Mayo defeat Roscommon to win thrilling Connacht U20 title

A classic unfolded in Tuam as Mayo won a first Connacht U20 Championship since 2018, and the first under the rules, after defeating Roscommon 2-17 to 4-9 this evening

Roscommon patiently worked the ball for the first score by John Curran on three minutes but Mayo would control the remainder of the first quarter. Oisin Cronon, Hugh O'Loughlin and Tom Lydon all pointed before Mayo got the first goal on eight minutes. The move was started and finished by Seamus Howard, who won the Roscommon kickout, knocking it down into Cathal Keaveney. The centre-forward found Tom Lydon, who in turn fed Howard and the Belmullet midfielder coolly finished.

Mayo's full-forward line of Lydon, Darragh Beirne and Niall Hurley combined for their next four points to make it 1-7 to 0-1, but Roscommon turned the game on its head thanks to Rory Carthy, who kicked a wonderful two-point free off the ground before raising Roscommon's first green flag after being picked out by John Curran.

After Brian Greene and Niall Hurley traded scores, Roscommon found the net again through John McGuinness after he raced away from Rio Mortimer to reduce the gap to a point. Mayo hit back with 1-1, the goal coming through Darragh Beirne but Roscommon would respond immediately with a third goal, McGuinness netting his second, to put it 2-9 to 3-4 in Mayo's favour after a thrilling first half.

The scoring slowed in the third quarter, Mayo outscoring Roscommon 0-2. Rory Carthy, a free, and Colm McHale exchanged scored when Roscommon drew level on 51 minutes with their fourth goal of the evening, when Robert Heneghan's flicked in Carthy's diagonal ball in.

McHale, Dara Neary and Beirne put Mayo back in front, with Conor Grogan bringing the gap to two before injury-time. Roscommon thought they won it when Niall Heneghan palmed it in but it was ruled out for a square ball, and Lydon hit over the insurance score to bring the curtain down on a Connacht classic.

See Tuesday’s Western People for full coverage