Louth GAA club | Division Two round-up

Dundalk Gaels 1-17 Kilkerley Emmets 0-10

Dundalk Gaels clinched the Louth GAA John O'Neill Sand and Gravel Division Two League title thanks to a comfortable win over Kilkerley Emmets at The Ramparts on Saturday evening.

The hosts have been in excellent form this season and, having been likely winners from a long way out, they made no mistake in securing a return to the Division One ranks for next season.

READ NEXT: Louth GAA club | Division One round-up

Kilkerley went into the game hoping for a victory that would keep them in contention for the play-off places, but in the end, they were unable to match the quality of the Gaels.

The Dundalk men showed no mercy in the first half as they quickly took charge of the game with scores from Shaun Duffy and David McComish, and with Dylan McKeown kicking three points, they went in at the break with a healthy 0-8 to 0-3 lead.

Cormac Mallon, Michael McGeown and Darren Geoghegan were on target for the visitors.

The Ramparts men showed no signs of easing off in the second half as they moved 0-16 to 0-6 clear, with Cain Bromley (3), Luke Murray and McKeown on target. Michael Begley, Luke Shevlin and Tadhg McEneaney responded for Emmets.

Kilkerley enjoyed a mini-revival when they pointed four in a row from Ewan McEnteggart, Cathal Bellew, Michael Kirby and Begley. However, Gaels sealed victory with a goal from Tom O’Connell and a McKeown point.

Dundalk Gaels: Aaron Culligan, James Lynch, James O’Connell, Padraig Tinnelly, Shaun Duffy 0-1, Oisin Murray, Alan Jumbo, Sean Murray, Jordan Keating 0-1, Luke Murray 0-1, Dylan McKeown 0-4, David McComish 0-2, Cain Bromley 0-4, Tom O’Connell 1-4, Tony McDonnell.

Subs: Jack Mullen for D McComish, Tom Murphy for J Lynch, Chris Sweeney for C Bromley.

Kilkerley Emmets: Callum Mulholland; Cormac Bellew, Fintan Brady, Cillian Mulligan; Michael Kirby  0-1, Ronan Deery, Ewan McEnteggart 0-1; Aaron Crawford, Darren Geoghegan 0-1; Cormac Mallon 0-1, Rian Hand, Luke Shevlin 0-1; Michael Begley 0-2, Darragh Conlon, Michael McGeown 0-1.

Subs: Ciaran Bellew for A Crawford; Fionn Cumiskey for L Shevlin;  Cathal Bellew 0-1 for R Hand; Tadhg McEneaney 0-1 for M McGeown; Conain Fox for D Conlon.

(John O'Neill Sand and Gravel Louth Division Two League table)

Mattock Rangers 2-14 Stabannon Parnells 2-11

Mattock Rangers got back to winning ways following their defeat to league leaders Dundalk Gaels as they came through a close contest in Stabannon on Saturday night.

Victory consolidates the Collon side’s second-place position as they are now three points above the chasing pack with two games remaining.

Goals either side of the break from Jack Thompson and Liam Flynn helped the visitors come out on top against a Stabannon side whose challenge for the play-off places is now fading.

It was Thompson who got the first goal of the game in the opening period to see his side take a 1-6 to 0-6 lead into the break.

The Parnells fought hard to get back into the game after the break and hit the net through Ryan Shevlin and Jake Corrigan. However, Mattock were in no mood to let their grasp of the game slip, and Flynn’s goal helped them emerge victorious.

Mattock Rangers: Stephen Smith; James Caraher, Cillian Hickey, Ben Quaile; Tom Grimes, Shane Maguire, Dari Englishby; Jason Condon, Ben McKenna; Jack Thompson 1-1, Cathal Fleming 0-7, Terry Donegan 0-1; Oisin McKenna 0-1, Liam Flynn 1-2, Adrian Reid 0-1.

Subs: JP Waters 0-1, Caolan Nulty, Karl Grimes, Eoin McCloskey.

Stabannon Parnells: Michael Lynch; Johnny McGee, Mark Byrne, Ryan Halpenny; Bobby Butterly, Alan Reynolds, Richard Rogers; Colm Giggins, Dylan Shevlin; Robert Callaghan, Barry McCOy0-3, Jake Corrigan 1-0; Ryan Shevlin 1-1, Sean Reynolds 0-3, Harry Butterly 0-4.

Subs: Niall Cluskey for R Halpenny, Shane Brady for H Butterly, Jamie Cronin for R Callaghan.

(John O'Neill Sand and Gravel Louth Division Two League fixtures)

Roche Emmets 3-16 St Brides 0-22

The battle of the promotion chasers went the way of Roche Emmets when they defeated St Brides at home on Saturday night.

As a result, the winners move above the Knockbridge outfit to third in the table, leaving the Brides with work to do before they can secure their top-four place.

It was looking good for the visitors in the opening half as they found their range in front of the posts. However, Roche gave themselves a fighting chance as goals from Sean Dawe and David Quigley restricted the half-time deficit to just 0-13 to 2-4.

The hosts upped their game in the second half with Shane Byrne and Barry O’Hare helping to increase their scoring rate. Meanwhile, Dawe added his second goal of the night to seal the win. 

Roche Emmets: Jamie O’Hare; Dermot Carthy, Sean Connolly, Marc Murphy; Fionn Connolly, David Quigley 1-1, Jack McKay; Peter Lynch, Glen Stewart; Sean Dawe 2-1, Liam Dawe, Conor Carthy 0-1; Cathal Corcoran, Shane Byrne 0-6, Barry O’Hare 0-7 (2 x 2p).

Subs: James McArdle, Alex McArdle, David O'Connell.

Glen Emmets 4-13 O Raghallaighs 2-17

Tullyallen was the venue on Saturday evening for a fixture that could have a huge bearing on the relegation battle in Division Two.

Both sides went into the game in desperate need of the points, but in the end, it was Glen Emmets who came out on top for a victory that gives them a huge boost in the battle to stay up.

As a result, the Tullyallen men have moved off the bottom of the table and above both Clan na Gael and O Raghallaighs.

James Butler was the star man for the winners as he bagged a total of 2-7, while there were also goals for Conor Grimes and Jacob Morgan, while Darragh Russell contributed three points.

The Drogheda side battled throughout and gave themselves a chance of taking something from the game with goals from Kyle McElroy and John Horan.

Ruairi Moore and Eoin Moore were also among the points, but it wasn’t enough to prevent a damaging defeat.

Glen Emmets: Ian O’Reilly; Emmet Delaney, Keith Boylan, Evan English; Cian Talbot, Callum Wogan, Shane Curtis; Danny Grimes 0-1, Conor Grimes 1-1; Darragh Russell 0-3, Kealan O’Neill, Eoghan Maguire; Jacob Morgan 1-1, James Butler 2-7 (2 x 2p), Andrew Mooney.

Subs: Ronan Grufferty for C Grimes, Lorcan Lynch for D Grimes.

O Raghallaighs: Joe Finnegan; Steven Murphy, Alan Doyle, Emmett King; Eseosa Omoregbe, Conor McGinty, Olan Walsh; Ruairi Moore 0-4, Eoin Moore 0-2; Jason Reynolds, Kyle McElroy 1-6, Barry Finnegan; Lucas Carton, Ben Rogan 0-1, John Horan 1-4.

Young Irelands 2-16 Clan na Gael 2-14

Clan na Gael suffered a potentially damaging defeat in the battle to avoid relegation when they lost out to Young Irelands at Pairc Eire Og on Saturday evening.

There was much more than local bragging rights at stake on this occasion as defeat, combined with other results on the night, sees the Clans drop to the foot of the Division Two table with just two games remaining.

The Castletown side trail O Raghallaighs by a point, while the trio of Oliver Plunketts, St Kevins and Glen Emmets are still all in the mix on 11 points.

There was little to choose between the teams throughout the game, and at the break they couldn’t be separated as they went in level at 1-10 to 2-7. Cian O’Donoghue found the back of the net for the green-and-blacks.

The second half was a similar story, but the hosts did just enough to claim the victory as sub Derek Maguire grabbed a vital goal. Jordan O’Donoghue finished with six points while James Prendergast landed four.

Young Irelands: Feargal Sheekey; Conn O’Donoghue, Ciaran Murray, Lee O’Donoghue; Cian O Naraigh, Peter Nixon, Caolan McCabe; Ruairi Kelly 0-1, Micheal O Sé 0-1; Jack Watters 0-1, James Prendergast 0-4, Joe Mee 0-2; Cian O’Donoghue 1-0, Jordan O’Donoghue 0-6, Dean Maguire 0-1.

Subs: Derek Maguire 1-0 for C McCabe, Liam McStravick for C O Naraigh, Dermot Mone for Cian O’Donoghue, Mark Lee for J Watters, Sean Murphy for Dean Maguire.

Oliver Plunketts 5-15 St Kevin’s 1-9

The honours in this relegation battle went the way of the Oliver Plunketts as they blew away the challenge of St Kevins in Mell on Saturday evening.

The welcome victory for the Plunketts sees them move three points clear of bottom of the table Clan na Gael and two ahead of town rivals, O Raghallaighs. As a result, with two games remaining, their destiny is very much in their own hands.

On the evidence of this performance, should the Plunketts play with the same desire and accuracy, they will be fancied to retain their Division Two status.

The Philipstown side travelled with the hope of picking up the points to secure their own survival, but the defeat means that they are very much in the relegation battle.

The writing was on the wall as early as the second minute when Cian Brady found the net, and before the half-time whistle sounded, they had added goals from Ben Boyce, Adam Smith, Kristian Nolan, and Brady again.

It was 5-7 to 0-4 for the hosts at the break, and there was no way back despite a consolation goal in the second half. Luke Haggans also made a significant contribution as he landed seven points for the Plunketts, including two two-pointers.

Oliver Plunketts: Luke Haggans 0-7 (2 x 2p); Ricky Bateson, David McTaggart, Barry Reynolds; Adam Lambe 0-1, Jamie Byrne, David Lambe; Dean Carolan, Shaun Smith 0-1; Ben Boyce 1-0, Cian Brady 2-1, Adam Smith 1-0; Sean Callaghan, Kristian Nolan 1-3, Stephen Keeley 1-0.

Subs: James Guinn, Kenny Hurley 0-1, Shane Lambe, Sean Rice.

Roche Emmets 3-16 St Brides 0-22

The battle of the promotion chasers went the way of Roche Emmets when they defeated St Brides at home on Saturday night.

As a result, the winners move above the Knockbridge outfit to third in the table, leaving the Brides with work to do before they can secure their top-four place.

It was looking good for the visitors in the opening half as they found their range in front of the posts. However, Roche gave themselves a fighting chance as goals from Sean Dawe and David Quigley restricted the half-time deficit to just 0-13 to 2-4.

The hosts upped their game in the second half with Shane Byrne and Barry O’Hare helping to increase their scoring rate. Meanwhile, Dawe added his second goal of the night to seal the win. 

Kieran McArdle led the fight for the Brides with ten points while Sean Marry (6) and Aaron Devin (2) were also on target.

Roche Emmets: Jamie O’Hare; Dermot Carthy, Sean Connolly, Marc Murphy; Fionn Connolly, David Quigley 1-1, Jack McKay; Peter Lynch, Glen Stewart; Sean Dawe 2-1, Liam Dawe, Conor Carthy 0-1; Cathal Corcoran, Shane Byrne 0-6, Barry O’Hare 0-7 (2 x 2p).

Subs: James McArdle, Alex McArdle, David O'Connell.

St Brides: Aaron Devin 0-2; Stephen Hoey, Cillian Kirk, Padraig Mackin; Andrew Smyth 0-1, Bernard Laverty 0-1, Ross Murnaghan; Sean Marry 0-6, James Costello; Morgan Tobin, Kieran McArdle 0-10, Robert McCaughey 0-1; Nathan Kirk, Kevin Hearty 0-1, Donal McArdle.

Subs: Patrick Reilly for N Kirk, Oisin McBride for M Tobin, Evan Wynne for K Hearty.