Antrim Senior Feis Semi – Final – June 8th, 2024
Loughgiel 1-21 Ballycastle 0-13
Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran
Saturday afternoon’s Feis semi-final game between Loughgiel and Ballycastle was being billed by some supporters as a possible game of two halves as the wind was gusting to spoil a good game of hurling. Blowing from the north all the way from the road, Ballycastle would prefer the road goals in the first half after they won the toss, officiated today by the games referee, Mark O’Neill.
The Towns’ Tiernán Smyth got Ballycastle underway with a free that was quickly equalled by Loughgiel’s Shan McGrath as he picked up the sliotar from a Maol Connelly pass.
Loughgiel would press forward to enjoy a point from Paul Boyle and when Shan McGrath was tripped and awarded a free, McGrath lined up and his sliotar shook the ball net over Keeper Ryan McGarry’s bar.
Ballycastle pulled back another two points from Conor Boyd and Tiernán Smyth, both from frees but the latter was due to a misunderstanding by a Shamrock player and incurred a foul due to holding the ball too long. Both sides were on three points apiece when Paul Boyle was brought down and awarded a free. Damon McMullan wasted no time in getting that over the bar and retreated back to his marker.
Ballycastle would test Loughgiel’s defence on a couple of occasions, one about seven minutes into the game when a scramble was cleared away to Cormac McFadden’s satisfaction.
In a position to take his own point, Shan McGrath spotted Christy McGarry posing a threat and a quick offload saw McGarry punish the space he was given. The ‘o’ in Loughgiel’s club signage may be missing, but there was no missing the shamrock supporters’ ‘ohhhh’ at the game’s only goal.
Ballycastle’s Eoin McAlonan would come right back with a point. The pressure continued from the town as keeper Ryan McGarry ran up past the 13m line to drop in a long free, but again the shamrocks were able to clear away the threat.
For the remainder of the first half, Ballycastle pointed only once from Lorcán Donnelly, whilst Loughgiel pushed hard into the wind for another five points, two notable points as a tenacious Conall McCloskey received and spilled the sliotar to the ground before pointing off his jab lift and a clean and efficient Jack McCloskey point as he received McFadden’s puck out, spun around and scored in a blink of an eye.
Referee McNeill called for half time with the scores Loughgiel 1-10 Ballycastle 0-05, and the town supporters feeling the afternoon chill were left wondering what Loughgiel would do with the wind advantage in the second half.
Only twenty seconds had passed in the second half whenever Damon McMullan would snatch his second point of the game. Loughgiel would move to rack up another eight points, six from play and two frees to Ballycastle’s two points, both frees, ruled as pushes in the back by referee O’Neill.
Although Loughgiel would take the next two points, a clean point from Cahal Hargan and free taken by McGrath, the shamrocks would take their foot off the throttle and Ballycastle enjoyed a scoring run of six consecutive points, four of those coming from Tiernán Smyth as he swept across the full forward line looking for opportunities. The ‘Fridge Raiders’ scoreboard tempted the town supporters with hope as it declared Loughgiel 1-19 Ballycastle 0-13.
With thirty minutes on the clock, Shan McGrath directly found McFadden’s puck out, giving him a slick point over McGarry’s bar. Paul Boyle would have the honour of the last point in the game as Eoin McGarry made sure his pass to Boyle was under no threat of an interception.
Mark O’Neill called time shortly after the thirty minutes with Loughgiel 1-21 Ballycastle 0-13.
Despite operating into the wind in the first half, Loughgiel had established an eight-point lead going into the break that could have been seen as a secure lodgement, but Ballycastle closed the scoring differential in the second half to just three points. Despite the stats, the overall eleven-point difference in Loughgiel’s favour was too much to catch and Loughgiel should be pleased with tonight’s result, taking them into the final of the Feis.
Loughgiel scorers
Conal McCloskey 0-01, Damon McMullan 0-02, Cahal Hargan 0-01, Paul Boyle 0-03, Daniel McCloskey 0-01, Darragh Patterson 0-01, Christy McGarry 1-01, Shan McGrath 0-10 (4f), Jack McCloskey 0-01
Ballycastle scorers
Conor Boyd 0-02 (1f), Eoin McAlonan, 0-01, Lorcán Donnelly 0-01, Tiernán Smyth 0-07 (5f), Darragh Kelly 0-01, 19 0-01
Photos from tonight’s game can be found by clicking on the photo album link here…
https://myalbum.com/album/TEyjJ3BNFtoLaw/?invite=0169659f-d5b7-47e3-8d3d-c05b1db32e90