Minor League: Killeavy 1-11 Harps 2-07
The two best minor teams in the county locked horns in the second major final of the season as Killeavy and Armagh Harps met in the league decider on Sunday. In the championship final it was Harps who managed to edge home but in another nail-biting affair, Killeavy managed to get some measure of revenge by hanging on to grab the end of season honours. In contrast to the county final, it was Killeavy who started well and points from Caolan Trainor, Conor King and Niall O'Neill gave them a three point lead. It took Harps fifteen minutes to register their first score but in the next five minutes they scored four points without reply. Points from King and Trainor restored Killeavy's lead but a Harps point at the half-time whistle sent the sides in level at five points each.Caolan Trainor fights for the ball against a Harpss opponent:
Half Time: Killeavy 0-05 Harps 0-05
Killeavy were facing a strong wind in the second half but had an ideal start when Ciaran O'Hanlon capitalised on a mistake from the Harps keeper to poke the ball to the net. This score was almost immediately cancelled out when Jack Wilson set up Stephen Murray to fire home for the city side. Killeavy showed their fighting qualities by driving forward again and points from Trainor, O'Neill and King restored their three point lead. Two Harps points left the minimum between the sides and then they seemed to deal a killer blow when Padraig Rafferty stole in on a deflected shot to tap the ball into an unguarded net. Killeavy were not to be denied however and with James Donnelly fighting for everything at midfield and Niall O'Neill having the game of his life at half-forward, they drove their team forward with O'Neill sending over to bring the sides within a point. O'Neill then set up Cathal O'Hara to coolly level the match with ten minutes remaining. In the next attack, O'Neill once again set up O'Hara to fire over from a narrow angle. In an agonising last five minutes, Harps had good opportunities to level but stalwart Killeavy defending made them shoot under pressure or from poor angles and they couldn't find the equaliser and the final whistle saw Killeavy celebrating a well-deserved victory.Captain Chris McKnight lifts the league trophy for Killeavy.
