McMahon is Newry ace

St Colman's, Newry 0-8, St Mary's, Magherafelt 0-5

Tradition, fitness and skill proved decisive when St Colman's, Newry, eventually swept past the challenge of a gritty St Mary's, Magherafelt side in Saturday's semi-final in Belfast.

The fact that St Colman's did not win by a much more handsome margin is due to the ineptitude of their attack, who missed several chances, particularly in the first half. The Newry outfit led by 0-3 to 0-1 at the break but enjoyed a dominant spell on the resumption. Ronan McMahon proved the ace in their pack and it was perhaps just as well he was on song as Magherafelt staged a late rally but were unable to salvage the match.

SCORERS: St Colman's - R McMahon (0-4), E Devlin (0-2), D McCartan, R Hanna (0-1 each). St Mary's - D McKeever (0-4), A Cassidy (0-1).