Antrim Junior Hurling Championship quarter final
St Paul’s 1-21 Con Magees, Glenaravel 1-11
St Paul’s won their way through to the semi-final of the Antrim Junior hurling Championship when they proved too strong for Con Magees Glenaravel in Saturday’s quarter final in Ahoghill. The Glenravel men matched their opponents for most of the first half and actually lead by two points late in the opening half. However a goal and a point in first half injury time from man of the match Niall Peoples sent St Paul’s in at the break two points to the good and when they came out in the second half they dominated play, and with Peoples and centre half forward Gerard Carberry leading the line the pulled clear to win by ten in the end.
Glenravel started with a point from Padge O’Neill from distance but St Paul’s were level when corner forward Declan Chapman sent over from the left wing, and they took the lead when Niall Peoples added one from the other before Gerard Carberry put them 3-1 clear after ten minutes. Con Magees came back with two pointed free from Niall Donnelly but the Belfast men edged back in front with points from Sean O’Carroll and Carberry to lead 5-3 after twelve minutes but again Glenravel responded and two excellent points from the veteran Neill McCann and Niall Donnelly tied the scores at 5 apiece.
Three more points from Donnelly frees, in reply to a great strike from St Paul’s Steven Rooney, had the Glenravel side 8-6 clear on 25 minutes and it looked like they would hold their lead going into half time until a bad defensive slip let Niall Peoples in for a St Paul’s goal and the corner forward added a point seconds later to give his team a 1-7 to 0-8 half time lead.
St Paul’s went three ahead a minute after the restart when Gerard Carberry sent a free between the Glenravel posts from 50 meters but a minute later Glenarvel were thrown a lifeline when big full forward Niall Donnelly was fouled in the square and he fired the resultant penalty to the net. Glenravel were back on terms but St Paul’s were unfazed by the setback and hit back with points from a Carberry free and one from play by Sean O’Carroll, and the gap was out to three by the 32nd minute when Carbery converted a 65 after having missed two very scorable efforts earlier. The Shaw’s Road men were now well on top and they went four clear when Andy McMorrow hit one again found the target from a placed ball.
Con Magees came close to grabbing the goal they so badly needed when Niall Donnelly’s ground stroke rolled along the St Paul’s goal line but as began the celebrations St Paul’s got back to clear the ball to safety, and even though they pulled a point back throughm Decky Traynor soon afterwards it was scant consolation. Peoples hit two excellent scores for St Paul’s to open the gap to seven and while James Duffin got one back for the Con Magees Peoples was running the show and soon the lead was out to eight.
Another from a Carbery free put nine between the sides by the 56th minute and though Marin Scullion pulled one back for Glenravel Carberry and Peoples stretched the gap to nine, and it ended at ten as Carberry landed the last score of the game.
ST PAUL’S
Christopher Murray, Declan Gamble, Fionton Gamble, Joe Keating, Frankie Sewell, Stephen Rooney, Sean Bradley, James Farrell, Ruairi O’Muin, Sean O’Carroll, Gerard Carberry, Andrew McMorrow, Niall Peoples, Kevin Gamble, Declan Chapman.
CON MAGEES
Ronan Donnelly, Sean Burns, Shanlee Kerr, Caolan Mullan, Stephen Atcheson, Martin Scullion, Declan McBride, Neil McCann, James Duffin, Dean Kerr, Niall Donnelly, Brian O’Neill.
Subs – Odhran McAleenan and Conleth O’Loan.
Referee – Kevin Parke