Laragh United 2-16 
Drumlane 0-11

Laragh United sent Drumlane crashing out of the intermediate championship after an impressive showing this evening at Packie Devlin Park in Killeshandra.

On a perfect evening for football, well-timed goals from Conor O'Rourke and Shane O'Rourke in each half kept the Stradone men comfortable in this contest as they scored their third win ahead of the competition's quarter-final stages next weekend.

Sean Finnegan's side's first goal came right on the stroke of half-time, ushering them five in front, and just as Drumlane had narrowed the difference down to a score the second major went in, leaving the Milltown men with a mountain which proved too much to try and scale.

Dane O'Dowd had given the Sons of O'Connell the initial lead with a point inside the first minute and marksman Ryan Connolly restored it by the sixth after Paddy Rudden's free had the would-be winners off the mark.

Ian Leddy travelled up from wing back to level matters for the men donned in orange and they'd arrive at their first lead in the 10th minute after Rudden sailed over a well-struck free from some 40 metres out.

Connolly (free) and Gary Tubman registered singles to outweigh Eoin Donoghue's superb effort at the far end, squaring the sides again, before Laragh began to hit their stride around the quarter hour mark. Frees from Sean Tierney and Rudden were backed up by Jason Walsh popping over his first of the day, which saw Finnegan's charges start to take a foothold.

Fergal Brady, winning the majority of his battles around the centre for Drumlane, cancelled out Walsh's second prior to Connolly pulling off some fine work in the right corner and looping over off his left foot.

Down by two with as many minutes remaining in the half, Barry McLoughlin's team would have been content enough with that margin when they went into the dressing room but disaster struck them right on the half-hour when they got cut open down the middle and Conor O'Rourke did the rest to make it 1-8 to 0-6 for the break.

Oisin Carolan's fired over within two minutes of the restart to make it a six-point game but the west Cavan men responded well with three unanswered points from Brady, Connolly (free) and Tubman to bring themselves right back into contention.

A second hammer blow was pending though and it saw Conor O'Rourke jink inside the square and slip through Shane O'Rourke who chipped his finish over the dive of Gareth Corrigan in the Drumlane goal.

Points from Carolan and Conor O'Rourke quickly followed, which all but sealed the deal heading into the last 10, as Colm McKenna cancelled out Connolly before Tierney added a brace of frees and Walsh and sub Eoghan Cooney rounded off the scoring towards the end.

Laragh now await the remaining fixtures (Killinkere v Templeport and Drumgoon v Swanlinbar) to be played tomorrow (Sunday) to see who they'll face in the last eight race for the Tommy Gilroy Cup.

Laragh United: Fergal O'Rourke; Colm McKenna (0-1), Fergal McKenna, Jason Rahill; Ciaran Cooney, Seamus Cooney, Ian Leddy (0-1); Eoin Donoghue (0-1), Shane O'Rourke (1-0); Jason Walsh (0-3), Ruairi Power, Sean Tierney (0-3, 3f); Oisin Carolan (0-2), Paddy Rudden (0-3, 3f), Conor O'Rourke (1-1). Subs: Kieran Donoghue, Declan Brady, Eoghan Cooney (0-1), Phil Fitzsimons, Jamie McMahon.

Drumlane: Gareth Corrigan; Francis Lunney, Declan Lunney, Sean Smith; Glenn Fitzpatrick, Donal Monahan, Darragh Brady; Dane O'Dowd (0-1), Kian Monahan; Gary Tubman (0-2), Fergal Brady (0-2), Ryan Connolly (0-6, 4f); Donal O'Reilly, Ciaran Crowe, John O'Dowd. Subs: Stephen McCann, Shane Dolan, Cormac Fitzpatrick.

Ref: John Emo (Butlersbridge)

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