By Daire Walsh

Thursday January 17 2013

NIALL O’CALLAGHAN and Seán Gray were in scintillating form at the DCU Sportsground on Saturday afternoon, as their combined total of 2-9 helped Dublin North towards a comprehensive 4-16 to 1-8 victory over Westmeath Schools in the Leinster Colleges Senior Hurling Group A play-off.

Aided by a strong wind, a brace of goals from O’Callaghan, along with one from Cian Boland (son of newly-appointed Dublin U21 supremo Shay), gave the Metropolitan outfit an unassailable 3-10 to 1-1 lead at the midway point, and despite the heroics of Ciaran Doyle (who finished with a personal tally 0-7) for the visitors, a fourth major from Eoin ó Conghaile eased Dublin North over the line. Elsewhere, despite frustrating Knockbeg College in the opening part of their Leinster Colleges Senior Football ‘A’ clash, St Fintan’s High School, Sutton ultimately came off second best in Parnell’s GAA Club last Friday.

A goal from centre half-back Donal Ramsbottom gave the Laois/Carlow boys a 1-7 to 0-1 advantage at the interval, and despite a brace of points from Ronan McDyer and substitute Eoghan Smith, a second goal from Aaron Forbes gave Knockbeg a much-deserved 19-point triumph (2-17 to 0-4).

It was a similar outcome for St Benildus College in Rosemount in the same competition, where Moate Community School ran out winners on a scoreline of 2-13 to 1-5 courtesy of final-quarter goals from Theo Watts and Rob Hickey, despite a well-taken three-pointer in the first half from Kevin Nolan for the Dublin champions.

– Daire Walsh