North Mayo Minor Championship (Friday 16-Aug-96)

Lahardane................................2-9.
Crossmolina...........................1-10.

Lahardane advanced to the final of the North Mayo Minor Championship at Bofeenaun recently. It was a game of two similar halves with Lahardane leading at half time by 2-8 to 0-1 against a Crossmolina outfit that stood admiring the ability of their opponents.

Declan Leonard lashed in a goal after nineteen minutes. Fourteen year old Cormac Rowland kicked four points in the half. Shane Blake had his penalty brilliantly saved by Martin Granaghan, the ball broke out to the rushing Blake and he tapped it past the helpless Granaghan. All for Lahardane.

Darren Walsh scored Crossmolina’s only point of the half. Peader Gardiner opened the Deel-siders account in the second half with a point, Stephen Rochford with three points, Declan Gallagher with one and Enda Lavelle with two, and Gardiner scored again to leave just five points separating the sides with less than 8 minutes to play.

Declan Leonard came back into the defence and carried the ball 50 metres and earned a free, twenty-five metres out from the goal which he put over the bar for Lahardane’s only score of the half.

Enda Lavelle crashed in a goal, with just two points separating the sides. A couple of good scoring chances were missed, that would have secured a draw. Lahardane were lucky not to have conceded a goal midway through the half when a high ball was fisted towards the net, a defender cleared it, but appeared to be well behind the line. A Lahardane defender later confirmed it was a goal.

Lahardane: A. McDonnell, M. Marley, A. Marley, A. Irwin, T. Jordan, A. McDermott (0-1); Damien (Red) Kelly, Damien Kelly, S. Blake (1-0); Declan Garrett, D. Leonard (1-1); Cormac Rowland (0-4); Ross Nolan (0-1); V. Cawley (0-2); B. Rowland.

Referee: L. Higgins (Ballina).