Oranmore Maree qualified for the Connacht Minor A football final on Friday night in the Connacht GAA Centre after they took down Mayo champions Westport 1-10 to 0-7 in Bekan last night in the provincial semi-final. A late goal from full-forward Barry Keating and a point from Niall de Paor sealed a deserved six-point win for the Galway champions, who led 0-9 to 0-7 heading into the final minute of normal time. Oranmore Maree led 0-5 to 0-3 at half-time but should have been much further ahead after squandering three goal chances and kicking several wides. Midway through the second half, Oranmore Maree had stretched their lead to 0-8 to 0-4 when goalkeeper Brian Carroll made a superb save to deny Westport’s Killian Carroll. It proved a massive turning point, as the Galway lads went straight down the field to land a fine point from midfielder Alan Burke to go five points up. Westport refused to give up though and three points in a row set up a grandstand finish until 1-1 in the closing moments saw Oranmore Maree through to Friday’s final.
In the Connacht Minor B semi-final beforehand, An Cheathru Rua were beaten 1-10 to 0-8 by Breaffy. The Galway champions ended the game with 13 players after late red cards to Eoin O’Sé and Pat O’Murchú, but that shouldn’t take away from what was a very competitive game throughout. Breaffy led 1-3 to 0-3 at half-time, with the big turning point coming just before half-time when Eoinin O’Cualáin was unlucky to see his goal-bound shot come back off the crossbar for An Cheathru Rua. Moments later, Breaffy corner forward Rhys Neary hit the net for the Mayo side and they went in three points up at the break. In fairness to An Cheathru Rua, they stormed out of the blocks in the second half, scoring the first four points in a row to take the lead 0-7 to 1-3, but Breaffy responded with efforts from Callum Masterson, two from Rhys Neary and a ’45 from Oisin Costello. An Cheathru Rua had a chance to get level when midfielder Colm O’Loideáin was put through by Pat O’Murchú but his shot went agonisingly wide and another Costello ‘45 gave Breaffy the breathing room they needed to qualify for a final meeting with Elphin/Ballinameen on Friday night.
