McCaul’s late free seals Castlerahan U17 title

Castlerahan 1-13

Laragh 0-15

Emmett McCaul held his nerve with the final kick to crown Castlerahan the Callaghan Electrical U17 Division 3 champions after a thrilling final at the county grounds.

The captain’s free, three minutes into injury time, settled an absorbing contest between two evenly matched sides.

Laragh had overturned a three-point second-half deficit to lead by two, but Castlerahan rallied to claim the title by the narrowest margin.

Playing with a tricky wind, Laragh made the sharper start, Jack Forde converting a third-minute free after being fouled, then adding a second point when his side secured the resulting kick-out.

McCaul opened Castlerahan’s account and James McCabe brought them level after 10 minutes. Adam Cooney restored Laragh’s advantage, only for McCaul to equalise again before Fionn Egan edged Castlerahan ahead.

Laragh’s response demonstrated their ability to exploit the conditions. Captain Ciaran Shiels judged the wind superbly to land an outside-of-the-boot two-pointer from 43 metres. Adam Rudden then collected Cooney’s pass on the loop outside the arc and raised another orange flag, opening a three-point gap.

For full coverage of the u17 Championships pick up this week's Anglo-Celt.