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Urris demolished by Bundoran 26.08.10
Intermediate Football Championship – semi-final

Bundoran...1-12

Urris...1-5

by Damian Dowds, Inishowen Independent, at O’Donnell Park, Letterkenny

URRIS' championship aspirations evaporated on Sunday night when they found Bundoran too hot to handle in O’Donnell Park. John Friel’s side had entered the match with realistic hopes of reaching a first Intermediate final since 1982, but they were sluggish for most of the hour and struggled to get up to the pace dictated by Bundoran.
A goal from sub Shaun Paul Doherty gave Urris a glimmer of hope late on, but Bundoran hit back almost immediately, capitalising on a goalkeeping mistake to find the net and ensure progression to the final where they will face Cloughaneely.
Up front, Christy Keaney had the measure of his man. He scored two sublime points from the left wing on either side of an Eddie Kelly free at the other end and Bundoran led by two to one with eight minutes gone.
Jonathan Ward found space in the D to point on 13 minutes while Dara Hoey capitalised on a misplaced pass between Urris defenders to give his side an 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the end of the first quarter, a period in which Urris amassed four wides.
With Darragh Doherty playing back in defence, Bundoran employed Jonathan McHale in a sweeper’s role in defence, a job he excelled at making a series of vital interventions in the first half. James Keaney, too, did well at centre back while Jonathan Ward was industrious up front without troubling the scorekeepers. Bundoran’s tactics were simple – lump the ball in high and long to their twin towers of Ciaran McCaughey and Tommy Hourihan.
Urris pulled ten men back into defence, but found it hard to hit Bundoran on the counter and they were dependent on frees and Eddie Kelly’s direct running to get their scores.
Donal Kelly spurned a goal chance by over carrying in the square before Mark McLaughlin got Urris’ second point, in the 19th minute after taking a pass from Peter Devlin – but McLaughlin might have had a goal.
Tommy Hourihan scored points on either side of a Mark McLaughlin free and Eddie Kelly grabbed the last score of the half when he surged through the middle and held off a couple of tackles to point from 20m and make it 0-6 to 0-4 at the break.
Bundoran blitzed Urris for three points in as many minutes at the start of the second half, Christy Keaney scored points from either wing and Tommy Hourihane made it 0-9 to 0-4 by the 34th minute.
Further points from Hourihan and Fergal McKiernan had Bundoran seven points clear, but Urris grabbed a lifeline in the 42nd minute, with substitutes Kieran Friel and Sean Paul Doherty both involved. Liam Diver laid the ball off to Friel on the edge of the square but his shot was parried by Ashley Mulhern. Diver slid in on the rebound but his shot struck the butt of the left hand post and Shaun Paul Doherty kept his composure to rifle the loose ball into the bottom right corner.
That made it 0-11 to 1-4 Bundoran and all but sealed their passage into another Intermediate final with a 50th minute Paul Delaney goal.
A harmless looking diagonal shot skidded off the turf in the square and deceived Johnny Noone. The Urris keeper palmed at the ball and it fell at the feet of Delaney who made no mistake from close range.
Although they couldn’t be faulted for effort, it was game up for Urris after that. They tried to get the goal that they needed, but it just wouldn’t come. Liam Diver was hauled down on the 20m line and Eddie Kelly pointed the free. Sean Paul Doherty pulled on a loose ball two minutes before the end but his shot went inches wide.
And it was somehow appropriate that Christy Keaney should have the last word. The standout forward on show over the hour – although he was pushed hard for that accolade by his teammate Tommy Hourihan – converted a simple 13m free to give Bundoran a shot at Cloughaneely for the 2010 Intermediate Championship.

Bundoran: Ashley Mulhern; David Stuttard, James Keaney, Jonathan McHale; Peter McGonigle, Shane McGowan, Brian Gavigan; Paul Delaney (1-0), Niall Dunne; Jonathan Ward (0-1), Dara Hoey (0-1), Fergal McKiernan (0-1); Tommy Hourihane (0-4), Ciaran McCaughey, Christy Keaney (0-5, 1 free). Subs: Michael McEniff for D. Stuttard (48 mins); Dessie McNamara for T. Hourihan (57 mins)

Urris: Johnny Noone; Sean Doherty, Patrick Doherty, Kieran Kelly; Michael Grant, Shaun McDaid, Damian Harkin; Eddie Kelly (0-3, 2 frees), Liam Diver; Phil Pat Doherty, Peter Devlin, Alan Friel; Darragh Doherty, Donal Kelly, Mark McLaughlin (0-2). Subs: Kieran Friel for Phil Pat Doherty and Shaun Paul Doherty (1-0) for Peter Devlin (both on 39 mins); Adrian Doherty for D. Kelly (49 mins); Martin Kelly for D. Harkin (57 mins)

Referee: Mickey Mulhern

For full coverage of all your weekend sport, read the Inishowen Independent.
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