N.U.I.G. make Sigerson Cup progress

SECOND in the Sigerson Cup Roll of Honour, N.U.I. Galway (formerly U.C.G.) scored a major victory in the Centenary Year competition when they defeated I.T. Sligo last Thursday at Ballinode, Sligo. It qualifies the Galway college for the three-day series â€â€ quarter-finals, semi-finals and final â€â€ in Dublin, hosted by U.C.D., next week.[private] The four quarter-finals will be played on Thursday, March 3rd followed by the semi-finals on the Friday and the final on Saturday, March 5th. N.U.I.G., under the management of John Maughan and Tomas Tierney, will be seeking the Galway college's 23rd title. In the quarter-finals they will play the hosts U.C.D. who have the greatest number of victories (32) in the 100 years of the premier Gaelic football competition at Third Level, named after Dr George Sigerson, Professor of Biology in the Catholic University School of Medicine and later the National University. The Cup was first presented in 1911, and UCD were the inaugural winners. The last of their 32 titles was won as far back as 1996, while the last N.U.I.G. victory came in 2003, when their star player was Michael Meehan. Also in this year's quarter-finals, a strongly fancied D.C.U. team will play U.C.C. who last week knocked out G.M.I.T, while N.U.I. Maynooth, under the management of Galway star John Divilly, will play University of Limerick, and I.T. Carlow will play University of Ulster, Jordanstown. Final scores: N.U.I.G. 3-11 I.T. Sligo 0-10; U.C.C. 1-10 G.M.I.T. 0-9; D.C.U. 2-14 St Mary's, Belfast 1-5; U.L. 2-9 D.I.T. 0-13; U.U.J. 1-16 I.T. Cork 0-4; N.U.I. Maynooth 0-11 Queen's University, Belfast 0-9; I.T. Carlow 1-15 I.T. Athlone 1-11. In Sligo last week, Mayo county stars Alan Dillon and Peadar Gardiner were outstanding for N.U.I.G. who are captained this year by the young Sligo county midfielder Stephen Gilmartin. With Corofin's Greg Higgins injured, only two Galway students made the winners' starting XV, Ballinasloe goalkeeper Nathan King and defender Joss Moore of the Mountbellew / Moylough club. Galway county goalkeeper Adrian Faherty (Claregalway) was I.T. Sligo captain and he was joined by his clubmate Danny Cummins, Paul Gleeson (Dunmore MacHales) and Shane Mannion (Glenamaddy). A strongly emerging U.L. team had Galway senior player Niall Coyne at centre half-back and alongside him at No. 5 was the talented young Dunmore player Declan Rattigan. U.L. shocked D.I.T. who had Galway's Gareth Bradshaw at right half-back. N.U.I.G. N King (Galway); C McDonald (Tipperary), K O'Connor (Kerry), R Rochford (Mayo); P Gardiner (Mayo, 1-3), C Conroy (Mayo), J Moore (Galway); S Gilmartin, captain (Sligo), D Coroon (Westmeath); M McHugh (Donegal), A Dillon (Mayo, 0-3, one free), A Mullin (Derry, 0-1); N Douglas (Mayo, 0-2), F Deasmhunhaigh (Cork, 1-1), J Doherty (Mayo, 1-1). Subs: B Geraghty (Offaly), for McHugh, 35 mins; K Conlon (Galway), for Conroy, 35 mins; S McHale (Mayo), for Moore, 52 mins; K Conlon (Leitrim), for Mullin, 49 mins. I.T. Sligo: A Faherty, captain (0-1, a 45); D Reynolds, P Gleeson, P Maguire; G Gaughan, M Leddy, D Daly; T Parsons, D Givney (0-1); M Brady (0-1), E Keating (0-2), P Garvey (0-1); A Croal (0-1), K Sweeney (0-2, one free), D Cummins. Subs., S Coen (0-1, free), for Garvey, 36 mins; S Mannion, for Gaughan, 48 mins; P Kelly, for Gleeson, 48 mins. Referee: Derek Fahy (Longford). U.C.C. K O'Halloran; P Crowley, E O'Mahony, J O'Sullivan; S Kiely (0-1), A Greaney, B Daly; J Fitzpatrick (0-2), W Kennedy (0-1); K O'Driscoll (1-0), M Collins (0-1), JB Spillane; B O'Driscoll (0-1, free), D Casey (0-3, two frees), S O'Brien (0-1). Sub., M Griffen, for Spillane, 60 mins. G.M.I.T. B Walsh; K Boyle, A Tierney, D Crawford; D Lee, G Kelly, J Duane; P Conroy, P McGonagle; D Clabby, C Hands, S Kavanagh; M Coady (0-1), A Thompson, S Griffin (0-7, four frees). Subs., E Monahan (0-1), for Hands, 28 mins; N Prenty, for Clabby, 38 mins; E Ward, for McGonagle, 46 mins. Referee: M Condon (Waterford). D.C.U. R Hennelly; K Nolan, K Gavin, S Ormsby (0-1); J McCarthy (0-1), B Cullen, C Begley (1-0); M McElhinney (0-2), N McAdam; D O'Gara (0-1), M Lyng (0-1), P Flynn (0-2); P Andrews (0-1), M Murphy (0-3, all frees), D Kelly (1-2). Subs., N Collins, for B Cullen, 38 mins; C McGuinness, for Andrews, 47 mins; C Rafferty, for M Murphy, 51 mins; C Cregg, for M Lyng, 55 mins; D Keenan, for McCarthy, 57 mins. St Mary's: T Harney; M Slane, P Martin, E McArdle; C Campbell, D Canavan (0-1), S O'Neill; C Doyle, M McKenna; B Herron (0-1, free), K Mossey (0-2, one free), P Harte (1-1, penalty goal); J Gilmore, K Connolly, R Keenan. Subs: O Mac..mlair, for J Gilmore, 47 mins; S McKenna, for Herron, 43 mins; D Canavan, for K Connolly, 55 mins. Referee: Pat Fox (Westmeath). U.L. B Scanlon; F Fitzgerald, M Dalton, J Lyne; D Rattigan, N Coyne, S Hickey; A Maher, D Niblock (0-1); A O'Donavan, P Austin, B Fox (1-1); C Dempsey, D Moran (1-6, 1-0 pen., four frees), M Cahalane. Subs., D O'Sullivan, for Dalton, 40 mins; M Geaney (0-1), for Cahalane, 51 mins; M Culloty, for Fitzgerald, 54 mins. D.I.T. :D Lyons; C Walsh, D Hughes, P Cunningham; G Bradshaw, P Domican, K McLoughlin; D Reilly, G McKiernan (0-1); G Guilfoyle, A O'Shea, A Nestor; B Allen (0-4), D Connolly (0-6, all frees), C McHugh (0-2). Subs., C Reddin, for D Reilly, 31 mins; M Reilly, for Nestor, 40 mins; C Lynam, for McHugh, 45 mins; K Martin, for Bradshaw, inj., 45 mins; T Cunniffe, for Guilfoyle, 60 mins. Referee: C Branagan (Down). U.U.J. G Kelly; D Mone, B Donaghy, C Galligan; K Dyas, D Morgan, C McGinley (0-2); C Murney (0-1), N Holly (0-1); D McNulty (0-1), C O'Boyle, P Hughes (0-3); J McAnulla, C McManus (1-2), M Donnelly (0-6, four frees). Subs., K Anderson, for Hughes, 52 mins; G McCartan, for Mone, 52 mins; J O'Neill, for McNulty, 55 mins; R Pickering, for Downes, 57 mins. I.T. Cork: B Walsh; R Power, S O'Donoghue, B O'Regan; A Downes, C O'Driscoll, B Maguire; A Walsh, S O'Hare; C Sheehan (0-1), H Curran, P Daly; BJ Walsh (0-1), A O'Brien, D Hodnett (0-1). Subs., N Galvin (0-1), for O'Brien, 39 mins; L O'Mahony, for Curran, 39 mins; M Griffin, for O'Hare, 47 mins. Referee: Joe McQuillan (Cavan). N.U.I. Maynooth: S Connolly; D Dalton, D Booth, C Freeman; K O'Brien, D Quinn, T Johnson; C Murphy, J Califf; M Hanratty, P Callaghan (0-3, two frees), D Quinn; F Barry (0-1), M Newman (0-6, four frees), G McIntyre (0-1). Subs., P O Conghaile, for Johnson, 28 mins; B Mitchell, for Hanratty, 40 mins; C Marron, for Barry, 57 mins; A Behan, for McIntyre, 60 mins. Queen's Uni., Belfast: J Deeney; N McGovern, L O'Neill, O Duffy (0-1); C Kielt (0-1), J O'Kane, L Howard; S Burke, R Jones (0-1); M Sweeney, N McKenna (0-1), R Grugan; J Kielt (0-5, four frees), J Ireland, M Armstrong. Subs., K Rafferty, for Jones, 45 mins; S Barton, for Burke, 49 mins; C Crilly, for Grugan, 53 mins. Referee: S Carroll (Westmeath). I.T. Carlow: R Keating; J Kinihan, C Boyle, D Buckley; S George, G Hanrahan, J Seavers; C O'Donovan, K Meaney; D Foley, B Brosnan (0-5, one free), S Gannon; C Rogers (0-2), JJ Smith (0-2), D Carroll (1-6, 0-4 frees). Subs., J Doyle, for George, 24 mins; C Smith, for Carroll, 54 mins. I.T. Athlone: G Connaughton; M Callinan, C Dignam, C Garvey (0-1); A Rowan, P Bannon, M Mitchell; G Deighan, E O'Hara; N Dunne (0-4, three frees), B Connor (0-1), D Adian; I Coffey, C Shine (1-0), F Burke. Subs., J Reynolds (0-3, one free), for Coffey; F Reilly, for Callinan, 35 mins; C Blake, for Burke, 51 mins. Referee: C Costello (Offaly).[/private]