Four goals power the Abbey to nine-point win over Our Lady's in the MacRory Cup

Reigning MacRory Cup champions Abbey CBS, Newry picked up their first win of the new campaign, as they defeated Our Lady's, Castleblayney 4-9 to 0-12 at Pairc Esler.

Kai Crummy, Odhran Reel and Keelan McEntee found the back of the net in the first half, before a late James Sheppard finish put the icing on the cake.

The Newry school were goal-hungry from the outset, as Ethan Lavelle got behind the Our Lady's defence in the opening seconds and went for the jugular. However, his powerful effort crashed off the underside of the crossbar and stayed out.

The first two points were evenly split, with Oliver Kelly and Conor Treanor on target at either end.

The Abbey then hit a purple patch, with two goals scored in the blink of an eye. Kai Crummy was on hand to finish from close range, before Odhran Reel palmed home a second goal in the space of a minute.

To their credit, Our Lady's responded by grabbing five of the next six points, with Cormac Kelly grabbing two, before Sean McNally nailed a two-point free and a one-pointer in quick succession. Conall Gallagher was the Abbey's only scorer during this period.

But the Newry side finished the half out strong, as after Jack O'Mahony and McNally traded points, the Abbey grabbed their third goal, with Keelan McEntee finishing off following a slick one-two with O'Mahony.

A Reel point had the reigning champions in control, 3-4 to 0-7, at the break.

Both sides enjoyed success early in the second half, with Abbey men McEntee and O'Mahony converting either side of a McNally point, before Our Lady's started to grow in momentum and cut into the deficit.

They cut the gap down from seven points to three points, with Diarmuid Flanagan, Stepehn Duffy (free), Oliver Kelly and Cillian Gibbons (free) all finding the mark to put the Abbey under pressure late on.

However, they crucially missed a penalty during this spell, which was a golden chance to bring themselves back into the game. Gibbons was the player tasked with converting, but his effort was impressively saved by Abbey shot stopper Jamie Morrow.

Although the Abbey had been pegged back, they closed out the game in style. A Gallagher free and two Keelan McEntee points increased the gap to six, and realistically put an end to Our Lady's chances.

Late on, the Abbey made absolutely sure of the result, as Sheppard palmed home a fourth goal in stoppage time, to close out a good day's work for his team at Pairc Esler.

MATCH STATS

Abbey CBS: Keelan McEntee (1-3), Odhran Reel (1-1), Kai Crummy (1-0), James Sheppard (1-0), Jack O’Mahony (0-2), Conal Gallagher (0-2, 1f), Conor Treanor (0-1). Our Lady’s: Sean McNally (0-5, 1tpf), Oliver Kelly (0-2), Cormac Kelly (0-2), Stephen Duffy (0-1, 1f), Diarmuid Flanagan (0-1), Cillian Gibbons (0-1, 1f).

Referee: Martin Conroy.