Connacht SH A Semi-final - Mercy Colleges 2-13 Gort CS 3-7:FREE-TAKER Shane Caulfield pointed the way as Mercy Colleges – an amalgamation of schools from Loughrea and Woodford in Co Galway – won at Ballinderreen yesterday.
Mercy, coached by Galway senior selector John Hardiman, trailed by 2-4 to 0-5 at the break after goals from Adrian Tuohy and Paddy O’Connor for south Galway side Gort.
But Mercy piled on the scores in the second half, with Caulfield in red-hot form from placed balls.
With 10 minutes remaining they had pulled two points clear, when Jason Flynn outpaced the Gort defence to fire his side’s first goal.
Stephen Keon raced through in injury-time for a goal to make Gerard O’Donoghue’s late goal for Gort irrelevant.
MERCY COLLEGES: L Uniacke; S Moloney, G Rooney, D McManus; C Nevin, P Hoban, D Morgan; S Caulfield (0-7, frees), P English; C Quinn (0-2), J Flynn (1-3, two frees), K Cormican; D Madden, S Lawless (0-1), S Keon (1-0). Subs: D Sweeney for Lawless (inj, 24); C Whelan for Sweeney, P Burke for Madden (both 60).
GORT CS: M Kelly; K Murphy, A Larkin, T Reynolds; S Collins, M Glynn, S Coen; R Burke, B Murtagh (0-1); P Lally, K Lane (0-4, three frees), E Linnane (0-1); G O’Donoghue (1-0), P O’Connor (1-0), A Tuohy (1-1). Subs: S Cooney for Lally (45); D Roche for Collins (48); A Fahy for O’Connor (54).
Referee: J Larkin (Galway).
Mercy Colleges will meet reigning champions Presentation College, Athenry, in the provincial final. Date TBA.
