Carndonagh singing in the rain after victory over MacCumhaill's in U-17B final

Carndonagh prevailed against a youthful Seán MacCumhaills side in the U-17 B Championship final at the Donegal GAA Centre in Convoy on Thursday evening.

Carndonagh 3-6
MacCumhaill’s 1-9

It was a night where the wind and rain never stopped. Both teams deserve immense credit as they went at it hammer and tongs over the 60 minutes in a see-saw game. 

MacCumhaill’s were two points up after six minutes with scores from Pauric Kelly and Cathal McFadden. Carndonagh replied with a free from Cormac McGinn and a point from Altan McDermott to level matters up at 0-2 to 0-2 after 10 minutes.

The weather caused trouble for both sides still trying to adjust to the conditions in the opening 15 minutes but within one minute of MacCumhaill’s raising a green flag from Jacob Malone’s goal, Carndonagh went down the other end and raised their own with a goal from Daire Tully.

The MacCumhaill's panel before the U-17B final in Convoy

MacCumhaill’s would hold the men from Inishowen scoreless for the remaining 15 minutes of the half with a trio of Dan Donnelly frees sending the Twin Towns side in four points up at half time, leading 1-6 to 1-2.

Tully, turned hero for his side again, when in the opening minutes of the second half was quickest to react when a shot came back off the post and hooked it into the MacCumhaill’s nets after a scramble. Donnelly again pointed from a free in response but it would be Carndonagh making better use of the weather conditions and hit another two scores from Cormac McGinn to leave things in the balance.

Donnelly again put his side a point ahead but Altan McDermott’s goal and point put the Carn men into a three point lead with very little time left to play. Both teams battled bravely and hard for every ounce of possession in the final minutes. Dan Donnelly pointed from play to take the deficit back to two points but Cormac McGinn would reply to take their lead out to three again and see the game out.

Carndonagh scorers: Daire Tully 2-0; Cormac McGinn 0-5, 2f; Altan McDermott 1-1.
Sean MacCumhaill’s scorers: Dan Donnelly 0-7, 5f; Jacob Malone 1-0; Cathal McFadden, and Pauric Kelly 0-1 each.

Carndonagh: Brendan O’Carroll; Ruairi Doherty, Philip Devlin, Oran Lafferty; Shea Devlin, Ben McDaid, Ryan Noone; Altan McDermott, Noah McLaughlin; Daire Dully, Michael Noone, Cormac McGinn; Michael McCarron, Davin McLaughlin, Harry Nelson.
Sean MacCumhaill’s: Fionn McNulty; Davitt Bradley-Flynn, Adam Byrne, Cameron Russell; Daniel Lynch, Dan Donnelly, Conor Murphy; Noah Reid, Sean Brady-Devenney; Pauric Kelly, Riain McBrearty, Jacob Malone; Lorcan Byrne, Cathal McFadden, Daithi McMahon.