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Hosts Armagh made their debut on a wet and windy night at the Palce last Wednesday against Randalstown, who had previously knocked out Lisburn.
At U14 level it was a very hard fought game, and while Randalstown dominated possession, Armaghs strong defence kept them at bay.
Conditions prevented too much skilful handling, but the dedication and commitment of both teams on a horrible evening was admirable. With just
five minutes to go, on a rare incursion into Randalstown territory, Armagh were awarded a penalty which was successfully converted.
At that stage it seemed as if the inexperienced Armagh side were going to snatch vistory, but with one last effort the Randalstown centre broke a tackle and offoaded to his winger for the winning score.
In the U16 game, Randalstown got off to a fast start, and due to a misture of weak tackling and strong running, reached the break 22 points up. A much improved performance from the hosts in the second half saw a very even contest with both sides scoring once before the final whistle.
Unfortunately, Armagh had been left with a mountain to climb in that second half and despite the improvement went down 28-05.
Randalstown go forward to play Banbridge in the semi-finals of both age groups in a couple of weeks. This weeks first semis see Portadown take on Monaghan at U16 level, and Dromore against Monaghan at U14 level. Both matches kick off at 7:30 pm.
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