Na Fianna showed no mercy to Castleblayney in a one-sided AIB Ulster club IHC final at Pairc Esler, Newry yesterday.

Na Fianna, Middletown (Armagh) 5-19
Castleblayney (Monaghan) 0-5

Such an outcome couldn't have been foreseen after Michael McHugh (free) and Gerry Brady fired the losers into an early lead, but it was all Middletown after that. Michael Mone's goal at the end of the first quarter opened the floodgates as Ryan Gaffney followed up with a six-minute hat-trick to help the Armagh side to a commanding 4-8 to 0-3 interval lead.

It continued to be one-way traffic in the second half with substitute Ned McGann firing over three points and Mone notching a fifth goal. Middletown will now face Mayo opposition in next February's All-Ireland semi-final.

Scorers - Middletown: R Gaffney 3-1 (1-0pen), M Mone 2-4, D Carvill 0-6 (4f), N McCann 0-3, B McCann 0-2, S Gaffney, C McCann 0-1 each. Castleblayney: M McHugh 0-3f, D Connolly, G Brady 0-1 each.

Middletown - P Mone; B Mallon, P Hughes, F Woods; K McKernan, N Curry, P Gaffney; B McCann, P McBride; M Maguire, C McCann, D Carvill; R Gaffney, C Carvill, M Mone. Subs: N McCann for M Maguire, S McCann for K McKernan, S Gaffney for M Mone, P Curry for F Woods, J McKernan for D Carvill.

Castleblayney - H Byrne; D Bolger, P Murphy, P Collins; M Treanor, J McHugh, P Treanor; G Boyd, B McGuigan; B Reilly, D Connolly, P Finnegan; G Brady, M McHugh, F Rafter. Subs: J Lacey for G Brady, R McAteer for P Finnegan.

Ref - D Magee (Down) Tweet

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