CHAMPIONSHIP TITLE RACE HOTTING UP

Ballybay and Magheracloone claimed the first two semi-final places in the Greenfield Foods Senior Football Championship with wins over Truagh and Latton respectively in Clontibret on Sunday evening. by COLM SHALVEY

Ballybay had it all too easy as they put a much-changed Truagh team to the sword to make a fifth semi-final in six years. Truagh made five changes to the team named for the programme, with John McCarron joining fellow county panellists Paudie and Daniel McKenna on the list of absentees; the latter being in Chicago. A dismal performance by Truagh saw them score just two points in each half for the lowest team score in a SFC game since Scotstown managed just 0-4 in a 2010 semi-final against Magheracloone.

Paul Finlay and Michael Hannon hit two points each in the first ten minutes as Ballybay took command and in seven added minutes at the end of the first half – due to an injury to Aaron Toner – Shane McGuinness hit 1-2 to make it 1-9 to 0-2. Ballybay continued to dominate after the restart and …