Sport

Down in control all the way

Gaelic Games Digest/ ULSTER MHC : Goals in the opening minutes of both halves of yesterday's semi-final were the foundation …

Mon May 21 2007 - 01:00

Gaelic Games Digest/ ULSTER MHC: Goals in the opening minutes of both halves of yesterday's semi-final were the foundation stones for a comfortable 2-13 to 0-8 Down victory over Derry at Casement Park.

Malachy McGee got Down under way when he sent a loose ball to the unguarded Derry net after only 60 seconds of the game. From that point on Down were always on top and they led by 1-9 to 0-4 at the half-time break.

Any hope of Derry fight back was killed off in the second minute of the second half when Paul O'Neill pulled on a ground ball to beat Derry goalkeeper Darryl McDermott.

SCORERS - Down: Malachy McGee 1-3, Paul O'Neill 1-2, James Coyle 0-5, P Keith 0-2, Pádraig Flynn 0-1. Derry: P Henry 0-6, Darragh McCloskey 0-1, Alan Grant 0-1.

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Second half proves telling for Galway

CAMOGIE: Galway recorded their first win this year when beating Kilkenny by 1-12 to 1-4 in the All-Ireland Senior Camogie Championship at Tynagh.

At half-time an 11th minute Ann Dalton goal gave the visitors a 1-4 to 0-4 lead but it was the Kilkenny's failure to score in the second half which proved to be their downfall, as Galway made full use of a strong wind advantage for the closing 30 minutes.

The home side were the better team in the second half but Kilkenny did try hard. With 15 minutes remaining Galway led by 0-9 to 1-4 but the visitors were no match in the final quarter as Brenda Kearns scored two wonderful points while Veronica Curtin brought her personal tally to 1-4 with a well struck goal six minutes from the end.

Magee's late strike lifts Dublin

SF CHALLENGE: Darren Magee's injury-time goal at Mobhi Road on Saturday gave Paul Caffrey's men a 2-8 to 0-11 victory over Derry ahead of their Leinster championship opener at Croke Park in just under a fortnight's time. The game marked the opening of the redeveloped Na Fianna clubhouse and saw Conal Keaney carry the attack in the absence of Alan Brogan.

Keaney registered three of Dublin's opening four points but, approaching half-time, the home side had lost both their lead and midfielder Ciarán Whelan - the former Dublin captain retiring with an injured groin.

A Mark Vaughan goal on 35 minutes restored Dublin's fortunes before Derry looked to have earned a draw through a late Raymond Wilkinson point when Magee popped up in injury time for Dublin.