SLAUGHTNEIL won their third game of the competition but needed to dig deep for their 0-16 to 1-10 victory on Saturday in Kilrea.
The Emmets led 0-7 to 0-3 in the first half with goalkeeper Jack Cassidy and Shane McGuigan acting as playmakers as the home side dropped off their kick-outs.
Jerome McGuigan and Cathaoir O’Neill swung fine scores for either side and it was the latter who kept Kilrea in touch (0-8 to 0-5) with a point going into the third quarter.
Slaughtneil pulled five points clear but Kilrea hit a 55th-minute goal when a diagonal ball to James Kielt led to James Gillen finding the net.
Larry Kielt cut the gap to a point with his third score but Shane McGuigan and Christopher ‘Sammy’ Bradley kicked insurance points for Slaughtneil.
Dara Joe Martin hit the only goal of Loup’s crucial 1-11 to 0-11 win over Steelstown in Group B in the first part of Saturday’s double-header in Owenbeg.
Two booming Anthony O’Neill scores had Loup off the mark before Cahir McMonagle opened the Brian Ógs’ account midway through the half.
Shane O’Connor almost hit a Steelstown goal but his fisted effort came back off the crossbar.
At the other end, Martin poked the only goal of the game for a 1-3 to 0-2 lead after 20 minutes.
Steelstown struggled to back up their scores, with Loup always having a response and led 1-6 to 0-5 by half-time.
McCarron and McMonagle continued to hit scores for Steelstown, who got back to within two points but Caolan Devlin, Adam Hunter and Paddy Coney tagged on scores for the winners.
The second game saw Newbridge see off Magherafelt 1-12 to 0-11, with Derry star Conor Doherty hitting the game’s only goal from a penalty.
Before that, Shane Heavron blazed a penalty over the bar and it was Newbridge who held control with scores from Callum McGrogan and Conor McAteer.
Declan Martin pulled a goal chance wide for Magherafelt who led at half-time, 0-8 to 1-4.
Dan Higgins doubled the Rossa lead but Mark and Conor Doherty began to take a hold of the game.
Four points from Oisin Doherty helped the ‘Bridge to victory and top of the group.
Fionntan Murphy was the Dungiven hero with the winner to see off Bellaghy, 0-10 to 0-9, on home soilyyesterday.
The Tones had a chance to snatch a draw but Damon Gallagher pulled his pressure kick to the wrong side of the posts.
Bellaghy led 0-8 to 0-3 at the break, with Ruairi McElwee their only scorer in a second-half littered with stoppages.
Points from Charlie Diamond (2), Gallagher and Conleth McShane had the visitors four up before Eoin Higgins got Dungiven off the mark.
Dungiven ‘keeper Kian McGonigle made a vital save to deny Kealan Friel early in the second half.
The game began to turn heading into the final quarter with points from Fionntan Murphy, Sean McKeever and Darragh McGilligan.
With four minutes to go, substitute Ben Dillon levelled matters before Murphy swung the winner from a testing angle in a feisty finish.
