0), A McCalmont (0-2 frees), R O’Rourke (0-2 frees), K Campbell (0-1), T White (0-1)
Referee : P Falloon (Drumgath)

Thanks to Maurice McKey for the photograph