Dr McKenna Cup: Holders Tyrone into semi-finals with Monaghan, Derry and Fermanagh

Donegal's youthful side proved no match for Tyrone at Healy Park

Holders Tyrone powered into the Dr McKenna Cup semi-finals with a 2-23 to 0-6 Section C win over Donegal as Cavan slipped up against Ulster University.

Cavan only needed a draw to win Section C but Paddy McBrearty and Mark Bradley helped UU win 0-19 to 0-15 at Breffni.

Monaghan beat St Mary's 1-13 to 0-10 to top Section B as Fermanagh made the semis by hammering Antrim 0-19 to 0-5.

Derry's 2-20 to 0-6 win over QUB saw them win Section A on scoring average as Armagh edged out Down 1-15 to 2-8.

A draw would have been enough to secure the Mourne County a last-four spot but Armagh led from the off at the Athletic Grounds with Aaron Findon's late goal sealing their victory.

However, Armagh's victory was not enough to win Section A as goals from Enda Lynn and Neil Forester helped Derry leapfrog to the top of the table as they hammered Queen's in a game delayed for over 30 minutes by a power failure at Owenbeg.

Sunday's semi-finals will see the Oak Leafers facing Monaghan at the Athletic Grounds with Tyrone taking on Fermanagh at Clones.

Tyrone outclass youthful Donegal side

Donegal's largely under-21 side looked to be set for a hiding against a Tyrone aiming to keep alive hopes of a sixth straight McKenna Cup title and so it proved as the Red Hands totally dominated at Healy Park.

Ronan McHugh's 13th-minute goal helped Tyrone lead 1-12 to 0-3 at half-time, and with Darren McCurry slotting some delightful points, Cahir McCullagh punched home a late second goal.

Tyrone forward Mark Bradley contributed hugely to Ulster University's win over previous Section C leaders Cavan as he and Donegal star McBrearty hit a combined eight points after their half-time introductions.

Cavan only led 0-8 to 0-7 at the break and the addition of Bradley, McBrearty and another Tyrone player Ronan McNamee at the break turned the game decisively in UU's favour.

Armagh overcame Down in the Section A game at the Athletic Grounds

Derry clinch Section A after Armagh edge out Down

Heading into Wednesday night's games, Section A appeared to be a shootout between Down and Armagh but the script was ripped up as Derry's 20-point win over QUB saw them taking the semi-final spot on scoring average.

Conor McGrady had kicked Queen's into a first-minute lead at Owenbeg when the floodlights went out but Derry were quickly out of the traps as the action resumed with goals from Lynn and Forester helping them lead 2-7 to 0-3 at half-time.

The Oak Leafers outscored Queen's 0-13 to 0-3 in the second half and that ultimately saw them pip Armagh for the semi-final spot as they finished with a scoring average of 1.512 as opposed to Armagh's 1.452.

Armagh led 0-7 to 0-0 after 22 minutes at the Athletic Grounds with Stephen Sheridan (two) and Niall Grimley among the scorers.

Former Irish League player Alan Davidson got Down off the mark and after the Mournemen trailed 0-7 to 0-3 at the break, Darren O'Hagan's goal helped cut Armagh's lead to only a point.

A fine point from Ethan Rafferty and three successive scores from Niall Grimley helped Armagh move five ahead but their semi-final prospects were then dented by Davidson's goal in the last minute of normal time.

Armagh responded as substitute Jamie Clarke's perfectly-timed pass set up Findon to score but the home team's winning margin wasn't enough to move back ahead of Derry, with their scoring average also lower than Section B runners-up Fermanagh.

Tomas Corrigan helped Fermanagh hammer Antrim at Brewster Park

Monaghan and Ernemen both earn semi-final spots

For a time, Monaghan appeared set to follow other section leaders Cavan and Down in exiting from the competition as they trailed 0-6 to 0-4 against a Cathal McShane-inspired St Mary's early in the second half at Inniskeen but Dermot Malone's goal helped the Farney men take control

Tyrone forward McShane fired five of St Mary's opening six scores but Malone's three-pointer and other scores from Conor McManus, Shane Carey, Dessie Mone, Fintan Kelly and Ryan Wylie saw Monaghan pulling clear in the final quarter.

Fermanagh continued Antrim's miserable start to 2017 as they hit 11 unanswered first-half points against the hapless Saffrons.

Ryan Murray eventually opened Antrim's account in the 45th minute but further scores from Eddie Courtney, the impressive Tomas Corrigan and Barry Mulrone then increased the Saffron embarrassment as the Fermanagh lead was increased to 0-16 to 0-1.

A run of four unanswered points didn't paper over the crack of another deeply concerning Antrim performance, as Fermanagh responded with four further scores which helped them to pip Armagh for the best runners-up qualification place.

McKenna Cup Results

Section A

Armagh 1-15 2-08 Down

Derry 2-20 0-06 QUB

Section B

Monaghan 1-13 0-10 St Mary's College

Fermanagh 0-19 0-05 Antrim

Section C

Cavan 0-15 0-19 Ulster University

Tyrone 2-23 0-06 Donegal

SUNDAY'S SEMI-FINALS - 14:00 GMT

Tyrone v Fermanagh, Clones

Monaghan v Derry, Athletic Grounds