Summerhill College

Colman’s win by narrowest of margins,

Report by Western Peoples Michael Gallagher in Curry

Connacht Colleges Juvenile ‘A’ Football Championship – Final

COLMAN’S, CLAREMORRIS 3-9
SUMMERHILL, SLIGO 2-11

The sign in the village told us that ‘Ruth and Robbie’ were getting married in the local church, but it wasn’t the wedding march that caressed the eardrums in Curry on Friday afternoon. Instead, it was the strains of joyous young voices acclaiming a St Colman’s victory in the nearby football pitch that drifted across the sunsplashed countryside at the end of a match.

Summerhill had cruised past St Jarlath’s in an earlier round and when they moved eight points clear in the opening 10 minutes on Friday, it seemed as if the free-flowing Sligo boys were coasting towards the title. They were absolutely dominant and playing a lovely brand of first-thought football, but gradually the Claremorris boys shook themselves into life and started the climb towards a comeback.

Three goals that necklaced the half-time break gave Colman’s the victory platform and by the final whistle they were a single point in front. Those who arrived a few minutes late for the throw-in would have missed the exlosive Summerhill start. Their charge from the blocks yielded three points for the excellent Cian Breheny, a goal at the end of a flowing move from Joey Farrell and a point apiece from the highly impressive Michael Casey and Mark Geraghty.

Colman’s were being out-fought all over the field as Summerhill tackled like demons and moved the ball smartly, quickly and decisively up the pitch. The Claremorris boys were finding it hard to get consistent possession, but eventually the hard work of Daniel Merrick and Stephen Coen in the middle of the pitch began to reap dividends. Points arrived from Mark Coen and Stephen Coen before Darren O’Boyle denied Dylan Kilgallon a Summerhill goal with a fine save.

Further white flags from Darragh Cummins, Casey and Breheny gave the Sligo boys a nine-point lead but then the tide of history began to turn. Cian Brennan slipped home a superb goal after a pass from Sean Conroy, Merrick added a point and right on the stroke of half-time Liam Noone lashed home a goal. That mighty surge brought them to within two points of their opponents, 2-3 to 1-8 and it got even better after the resumption.

Colemans Thomas Waldron smashed home a goal and then added two points while Noone drilled over a point as all Summerhill could reply with was a pointed free from Breheny. That put Colman’s three up but the Sligo boys were far from finished and Casey hit a goal as good as anything I’ve ever seen before Breheny nudged the Blues back in front with a fine point after 50 minutes.

That set things up for a roller-coaster finish and that’s just what was delivered by the two wonderful teams as they laid everything on the line in search of glory. Merrick landed the equaliser before Brendan Walsh and Brennan gave them a two-point advantage with time almost up, but there were still some thrills and spills to be had.

At the other end Casey twisted and turned and sent Jake Dykes clean through on goal but O’Boyle came out and blocked his effort. Then James Gillen drilled over a point to leave a hair’s breadth between them once again but the boys in Red were determined not to concede the equaliser and held on for a significant win in their football development.

It will be a joy to follow the exploits of these two groups in the coming years as they develop their skills and take on even bigger challenges. It should be fun, but before that both teams will meet again at Kent Park in Sligo on Friday next in the Connacht College’s League semi-final.