Mayobridge 0-13 Bryansford 0-7: Reigning champions Mayobridge reasserted their local supremacy to carry off a fifth county title in seven years when they produced a crushing second-half performance to dispose of the challenge of Bryansford at Newcastle yesterday.

Bryansford, on their home ground, had been expected to pose serious problems to Mickey Linden's Mayobridge side this time. And so they did, at least in the second quarter, when they weathered the champions' early brilliance, and clawed back a 0-3 to no score deficit to lead 0-5 to 0-4 when Adrian Carville kicked a fine long-range point just before half-time.

The game seemed evenly poised as the teams turned around on 0-5 each, but it was Mayobridge who came up the required extra in the second half. They were able to spice up their line-up with the inclusion of substitutes like Linden himself, who helped crack the code of the Bryansford defence.

They also introduced Down All-Ireland minor heroes Conor Garvey and Séamus Grant to the defence which completely snuffed out the Bryansford attack in the second half.

If the subs roster could be seen as a salute to the club's past and future the main places on the stage were taken by the present generation. Brendan Grant was impeccable at full back; high-fielding midfielder Eoghan Woods was man of the match. And Bryansford were eventually overturned by the attacking fluency of Benny Coulter, Michael Walsh and Ronan Sexton.

Bryansford's plight would have been worse but for goalkeeper Peter Travers. He flung himself low to his left to stop a sizzling Benny Coulter penalty in the 31st minute, one of many remarkable saves

MAYOBRIDGE: S Featherstone; S O'Hare, B Grant, G Barry; R Sexton (0-1), F Poland, K O'Hare; D Rooney (0-1), E Woods; N Sexton, B Coulter (0-3), A Barry; J Quin (0-3), M Walsh (0-1), R Coulter (0-4). Subs: C Garvey for F Poland, M Linden for R Coulter, S Grant for S O'Hare.

BRYANSFORD: P Travers; J Magorrian, A Keane, S Toner; S Poland, A Shields, K McLoughlin; B Burns, A Carville (0-1); Chris Brannigan (0-4), S King (0-1), J Ireland; Ciarán Brannigan, C Kearney, C Gribben. Subs: G McCrickard for Ireland, G Morgan (0-1) for Poland, Ireland for Carville, M Valentine for Ciarán Brannigan, D Neeson for Toner.

Referee: S O'Hanlon.