Haran fires Mellows back to final

THE LAST two winners of the Galway SHC, holders Liam Mellows and David Burke’s St Thomas’, will clash in this year’s county final after both came through searching tests.

Champions Liam Mellows, who did not have anyone in the Galway senior panel this year, advanced to the final when they edged out Cappataggle by 0-20 to 0-19.

Cappataggle seemed poised to reach their first ever final when Dara Dolan edged them in front in injury-time.

But Mellows, who won their first title since 1970 last year, finished strongly and for the second year in a row broke Cappataggle’s hearts at the semi-final stage when Jack Forde levelled and then Tadhg Haran shot the winner in the dying moments of a dramatic encounter.

The sides had been level 11 times with Cappataggle, despite losing former Galway captain Damien Joyce to injury before the break, coming back into it after the restart having turned around leading by 0-14 to 0-10.

But they were unable to close the deal and it is the city side who advance to the final where they will meet St Thomas’ who saw off Sarsfields by 2-19 to 0-20 in the curtain-raiser at Athenry.

A Darragh Burke goal gave St Thomas’ an early boost but they trailed by 0-12 to 1-8 at the interval with Niall Morrissey supplying a string of points for Sarsfields.

Joseph Cooney led a strong comeback by Sarsfields in the closing stages but while they got the gap down to two points their hopes were dashed when Brendan Farrell found the net for St Thomas’.