St. Michaels 1-18 St. Pats 1-6.
St. Pats were more than a match for their opponents in the opening half of this quarter final played under swirling wind conditions in Skryne on Sunday morning, but St. Michaels had more conviction about themselves in the second half and their better experience and know how saw them run out with a comfortable and convincing win to book a place in the "A" semi-final.
The winners were first on the scoreboard with a pointed free from Ronan Lynch in the opening minute but 3 minutes later St. Pats got off to an ideal start when a high ball into the St. Michaels square was met by the fist of an in-rushing forward to send it past the stranded Paul McCormack. St. Pats stretched their lead to 4 points before Gary Dolan fired over his sides second point on 12 minutes. A minute later another Lynch free reduced the deficit to two points. St. Michaels were awarded a penalty at the end of the first quarter but Jamie Farrelly's effort was brilliantly saved by the St. Pats keeper, however he deflected the ball back into play and after a bit of a scramble the ball eventually reached Peter O'Connell who tapped it over to leave one point between the sides. Five minutes later O'Connell was on hand to fire over a exceptional effort from play to level the match at 0-5 to 1-2. By this stage the scores had dried up for St. Pats who had just gone 15 minutes without raising a flag but this barren spell was due mainly to the brilliant defending by the St. Michaels defense of Adam O'Brien, Sam Briody, Christopher Drew, Jamie Reilly and Lee Morris, they hunted in packs and forced their opponents out wide and into corners while then breaking at speed and setting up counter attacks. A Ronan Lynch converted free on 23 minutes put his side back in the lead, Oran Meehan stretched the lead to two points before St. Pats pulled one back to leave just the minimum between the sides but St. Michaels were not relenting and a point apiece from Meehan and O'Connell put two between the sides at the interval 0-9 to 1-4 in favour of St. Michaels.
Two points in the opening 6 minutes of the second half, the first a beauty from Christopher Drew after he launched a sweeping move upfield set the tone for St. Michaels second half dominance, St. Pats pulled one back on 41 minutes but a Ronan Lynch converted free put 4 between the sides once more. St. Pats added a further point on 49 minutes and St. Michaels were fortunate when a St. Pats goal chance was scrambled off the line a minute later, but over the course of the remaining 11 minutes St. Michaels would add 1-6 without reply and two points from Oran Meehan set those wheels in motion, Ben Tobin won the next kickout and sent a lovely weighted pass to O'Connell who turned and sent it over from 20 meters. Jamie Farrelly and Matthew Halpin were dominating the midfield exchanges and once again another exquisite point from Chris Drew after he received a quickly taken 45 from Ronan Lynch put 7 points between the sides with 5 minutes remaining. But the St. Michaels pressure never relented and their hard work was rewarded when on 58 minutes Oran Meehan got on the end of a Gary Dolan ball to chip it neatly over the advancing St. Pats keeper to the net. Two further converted frees from Ronan Lynch completed the winners tally.
St. Michaels team & scorers:
Paul McCormack, Adam O'Brien, Sam Briody, Christopher Drew 0-2, James Reilly, Lee Morris, Matthew Halpin, Peter O'Connell 0-4, Oran Meehan 1-4, Jamie Farrelly, Gary Dolan 0-1, Ben Tobin, Ronan Lynch 0-7.
Subs: Thomas O'Brien for Ben Tobin black card 56 minutes, Ollie Reilly for Lee Morris 58 minutes.
Referee: Peter O'Halloran.
Report: Pascal Reilly.