Armagh SHC Final: Keady dethrone Middletown

Armagh SHC Final

Keady 0-17 Middletown 0-15

By Shaun Casey at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds

A man of the match performance from Conor Corvan led Keady to a first Senior Hurling Championship title since 2018 as they overcame arch-rivals Middletown in the decider at the BOX-IT Athletic Grounds.

It was nip and tuck throughout the entire encounter, although Niall Arthur’s men had their noses ahead for the majority of the contest, but Corvan was the difference maker in the end.

He top scored for his side on the day with 0-7 as his accuracy from the dead ball proved extremely important, particularly in the dying seconds, when he sailed over what proved to be the insurance score.

Keady hit the front immediately as corner forward Odhran Fullerton swung over two scores inside the opening sixty minutes. Corvan followed that up with a brace while Jim Short also accounted for a score.

Middletown got their end of the scoreboard ticking after eight minutes when Dean Gaffney slotted over a free, while Caoinn Hughes split the posts and that seemed to spark Middletown, chasing eight county titles in a row, into life.

Keady skipper Conor Renaghan traded scores with Gaffney, who fired off two on the bounce, before Jake Toal and the ever-reliable Gaffney nailed another two as the sides drew level for the first time, 0-6 apiece.

Corvan and Gaffney cancelled each other out and it was Keady who had their noses ahead when the two teams broke for the interval however, with Fullerton finishing the half as he started by firing between the posts, giving them a narrow 0-8 to 0-7 advantage.

Conor and John Corvan pushed the eventual champions further ahead at the start of the second period with a score each, while Corvan and Shea Harvey cancelled out replies from Hughes and Gaffney.

Corvan continued to split the posts, with Ryan Gaffney matching his effort this time around. Nathan Curry got in on the scoring act before Ryan Gaffney grabbed a second to edge Middletown in front for the very first time.

Keady, who lost the last five county finals to Middletown, failed to panic however and Corvan steadied the ship with an equaliser before Harvey and Renaghan combined to restore their two-point advantage.

Middletown kept in the fight with a brace from Dean Gaffney leaving one the difference, but up stepped Conor Corvan with the final strike of the day, sealing the deal for the Keady men.

Scorers for Keady: Conor Corvan 0-7 (6f), Shea Harvey 0-3, Odhran Fullerton 0-3, Conor Renaghan 0-2, Jim Short 0-1, John Corvan 0-1.

Scorers for Middletown: Dean Gaffney 0-8 (6f), Ryan Gaffney 0-2, Caoinn Hughes 0-2, Jake Toal 0-1, Nathan Curry 0-1, Cahal Carvill 0-1.

Keady: Ruairi Fullerton; Niall Dale, Damien Corvan, Barry Molloy; Daire Harvey, Oisin Keenan, Barry Shortt; Conor Corvan, Jim Short; Shea Harvey, Conor Renaghan, Jack Loughran; Stephen Renaghan, John Corvan, Odhran Fullerton.

Subs: Dylan McKenna for S. Renaghan (42), Adam Nugent for Short (54).

Middletown: Fintan Woods; Ruairi McCann, Tiarnan Nevin, Odhran Curry; Caoinn Hughes, Jake Toal, Padraig Mallon; Paddy McBride, Kieran McKernan; Paudie Lappin, Nathan Curry, Dean Gaffney; Sean Og McGuinness, Cahal Carvill, Ryan Gaffney.

Subs: Marty Moan for Toal (28), Shea Gaffney for McBride (39), Ben Toal for McGuinness (42), Shaun Toal for Hughes (53), Shea McNaughton for N. Curry (52).

Referee: Mairtín McGann (Crossmaglen).