The under 16 boys’ footballers of St. Paul’s Bessbrook made history last Wednesday in Cloghan when they won the Danske Bank Ulster School’s Rafferty cup for the first time. 

Having topped their league group with wins over St. Malachy’s Castlewellan, St. Patrick’s Downpatrick and Our Lady and St. Patrick’s College Knock the Bessbrook lads met Virginia College in the ¼ final. 

A tight game was decided by the goal getting of Ruairi O’Brien, the brilliance of Stephen Mc Mullen, clever defending by Joe Mc Clelleand, Keegan Grant and Dara Swift and the late introduction of Carrickcruppen’s Conor Kavanagh who kicked the insurance point late in the game. 

The semi-final was an equally tight affair with a well drilled and organised St. Mary’s Grammar School Belfast proving to be tough opposition. The clever link play of the South Armagh football nursery provided the opportunities for forwards Luke Kelly, Andrew Cunningham and county minor hurler Paddy Mc Verry to get the vital scores. In the defence Donal O’Neill, Ryan Keatings and Aaron Mc Ardle provided a stern obstacle for the Antrim forwards. 

In the final St. Paul’s faced a very strong Patrician High School Carrickmacross in Cloghan co. Monaghan on a day when the weather resembled March rather than December. 

St Paul’s led by 1-7 to 0-0 at the break. There was a breeze-factor, but it was more cross-field and Bessbrook were better at playing the ball through the lines than their opponents with Aaron McArdle, Keagan Grant and Gareth Murphy prominent in defence, Fearghal O’Brien and Ross Magee getting through a mountain of work at midfield and Jack Collins, Andrew Cunningham and Piaras Woods a constant threat up front.

Patrician didn’t play poorly, more a case that they just didn’t get the opportunity to open up the play and probably only Ciaran Finnegan in the full-back line and Dylan Byrne posed any problems for the winners. 
Collins picked off early points and when Cunningham drifted in to score a goal in the 13th minute making it 1-3 to 0-0, St Paul’s were in control and Collins, Cunningham and Woods added to that for an interval lead of 1-7 to 0-0.

Patrician needed a response and got it with a goal from Dylan Byrne within a minute of the re-start and a few points in a row from Cian Conlon and Byrne narrowed the gap to five points at one stage.

However both Bessbrook midfielders, O’Brien and Magee, responded with points and the Armagh school was back on track with Piaras Woods’ goal clinching victory.

There was however a late scare with a penalty award to Patrician, but Dylan Byrne’s shot was saved and any lingering hope of a Carrick smash-and-grab was gone.

This is the first time the Bessbrook school has won the Rafferty cup. 

Named after Fr. Tom Rafferty, the teacher accredited not only with introducing Gaelic football to St. Patrick’s College Armagh but also the convening of the first Ulster Colleges committee and organising the first senior inter-college football tournament which we know now as the Mac Rory cup, I’m sure he would be pleased to know that the winning team’s management included his grand-nephew Mr J. Rafferty along with Bill Geoghegan and Neil Mc Sherry. 

St Paul’s : S McMullen, K Grant, A McArdle, R Keatings, J McClelland, G Murphy, C Kavanagh, R Magee (0-1), F O’Brien capt. (0-1), R O’Brien, J Collins (0-5, 0-1 free), P Woods (1-2), L Kelly, P McVerry, A Cunningham (1-2)
Subs used : D O’Neill, J McClelland, C Reavey.

Patrician : O Babington, C Finnegan, J Carolan, S Birdy, C Conlon (0-2), D Mee, P Farrelly, D Byrne (1-2, 0-2 frees), K McGahon, F Carolan, O Monahan, D Martin, D McConnell, J McKeever, D McCahey.

Subs used : K Duffy (0-1), G Finnegan (0-1), O McNally, C Burns, C Ruxton.
Referee : Martin Conroy (Tyrone)