Omagh CBS Win Corn na nOg

Saturday 08.12.2012

Club

Omagh CBS 1-14 St Colman’s Newry 1-10

Omagh CBS lifted the Danske Bank Corn na nÓg title at St Oliver Plunkett Park in Emyvale last night when they produced a strong second half display to get the better of St Colman’s Newry and in so doing gain revenge for last season’s Dalton Cup final defeat.

The Newry lads led by the minimum margin at the break but, with wind at their backs in the second half, the winners were much the better side with the twin threat of Conor Loughran and Odhran Sludden accounting for 1-10 of their tally between them.

It was St Colman’s Newry who edged a highly entertaining first half 1-7 to 1-6. Sludden opened the scoring from a free but centre half forward Rian O’Neill quickly levelled matters with a well taken point from distance.

Sludden knocked over another couple of frees before Eoin Donnelly placed team captain Loughran for a fine finish to the bottom left hand corner of the net in the 11th minute. By the end of the opening quarter though St Colman’s had responded in kind at the other end of the field with a quality goal from Jack McCartan.

Midfielder Ciaran Bagnall then levelled matters but Omagh responded with an effort from play from Sludden as well as a close in free from Loughran. In the closing stages of the first half though, the Down lads got on top with points from Ryan Garvey and McCreesh to leave them narrowly in front at the turnover.

Within three minutes of the restart McCreesh and O’Neill had split the posts again and things looked good for St Colman’s. But they were to score just once more in the remainder of the contest as Omagh CBS got on top.

Sludden converted a superb long range free after six minutes to get their second half challenge up and running and after the same player had scored again PT Cunningham sent over the equaliser.

The momentum was with Omagh CBS now and Loughran gave them a lead that they were never to lose at the end of the third quarter. Cunningham fired over a fine point with the outside of his boot before the hard working Cian Mallon got his name on the score sheet to leave three between the sides.

With ten minutes left to play Mallon almost ended the game as a contest but his fierce shot cannoned off the crossbar to safety. Sludden pointed from play again before McCreesh’s sixth point of the night ended St Colman’s barren spell.

Omagh though had got into a winning position and they weren’t going to let it slip with Cunningham sending over the insurance point two minutes into injury time to ensure the title stayed in Tyrone for another year after Dungannon’s success twelve months ago.

Omagh CBS : R Kelly, T Murray, E Keenan, O Potter, P McCartan, C Slevin, J McGurk, C Goodwin, E Donnelly, O Donnelly, C Loughran [1-3], PT Cunningham[0-3], R McCusker, C Mallon [0-1], O Sludden [0-7].

Subs : D McGuigan for Mallon, C Mallon for McGurk, E Grimes for Potter.