McKeown stars as Belvo advance to final in Leinster Schools Senior Cup semi-final

Belvedere College 36 St Michael’s College 22

Belvedere College overcame St Michael’s at Donnybrook yesterday to set up a Leinster Schools Senior Cup final with Cistercian College Roscrea.

Belvo winger James McKeown broke the deadlock with a 10th-minute converted score, before a second try from Paraic Cagney offered them a 17-3 interval lead.

The 10-time champions extended their lead with a second try for McKeown eight minutes after the restart, and even though Michael’s responded with tries from Jack Kelly and Barry Fitzpatrick, McKeown claimed his hat-trick just past the hour mark. Michael’s Jack Dunne and Hugh O’Sullivan swapped tries late on but Belvo progressed to the March 17 final.

Scorers for Belvedere College:

J McKeown 3 tries, P Cagney, H O’Sullivan try each, C Jennings pen, 4 cons.

Scorers for St Michael’s College:

J Kelly, B Fitzpatrick, J Dunne try each, H Byrne pen, 2 cons.

BELVEDERE COLLEGE:

H O’Sullivan; J McKeown, C Jennings, H Sexton, P Maher; D Hawkshaw, P Cagney; D McCaffrey, C Galvin, C Wynne-Walsh; H Fenlon, B Egan; S McNulty, M Kearney, T De Jongh.

Replacements:

S Osborne, C Molloy, J Iredale, J Kenny, J Robinson, B Gibbons, F Flood, F Smith.

ST MICHAEL’S COLLEGE:

J Kelly; M Heaney, J Hickey, I O’Kelly, J O’Loughlin; H Byrne, T Killeen; R Kelleher, S Judge, S Griffin; R Baird, J Dunne; O Dowling, S Penny, B Fitzpatrick.

Replacements:

M Kennedy, M O’Donahoe, L Duffy, A Courtney, M Roche, P O’Beirne, D Ryan, D O’Donovan.

Referee:

J Carvill (LRR).