DCU 6-14 Athlone IT 1-7
Corner forward Shane Carey helped himself to 3-6 as defending champions DCU laid down an ominous early marker in the competition.
The star-studded hosts led by just four after half an hour but goals from Carey and inspirational full forward Conor McGraynor put them 2-6 to 0-2 clear at half-time.
McGraynor was a powerful force on the edge of the square and set up Carey for DCU’s third goal early in the second half, effectively sealing their quarter-final clash with IT Carlow on February 10th.
Monaghan man Carey, a county medallist with Scotstown, rounded off his hat-trick in the 47th minute while Mayo’s Diarmuid O’Connor and rising Roscommon star Ultan Harney also netted.
Westmeath star Kieran Martin was best for visiting Athlone IT and scored 1-5 including a well taken 44th minute goal.
DCU: B Flynn; J Smith, D Ward (0-1), P McKenna; D Byrne, C Moynagh, S Attride; S Carthy (0-1), C McGonagle; M Quinn (0-2), D O'Connor (1-1), M Plunkett; C McNally, C McGraynor (1-0), S Carey (3-6, three frees).
Subs: E Smith for Ward (h/t), R Lyons for Plunkett (h/t), U Harney (1-1) for McNally (43 mins), C Breheny for Quinn (50 mins), R Connor for McKenna (50 mins), D Mannix (0-2) for McGraynor (54 mins).
ATHLONE IT: D O'Connell; D Monagle, A Claffey, M Kearney; D Wharton, S Flynn, A Byrne; E Quigley, M Daly; D McDermott, K Martin (1-5, three frees), A Fitzpatrick; C McMonagle (0-2), T Watts, A Coffey.
Subs: D Petit for Coffy (36 mins), K Rudden for Daly (43 mins).
Referee: F Kelly (Longford).
NUI Galway 3-14 Trinity College Dublin 1-4
NUI Galway will battle it out for a place in the Sigerson Cup finals with UCD after inflicting a 16-point defeat on an outclassed Trinity College this evening.
NUIG were too good for their opponents at Clanna Gael, Fontenoy and led by 3-10 to 0-3 at half-time.
Michael Daly, Owen Gallagher and Kevin Finn netted the first-half goals for NUIG, who asserted midfield dominance through Mayo’s Aidan O’Shea and Galway’s Peter Cooke.
Trinity battled gamely to the end and were rewarded with Michael O’Grady’s late goal but it’s NUIG who advance to a tasty looking clash with UCD.
NUIG: D O'Sullivan; K McDonnell (0-1), D Cunnane, L Burke; J McManus (0-1), D Murray, A Nolan; C O'Shea, P Cooke (0-3, three frees); S Moran (0-1), M Daly (1-2), A Gallagher (0-3, two frees); K Finn (1-3, one free), O Gallagher (1-0), C Davey.
Subs: P Mannion for Finn, E Tierney for O Gallagher (both 43 mins), S Conroy for Davey (46 mins), L Cullen for Cunnane (48 mins), E Boland for Murray (52 mins).
TRINITY: M Shiels; B Flynn, T McGahern, G Deery; C O'Donoghue, M O'Grady (1-0), K Archbold; S Cunningham, M Walsh; E O'Neill, E Keogh, D Boothman (0-3, two frees); R McCullagh, C O'Driscoll, M O'Sullivan (0-1, free).
Subs: S Ward for McGahern (37 mins), S Mulhern for Walsh (38 mins), L Tynan for McCullagh (41 mins), R O'Hanlon for Shiels, J Bell for Flynn (both 46 mins), C MacGearailt for O'Sullivan (48 mins).
Referee: C Reilly (Meath)
Queen's University 0-13 Maynooth University 1-8
Former Down star Marty Clarke scored five points as Queen's University recorded a fine away win over Johnny Doyle’s Maynooth side.
The experienced centre half forward showed an array of skills that were too hot for the youthful Maynooth team to handle and James McCartan’s men were fully deserving of their two-point win.
The Ulster side scored the first three points of the game but were rocked in the 18th minute when a powerful run by Paul Cribbin set up a goal for Eoin Roche to put the Kildare university ahead for the first time, 1-1 to 0-3.
Ryan Murray and Ruairi Corrigan scored points late in the half to leave Queen's one ahead at the break but two Evan O’Carroll frees, and another by Neill Flynn, soon after the restart gave the home team the lead again.
Clarke took over after that though and Queen's outscored Maynooth by 0-7 to 0-3 in the final minutes to ease their progress through the first round.
QUEEN'S UNIVERSITY: J Deeney; G McCabe, C Cullen, B Burns; N Delarghy, S Heffron, M Monan (0-1); H Brown (0-1), A Morgan; R Corrgian (0-2), M Clarke (0-5, three frees), D McAleese (0-1); R Murray (0-2), G McGovern, C O'Hanlon (0-1, free).
Subs: R Wells for Burns (h/t); C Hamill for Monan (49 mins), C Martin for Brown (60 mins).
MAYNOOTH UNIVERSITY: E McDonagh; E Mullan, J McCarron, J Costello; T Gibbons, T Hannifin, C Slevin; F Conway, E O'Carroll (0-2, frees); B Duggan, N Flynn (0-4, frees), P Cribbin (0-1); J Wallace (0-1), R McManus, E Roche (1-0).
Subs: F Flanagan for Hannifin (34 mins); H Walsh for Duggan,(42 mins); S Farrell for Roche (51 mins).
Referee: M Deegan (Laois).
IT Carlow 1-10 IT Sligo 0-10
A10th-minute goal from IT Carlow’s forward Chris Healy proved crucial in this competitive tie at the IT Carlow grounds, in which the sides were level on five occasions.
The visitors were reliant on Adam Traynor for scores, the Monaghan man scoring 0-5 of his side’s first-half tally, three from play, as the sides were tied 1-3 to 0-6 at the break.
Cian Clinton pointed Sligo into an early second half lead but a brace of long-range points from play from Carlow’s influential Tipperary midfielder Mark Russell lifted home morale. Sligo were only a point in arrears (1-8 to 0-10) when substitute Cathal Surlis saw his effort for goal well saved by Robert Samson.
Carlow closed out the game with points from play by Michael Hurley and a Chris Conroy free. Conroy was highly impressive from frees, five of his six points came from placed balls.
IT CARLOW: R Samson; I Ilunga, T Featherson, T O'Connell; T Dever, D Dunne, D Smyth; M Russell (0-2), W Young; C Conroy (0-6, five frees), K Ryan, C Ward; C Healy (1-1), M Sherry, M Hurley (0-1).
Subs: B McHugh for Dunne (46 mins); T Nolan for Healy (54 mins).
IT SLIGO: B McGovern; D McConnon, B Hanratty, M McWeeney; E McHugh (0-1), E McGrath, E Flanagan; S McBrearty, C Clinton (0-3,frees); R Connolly, R Gorman, R Gorman, C Kenny (0-1, free); M Scully, N Walsh, A Traynor (0-5, two frees).
Subs: J Connell for McConnon (10 mins); L Carr for Scully (40 mins); D M Cormack for Hanratty (46 mins); C Surlis for Kenny (53 mins); K Smullen for Carr; D McConnon for Clinton ( both 60 mins).
Referee: F Barry (Kildare).
