AIB Connacht Club SFC Quarter-Finals

BALLINTUBBER (MAYO) 1-11 GLENCAR MANORHAMILTON (LEITRIM) 0-9

PADRAIG PEARSES (ROSCOMMON) 3-7 TOURLESTRANE (SLIGO) 0-6

By Colm Gannon

Ballintubber booked their place in the AIB Connacht Club Senior semi-final with five point win over Leitrim champions Gleancar-Manorhamilton in MacHale Park.

The Mayo champions lined out without Cillian O’Connor in this game - but they always had enough to keep their noses in front of their opponents and Alan Plunkett’s goal just after the resumption of the contest following the half time break was the key score.

Plunkett hammered the ball home from a tight angle past the best efforts of Anthony McDonald to put his side into a 1-6 0-5 lead - five minutes later the Glancar Manorhamilton challenge was further damaged when Killian McGriskin was shown a second yellow card for an attempted tackle on Michael Plunkett.

Ballintubber led 0-6 to 0-5 at the break with Ciaran Gavin in fine scoring form kicking four points from play and Stephen O’Malley chipping in with two points from frees. O’Malley could have had a goal 10 minutes in after he was brilliantly picked out by Diarmuid O’Connor but McDonald saved well and O’Malley picked the ball off the deck before firing home the rebound.

The Glencar Manorhamilton challenge was led by captain Conor Dolan who finished the day up with seven points to his name - four of them coming in the first half and the other score for the Leitrim side in the opening exchanges coming off the boot of James Glancy.

Once Plunkett goaled and Ballintubber went efficiently about their business keeping Glencar Manorhamiltion in check never letting them get within any less than three points of them and the now go on to face Corofin.

Roscommon champions Padraig Pearses will be heading to London next weekend to take on Tir Chonaill Gaels for a place in the Connacht final after their ten point win over Sligo champions Tourlestrane in Markievicz Park on Sunday.

Paul Carey was the main man on the scoreboard for the Roscommon champions hitting 1-6 over the hour including the final five scores of the day from the 50th minute on where he helped himself to 1-4 to see off the challenge of the Sligo men.

The Roscommon men led 1-2 to 0-3 at the half time break - Tourlestrane had gone into an early two point lead thanks to scores from Cathal Henry and Adrian McIntyre but Niall Carty’s goal 10 minutes in edged Pearses in front of the first time on the day - Carey kicked two points before the break with Liam Gaughan replying for the Sligo outfit to leave two between the teams at the break.

Hubert Darcy bagged himself 1-1 between the 37th and 41st minute with his goal coming from the penalty spot to have his side six car. However the Sligo men weren’t done just yet and a brace of points from Henry and one from James Leonard had the gap back to just three as the final ten minutes approached.

But the comeback wasn’t to be and Carey kept the scoreboard ticking over and sending the Roscommon men into the semi-final next weekend.