Roche Emmets and Naomh Malachi will play-off to decide who will be playing in the Intermediate Championship next season after both teams lost out in their respective relegation semi-finals on Sunday morning in Dowdallshill.

In the opening game, Young Irelands scored a convincing win over Roche Emmets on a 3-8 to 0-8 scoreline.

The Dundalk side had the better of the first half and went in leading by 1-4 to 0-3 with the goal coming from a Mark Savage penalty.

Despite the best efforts of Barry O'Hare, who finished with seven points, Roche were unable to mount a comeback and goals from Johnny Lynch and sub, Stephen Lally, wrapped up victory for the Young Irelands.

Na Piarsaigh followed the example of their Dundalk neighbours in the second game of the double-header as they secured their Intermediate status with a 3-18 to 1-7 win over Naomh Malachi.

A Mark Larkin penalty had Na Piarsaigh leading by 1-6 to 0-1 on 15 minutes before David Boyle hit the net to put his side 2-11 to 0-4 ahead at the break.

There was no way back for the Courtbane side in the second period as Na Piarsaigh pressed home their advantage and added a third goal through Cormac Malone.

Naomh Malachi did battle to the end and Ronan Greene scored a consolation goal in the dying moments.

Both teams entered this contest looking for a victory to avoid the dreaded game of death in the relegation play-off.

It was the Dundalk side that got off the mark first with the opening 3 points in the first 8 minutes from each of the three players in the full forward line. Driven on by a dominant midfield performance from John Garvey and the evergreen corner forward Cormac Malone Naps applied constant pressure on the Mals and were rewarded with a penalty  in the 15th minute which Mark Larkin converted to leave the Naps leading by 1-6  to 0-1.

Tight defending by the Naps and a few wayward shots by the Mals in the second quarter meant that  Mals were unable to claw back the deficit and a second goal from David Boyle virtually put the game out of the Mals reach with the town team leading 2-11 v 0-4 at half time. The second did not reach the heights of the first half and the Mals will look at the period of twenty minutes when they failed to register a score while the Naps kicked scores at will and a much stronger and fitter town team ran out comfortable winners in the end to send the Mals in to a derby match with Roche for the dreaded drop.

Na Piarsaigh;  Paul O'Hare, Conal Shields, Ronan McCartney, Stephen McGuinness, Aidan Marks, Gary O'Hare, Damien McGeeney, John Garvey(0-1), Eamon McAuley(0-1), Joe Woods(0-1), Michael Woods(0-1), Alan McCartney(0-1), Cormac Malone(1-2), David Boyle(1-2), Mark Larkin(1-7). Subs, Jarlath Lyons(0-1), Sean McAuley,Niall Franklin(0-1), Samuel Fassin, Damien McCrink, John Galligan,

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