Minors and U14s both win for Bann

Clann na Derg Minors returned to winning ways with a hard fought 8-15 to 3-12 victory over Drumgath on Saturday afternoon.

Clann started brightly with a Sean Lenaghan point which was followed by further points from Niall Scullion and Aaron Heaney. Clann could have been furtherahead but squandered two excellent chances and had goalkeeper Jack Rice to thank for preserving their lead with two fine saves.

A goal each by Niall Scullion and Sean Lenaghan stretched the Clann lead but Drumgath managed to hit back with three points to narrow the gap heading towards half-time.

Drumgath started the second period much brighter and quickly narrowed the Clann lead with two goals. With the extreme heat, it looked like the Clann team were beginning to tire but to their credit they continued to battle hard with Cormac Feenan and Eoin Monaghan displaying some fine tackling to halt the flow of Drumgath attacks.

Some fine fielding from Eoin Monaghan saw Clann eventually settle into their game with relief finally coming in the form of a superbly taken goal by Niall Scullion.

Further points from Sean Lenaghan and an excellent long range effort from Aaron Heaney pushed Clann further in front. Drumgath to their credit continued to attack with purpose but as the game wore on, the Clann defence of Philip O’Keefe, Ruairi Conway and team captain Michael Mallon continually broke up Drumgath attacks leading to further scoring opportunities for the forwards at the other end.

The Clann na Derg scoring was rounded off by Keelan McCambridge, who was making his first appearance of the season. Saturday’s win puts the team in second place two points behind league leaders Attical.

U14s

Saval was the venue for the South Down Division Two Clash of Clann na Derg and Saval on Thursday 29 May.

The boys, led by captain on the night Niall Lennon, won an impressive 9-15 to 2-5 in this sixth round clash.

The scoring was started by the ever impressive Jack Campbell who scored a goal and two points in the first half together with goals from Odhran McMullan and Paul Ferris.

In addition, points from Sean Casey and Eoin Scullion gave the boys an advantageous lead at the break. Newcomer Dillon Hickey played a great game at the back and took to the task of free kicks. Ryan Donnelly played a solid game in midfield throughout.

The second half was more of the same with a sprinkling of goals from Sean Casey, Eoin Scullion and Fergal Vaughan and it was good to see the lads also scoring nine points. Man of the match Rory Masterson led the charge by scoring two points early on and was solid in defence. Let’s hope this is the start of great things to come for Clann na Derg’s U14 for the remainder of the league.