Kingscourt 0-10
Ballinagh 0-5

Kingscourt Stars will face Cavan Gaels in the quarter-finals of the senior championship after coming through a poor contest with Ballinagh this afternoon.

There were only six scorers over the hour in this replay at Kingspan Breffni Park, with Darragh Gunne and Ryan Carey leading the charge for the Stars as they opened up a three-point lead midway through the first-half and pushed it to five before the final whistle.

The return of Padraic Faulkner was also a major plus for Niall Lynch's team, as he guarded the threat of Niall McDermott and held him scoreless from open play, which told a major story in Ballinagh's final 0-5 tally.

In the soaking wet conditions, defences were on top for the majority of the first-half and it was the victors that enjoyed the better start with a Barry Reilly free being backed up by a brace of points from Gunne, who gave marker Killian McBride a tough hour.

Colin Gumley earned a free for McDermott to open Ballinagh's account in the 16th minute and the men in saffron gathered their best form in the ensuing minutes with Thomas Moore and McDermott (free) finding their range to draw matters level.

Lynch's charges owned the latter stages of the half though and restored their three-point lead by the break (0-6 to 0-3), after the lively Carey sent over a pair from the wing either side of Gunne notching over his third off the back of a pinpoint pass from returned centre-back Faulkner.

The leaders kicked four wides in the opening six minutes of the restart, with Reilly and Ciaran Gorman guilty of missing very storable chances, as the game slipped into a drab period, it must be said.

Ballinagh couldn't punish them at the other end until the half was 17 minutes old, as mistakes and turnovers littered the game for a spell, with McDermott converting a tricky free from the right flank won by wing back Gavin Smith.

Gunne hit back with an immediate response for the Meath border men but a fine individual effort from Kevin Smith left Ballinagh within two for the last 10 minutes.

However, it was Kingscourt that really bossed those minutes until the long whistle, as Carey sent the re-introduced Keith McCabe to fist over Declan Beard's bar and when Gunne added a free Ballinagh looked done for.

Keeping the trend of backing up Gunne, Carey tapped over the last one for the Stars, before McDermott uncharacteristically sent a close range free wide to sum up the losers' afternoon.

Kingscourt: Gavin Sheenan; Rory Sheridan, Shane Grey, Keith McCabe; Barry Tully, Padraic Faulkner, Noel McIntyre; Barry Reilly (0-1, 1f), Ciaran Gorman; Ryan Carey (0-4), Joe Dillon, Peter Corrigan; Darragh Gunne (0-5, 4f), Christy McGowan, Alan Clarke. Subs: Philip Tinnelly for K McCabe (24mins), McCabe for B Tully (HT), Cian McAdle for P Corrigan (57), Philly Smith for J Dillion (58), Seanie Farrelly for D Gunne (59), Paddy Farrelly for C McGowan (60).

Ballinagh: Declan Beard; Fergus Bogue, Patrick Carroll, Killian McBride; Gavin Smith, Niall O'Reilly, Philip Bogue; Padraic O'Reilly, Thomas Moore (0-1); Kevin Smith (0-1), David Finnegan, Cathal Bogue; Colin Gumley, Niall McDermott (0-3, 3f), Anthony Gaynor. Subs: Ronan O'Reilly for C Gumley (36mins), Peter Donohoe for A Gaynor (44), Enda Brady for P Bogue (48), Aaron Reilly for G Smith (55).

Ref: Kieran McCarville (Cootehill Celtic)

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