Sport

St Patrick's day arrives early

Colleges GAA/Leinster SFC semi-final: Expectations of a top-class Leinster Colleges senior football championship A semi-final…

Mon Mar 17 2003 - 00:00

Colleges GAA/Leinster SFC semi-final: Expectations of a top-class Leinster Colleges senior football championship A semi-final were not realised at Dr Cullen Park, Carlow, yesterday as St Pat's of Navan beat St Peter's of Wexford in a scrappy encounter.

Both sides were guilty of many missed chances, with St Peter's kicking 12 wides over the hour to nine for the Navan side. The inaccuracy started from the throw-in with St Pat's, the 2001 Leinster and All-Ireland champions, kicking three bad wides before nippy left-full forward James Finnerty pointed from play.

Scores continued to be hard to come by as both sides struggled with the windy conditions - the elements backing the Navan side in the opening half. A half-time lead of 0-6 to 0-2 looked anything but secure for St Pat's.

But a combination of typical dogged Meath defensive play allied to some dreadful finishing by St Peter's meant the Wexford college made no second-half inroads into the St Pat's lead. St Pat's used the ball cleverly into the wind and set up two superb goals late in the game from Andrew Hayes and Cian Ward, with Darren Foran's late goal for St Peter's being a consolation.

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St Pat's will meet St Mel's of Longford in the Leinster final but will have to improve greatly on this display if they are to regain the Leinster title.

ST PATRICK'S: D Jennings; C Reilly, K Reilly, A Curry; P Murray, C Kenny, G O'Brien; S Stevens, B Regan; S O'Toole (0-1), C Ó Galagán, A Hayes (1-1); K Mulrany, C Ward (1-4), J Finnerty (0-3). Subs: L Mulligan for Mulrany; J Donegan for C Reilly; D Geraghty for Hayes; C Gleeson for Ward.

ST PETER'S: D Redmond; A Murphy, B Malone, A Doyle; S Fallon, T Hore, C Quinn; M Doyle, J Fogarty; S Banville (0-1), K Gore (0-1), O Murphy; R Quinlivan, D Foran (1-2), I Murphy.Subs: C Quigley (0-1) for Fogarty (inj); C Maher for O Murphy.

Referee: P Daly (Westmeath)

• Kilcormac VS won their second title when they came from behind to defeat St Fergal's College, Rathdowney by 2-11 to 0-12 in the Leinster Vocational Schools senior hurling A final at Portlaoise yesterday. A 21st-minute goal from Jonathan Deegan saw Rathdowney lead 0-8 to 1-3 at half-time. A second goal by Harry Ryan gave Kilcormac a five-point advantage which they held to the finish.