Gallant Garrymore win a thriller

MAYO SFL QUARTER FINAL

Two hours and 21 minutes after the game began it ended with just a kick of a ball between them. Garrymore were tested to the limit on their home ground by a gallant Ballintubber outfit before emerging 1-12 to 0-12 winners after etxra time.

This was an enthralling match between two fine sides played on a perfect pitch in front of a fine crowd.

The match was held up for a long time in the second half for a medical emergency in the crowd and when that was positively dealt with, the match resumed and played to a finish.

The first half ended with Ballintubber a point to the good, 0-5 to 0-4.

Cillian O'Connor, Ciaran Gavin, Jack Prendergast and Stephen O'Malley were on the mark for the leaders while the excellent Darren Quinn, Trevor Nally and Juston Comins had the home side's scores.

The second half was equally well-contested but Garrymore took a huge step forward when Quinn and Shane Nally landed two points from way out the pitch to edge clear going into the last ten minutes.

However, Ballintubber were never going to fade away. Hugh Geraghty powered forward to land a crucial point before Diarmuid O'Connor landed the equaliser.

That brought the game to extra time and a superb shoot-out between Darren Quinn and Cillian O'Connor ensued. Quinn landed a beauty from the right wing before O'Connor landed a point from 62 yards. Those scores had the large crowd purring and when Pat Hession ran 40 yards and Trevor Nally blasted the ball to the net, Garrymore were in the box seat.

Ballintubber tried to get back into it in the second period of extra time and Gavin landed two excellent points but the classy Quinn and full-back Caolan Crowe had the final say to send Garrymore into next weekend's semi-final.

A full match report and after-match reaction will be carried in Tuesday's Mayo News