Mayo college cream of the crop in Connaught

St. Gerald’s College tasted provincial success this afternoon in Bekan after a thrilling contest against Colaiste Baile Chlair.

The Castlebar side emerged victorious with a narrow 1:10 to 1:08 win over the Claregalway school.

Despite Colaiste Baile Chlair's taking an early lead, resilience and accurate scoring from David Joyce and Diarmuid O’Connor’s school turned the tide in their favour.

The match saw an intense first half with a palmed goal coming from St. Gerald’s forward Cian Walsh.

Stephen Curley's free kick and Daniel Fitzmaurice's point kept Colaiste Baile Chlair in contention, while St. Gerald’s responded with scores from Ryan Gibbons and Dara Neary.

However, a pivotal goal by Ryan Flaherty in the second for Colaiste Baile Chlair brought them within striking distance.

St. Gerald’s dug deep and fought hard, with Gavin Forry's consistent work rate and Dara Neary's crucial points vital in securing their win.

Impressive late efforts from Eanna Monaghan for Claregalway piled on the pressure late on but they couldn't overturn the deficit.

Full match report and reaction to follow in Tuesday’s edition of the Connaught Telegraph.