Two Monaghan county men got their hands on silverware over the weekend. Doohamlet man Colin Walshe captained DIT to a first-ever Sigerson Cup victory, lining out at wing-back in their wins over DCU in Friday’s semi-final and UCC in the final on Saturday. Darren Hughes then captained Ulster to the inter-provincial football title for the second year in a row at Croke Park on Sunday. The Scotstown man played at centre-back for Joe Kernan’s side, while the lively Conor McManus kicked 1-2 from corner-forward and Kieran Hughes came on as a substitute to ensure that Monaghan finished with a healthy representation of three players on the pitch as Ulster saw off Leinster by 3-12 to 0-17.
Meanwhile, on the Scór front, Monaghan clubs had success at the All-Ireland Scór na nÓg finals in Derry, with Drumhowan and Clones taking national titles back to the county. Monaghan’s senior hurlers fell to a heavy defeat away to Donegal in their Allianz NHL Division 3A opener on Sunday. An understrength Monaghan team, featuring a number of debutants, competed quite well in the first half, with Mickey McHugh’s free-taking keeping them in touch, but the wheels came off in the second half and even a Maurice McKenna goal couldn’t stop Donegal from cruising to victory.
Monaghan clubs drew blanks in the weekend’s Ulster club league action. Castleblayney came out second best in an eight-goal clash with Derry side Magherafelt in the SFL on Sunday, while Truagh were edged out by another Derry club, Ballymaguigan, in the IFL. Aughnamullen lost by five points away to St. Joseph’s from Glenavy in Antrim on Saturday.
By michael Tue 26th Feb
