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Eastern Harps 0.13                                                     Ballymote/Bunninadden 0.06.

Kilcoyne Park Tubbercurry was the venue for this Shane Quigley Financial Advisor New Ireland sponsored Minor A  Championship final between neighbours Eastern Harps and Ballymote/Bunninadden.

The pitch was in superb condition, but a strong crossfield wind made scoring a nightmare for both sets of forwards.  Eastern Harps were bidding to put back-to-back Minor A titles together while Ballymote/Bunninadden who had won the corresponding B championship last year were now testing themselves at the higher grade. Incidentally, both minor teams were runner-up in their respective grade in the provincial club finals last year played in Bekan.

Ballymote/Bunninadden, despite playing with the elements in the first half, adopted a very cautious approach but they were first to raise the white flag when James Lavin scored a free to lead for the one and only occasion in the game. Harps replied with an Aaron Healy free followed by a point from play by the pacey Conor Dwyer. Another Lavin free in the sixteenth minute for Ballymote/Bunninadden levelled the game but they were guilty of some wayward shooting as they struggled to come to terms with the elements. Harps were happy to retain possession for long periods and frequently used their pace to create overlaps as they made incisive runs through the opponent’s defence.  They got the next two scores compliments of the Healy siblings, Aaron and Ryan, before Sean Hannon curled a beautiful point with his ciotog to open a three-point lead. Another free from Lavin concluded the low-scoring first half at five points to three in favour of Eastern Harps.

As in the first half, Ballymote/Bunninadden were first to score when Luke Murray kicked his first point from the left wing to keep in touch.  Harps with the aid of the wind in this half were a lot more adventurous than their counterparts had been for the first half. Healy with another free gave them a two-point advantage before we were treated to the score of the game. It started when Patrick O’Dowd stifled a Ballymote/Bunninadden attack on his own twenty metre line. Then in a lightning counterattack no fewer than seven Harps players put the ball through their hands in a mesmerising piece of football, before Aaron Healy once again split the posts. The next score was almost as good and again it was the speed and movement of the Harps players that caused the trouble, before raiding Harps full-back Conor Hannon curled the ball over with the aid of the breeze.

Ballymote/Bunninadden were beginning to struggle with the pace of the game. Noah Phillips and Michael Cosgrove were a tower of strength and the speed of Conor Hannon, Alex Lillie and Conor  Dwyer began to punch holes in the Ballymote/Bunninadden rearguard.  Colin Finn got an excellent score from the left wing for the runners-up to relieve the pressure after good approach work from  James Mc Gettrick and Cormac MacHale. However, the respite was short-lived, as Sean Hannon and Conor Dwyer both kicked their second points of the game to leave the scoreline at ten points to five with the clock showing that fifty-four minutes had elapsed.

James Lavin, from another free, kicked his side's last score of the game. Even though the momentum was firmly with the Harps, Ballymote/Bunninadden spared nothing with their efforts. Their full-back Conor Boyle was excellent and along with Jack Clavin, Conor Walsh and the aforementioned James Lavin, they played till the final whistle.

In stoppage time Harps tagged on two more Healy points plus a fisted effort from Alex Lillie, after a penetrating run through the heart of the opposition. From the resulting kickout referee Michael Conway, who did an excellent job on proceedings, blew the full-time whistle with Eastern Harps victorious on a scoreline of 13 pts to 5

Sean Reynolds, chairman of Sligo Coiste na nÓg, was fulsome in his praise to both teams on the excellent game of football, before presenting the Dr Taheny Cup to the triple joint captains of Alex Lillie, Noah Phillips and Aaron Healy.

For Eastern Harps, it was a historic achievement as they retained the cup they won last year, with only 5 players remaining out of last year’s starting 15. The management team of Keith Carty, Shaun Dorrian, Ronan Higgins and Fintan McGowan deserve great credit for moulding a superb team. This management team was also the core of the management teams that won A titles at U.19 and U.20, making it a total of five A titles in two years—a phenomenal achievement.

Eastern Harps: Evan O’Gara, Nathan Mc Dermottroe, Conor Hannon, Daire Mitchell, Jack Gallagher, Michael Cosgrove, Patrick O”Dowd, Alex Lillie, Noah Phillips, Sean Hannon, Conor Dwyer, Ryan Healy, Ciaran Connolly, Aaron Healy, Diarmuid Carty. Subs: Danny Mc Gowan, Euan Flynn, Fionn Scanlon, Daniel O’Dowd, Aodhan Hannon, Cillian Candon, Jarlath O’Gara Sean Mc Cann,  Jake Jackson, Barra Conheady, Donal McDermott.

Ballymote/Bunninadden: Gareth McGettrick, Patrick Muldoon, Conor Boyle, Ruadhan Sheerin, Thomas Sexton, James Lavin, Dermott Crossan, Conor Walsh, Jack Clavin, Luke Durkin, James McGettrick, Luke Murray, Cormac McHale, Ewan Boland, Colin Finn, Luke McKeon, Eoin Gormley, James Boyle, Peadar O’Dowd, Nikodem Dudziak, Daniel Davey, Sean Sweeney, Gary McDonagh, Ryan Faughan, Darragh Flannery, Oisin Gormley, Diarmuid O’Donovan.