Sport

Drama goes right to wire

St Jarlath's, Tuam... 2-13 Coláiste na Sceilge..

Mon Apr 22 2002 - 01:00

St Jarlath's, Tuam ... 2-13 Coláiste na Sceilge ... 2-12 (After extra-time)ALL-IRELAND COLLEGES SF/Semi-final replay: It took a point right at the end of injury-time in extra-time by John Devane to finally bring to an end three hours of total football as St Jarlath's advanced to the All-Ireland Colleges senior A football final in a tension-packed replay at the Gaelic Grounds yesterday.

Even the most devout St Jarlath's fans must have felt a tinge of sympathy for the losers, who early into the second half were in cruise control as they led 1-8 to 0-6.

At that stage the St Jarlath's captain Michael Meehan decided to take things into his own hands and he sparked a revival with a 50th-minute goal which went under the legs of goalkeeper Bryan Sheehan.

He followed up with three rapid-fire points to put his team in the driving seat for the first time with just four minutes remaining.

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It was then that the real drama unfolded. Coláiste na Sceilge immediately picked themselves up, and Joe Corridan had them at full throttle with a goal direct from a free.

Play swung instantly to the other end and Damian Dunleavy landed the ball in the net from a free. St Jarlath's were ahead 2-9 to 2-8, and looked home and dry.

It was their turn to feel deflated in injury-time when Adrian Breen sent over a spectacular point from 50 yards to send the contest into extra-time. There were tired legs on both sides and at the end of 15 minutes St Jarlath's, thanks to Dave Ward and John Devane, were ahead 2-11 to 2-10.

It was much the same pattern in the second period of extra time and a third match looked a possibility when the teams were deadlocked at 2-12 each. But up stepped Devane to fist over the most crucial score of all.

ST JARLATH'S: D Dowd; P Costello, A Burke, G Sice; A Flaherty, D Mullahy, J Kavanagh; N Coleman, D Dunleavy (1-1); S Moran, D Warde (0-3), C de Paor; J Devane (0-2), M Meehan (1-7), A O'Hara. Subs: D Moran for O'Donoghue; G Ahern for Moran.

COLÁISTE NA SCEILGE: B Sheehan; J Clifford, W O'Sullivan, A O'Connor (0-1); P Sheehan, G Galvin, C Grandfield; A Breen, D Fenton; M Curran, K Cronin (1-2), B Murphy; J O'Shea (0-2), D Sullivan (0-3), G Corridan (1-3). Subs: A Ó Sé for G O'Shea; C Martin for Curran; B Lynch for Fenton; M Curran for Murphy.

Referee: B White (Wexford)