North Antrim Under 14 A Hurling Shield Final

Glenariffe Oisins won the Under 14 A Shield when they beat Loughgiel in Friday evening’s final at the Rigs in Cushendun. When the two sides met at the same venue in the Feile na nGael final earlier in the season the Shamrocks came out on top but this time around it was the Oisins who dominated to score a 1-13 to 1-2 win.

Full forward Niall McGarel got the Oisins on the scoreboard early when he pointed a free in the third minute, and when he added another one from play a minute later the Oisins were up and running. Midfielder Aidan McSparran added another point in the ninth minute before McGarrel put four between the sides with another pointed free on sixteen minutes. With half time fast approaching (20 minutes each way) Loughgiel still hadn’t registered but corner forward Ben McGarry threw his team a lifeline when he grabbed the first goal of the game in the twentieth minute, and suddenly there was just a point between the sides, though another McSparran point thirty seconds later left the Oisins two clear at half time. (0-5 to 1-00)

That lead was out to five early in the second half as McGarel added two points and Orrin O’Connor one in the first three minutes. A brilliant strike from a 65 by Loughgiel full-back Ruairi McCormick kept the Shamrocks in touch but the Oisins hit back with two inside a minute from centre forward Daniel Kearney to tighten their grip on the game.

Darragh Patterson pulled one back for Loughgiel, but it was to be their last score of the game and when Orrin O’Connor got in for a Glenariffe goal five minutes from time there was no way back for the Shamrocks. Glenariffe were now on the crest of a wave and Daniel Kearney capped a fine individual display with two more points and Aidan McSparren grabbed his second to seal a fine win.

OISINS

Phelim Ward, Ronan Leech, Cailin Devlin, Niall Magee, Matthew Black, Mark McSparran, Patrick McIlwaine, Odhran Gillan, Aidan McSparran, Orrin O’Connor, Daniel Kearney, Brogan O’Connor, Peadar McDonnell, Niall McGarel, John V Morgan.

Subs – Cadhan Graham, John Black, Oisin Mort, Calum McIlwaine.

LOUGHGIEL

Mark Christie, Eoin McGarry, Ruairi McCormick, Cahir Connolly, Ronan McLaughlin, Finn Henry, Tiago McGarry, Conor Dickson, Conan Sherridan, Pearse Patterson, Darragh Patterson, Ronan McCollum, Jack McCloskey, Oran Reid, Ben McGarry

Subs – Diarmuid Casey, Conor McGarry, Charley O’Hagan, Ronan Casey, Danny McAuley.

Referee – John Carson (Ruairi Og)

Pics by Sean Paul McKillop