Double the delight for Belmullet schools 

The wider Erris region was celebrating a magnificent sporting double on Tuesday as both secondary schools in Belmullet won Connacht Post Primary Schools football titles.

St Brendan’s College and Our Lady’s SS were crowned 1st Year ‘D’ and ‘E’ champions respectively after two quite incredible games of football.

St Brendan’s were up against Mohill Community College at Kilcoyne Park in Tubbercurry and found themselves with a mini mountain to climb at half-time when trailing the Leitrim boys by nine points. However, St Brendan’s had been confronted by a very strong wind in that opening half and they roared back into contention in the second-half and fired over no fewer than four pointers – a superb feat considering this was a first years match.

They hit the front in the final quarter and indeed their winning margin would have been more than four points were it not for a string of excellent saves by the Mohill goalkeeper. It finished in Tubbercurry 3-12 to 2-11 in favour of St Brendan’s.

Meanwhile, on the nearer side of the Ox Mountains, in Bonniconlon, Our Lady’s Secondary School from Belmullet were in action at the same time against Castlerea Community School and demonstrated perfectly the old adage that goals win games as they overcame the Roscommon outfit 8-07 to 3-19 to be crowned Connacht PPS 1st Year ‘E’ champions.

It was a truly thrilling encounter and again required a strong second-half display as they had trailed at half-time after playing into the stiff breeze.

Bonniconlon was familiar territory to the Our Lady’s manager Mr Rory Upton who was joined on the sideline by Mr Ryan O’Donoghue and Michael Joe Barrett whose hard work with the team all year combined to create something truly memorable.

Two more Mayo teams were also in action in last Tuesday’s Connacht Post Primary Schools 1st Year football finals, and it was excellent news too for St Gerald’s College of Castlebar as they stormed to victory over Coláiste Bhaile Chláir in the ‘A’ final, winning 6-13 to 1-8 at the Connacht GAA Centre of Excellence in Bekan. Ballyhaunis Community School were beaten in the ‘C’ final which was played in Claregalway, where Colaiste na Coiribe triumphed 4-15 to 4-5.

Presentation College Headford were swept aside by Scoil Mhuire Strokestown in the ‘B’ final who won 5-15 to 1-6 in Bekan.

CoE Bekan was also the venue for Thursday’s victory for St Gerald’s College of Castlebar in the ‘A’ final of the Connacht PPS juvenile football championship. They beat St Jarlath’s College from Tuam by 12 points, 4-15 to 1-11. However, St Muredach’s College were unable to make it a Mayo double on the same afternoon as the Ballina students endured an agonising one point loss to Abbey Community College from Boyle in the juvenile ‘B’ final. It finished 3-16 to 3-15 in favour of the Roscommon side at Kilcoyne Park, Tubbercurry.