Kilcoo and St John's suffer shocks as Middletown's run ends
Kilcoo and St John's suffer shocks as Middletown's run ends
Liam Grimley - BBC Sport NI contributor Sun, September 27, 2026 at 10:14 PM UTC
0
Down football was shaken on Sunday when dominant force Kilcoo were dethroned by Burren in the semi-final stages of the championship by a scoreline of 4-16 to 1-20.
The Magpies succumbed to St Mary's by nine points in a five-goal thriller at Pairc Esler in Newry, with the reigning champions doomed to a rare trophyless campaign.
The chaotic game started as it meant to go on, with Odhran Murdock scoring two early penalties to put Vinny Corey's side on the back foot after just eight minutes.
Miceal Rooney, Paul Devlin and Ceilum Doherty all chipped in as Kilcoo tried to catch up to the runaway leaders and the 2021 All-Ireland senior club champions went into the half leading by a single point.
Kilcoo looked to have found their groove going into the second 30-minute period, growing their lead to four points with 20 minutes remaining, but the story was not yet written.
Niall Toner scored a vital goal for Burren thanks to Armagh defender Paddy Burns, whose constant marauding from the back proved a problem for the Magpies all evening.
Down star Liam Kerr shone for the St Mary's side as he scored six points, but it was a substitute, Ryan Treanor, who sealed the result for Burren with a decisive fourth goal as they booked their place in the decider.
Clonduff await the giant-killers in the showpiece in two weeks' time to see who will sit atop the Mourne county football mountain.
Glenariffe sends St John's out of Antrim hurling title race
Defending Antrim hurling champions St John's were knocked out of the race to retain the Volunteer Cup by Glenariffe.
It was all action and drama, with three goals scored and two late red cards adding to the encounter at Slemish Park in Ballymena.
The Oisin's side started the game well, with two early goals from Colla Ward and Oisin Gillan giving them an advantage against the stunned west Belfast holders.
Advertisement
The Johnnies then pulled Glenariffe's advantage back to one point heading into the interval with Conal Bohill scoring a major of his own just before the break.
Alex O'Boyle's 12 scores helped the 2025 intermediate champions knock out the holders and secure a semi-final spot.
In the second half, it was end-to-end action with Conor Johnston and Shea Shannon contributing 12 points between them, but Seanie McIntosh restored the three-point lead for Glenariffe.
Oisin Donnelly and Conor Johnston were shown red cards to the Belfast side's misery as their title defence ended in unflattering fashion.
Keady stop Middletown's run of Armagh hurling titles
Armagh's senior hurling title changed hands for the first time since 2018 as Keady stopped Middletown's push for eight wins in a row.
Conor Corvan's seven points helped Lamh Dhearg to take the title from their bitter rivals at the Athletic Grounds.
Dean Gaffney shone for Na Fianna, scoring eight points for Paul Monahan's side, but it was not enough to retain the Jimmy Carlisle Cup.
Niall Arthur's side started on the front foot with Odhran Fullerton scoring twice in the first minute, with Corvan and Jim Short adding on three scores between them.
Middletown rallied, pulling the score back to six points apiece before Keady took a one-point lead into the interval.
Keady kept their slight advantage intact for the remainder of the second half, however, the veterans of Middletown such as Ryan Gaffney, Kieran McKernan and Nathan Curry kept the reigning champions in the hunt to the end.
That was until Corvan's insurance score at the death sealed the win for Keady.
Source: “AOL Sports”
