Razor sharp Saffrons book Leinster place

Leinster Under 20 Hurling Championship play-off

Antrim 3-27 Down 1-13

Antrim produced a display of sharp, crisp, pacey hurling tonight at Páirc Esler in Newry to see of the challenge of Down in the Leinster Under 20 championship play-off. The home side may have been short a few regulars for various reasons but this was as good a display as I have seen from an Antrim team in years. Their precision passing, striking and score taking were right out of the top drawer and though there may not have been any work done in the build up to this game it certainly didn’t show as they hit some excellent scores while running up a score of 3 goal and 27 points to book a place in the Leinster Championship against Carlow in eight weeks’ time.

The young Saffrons had started well hitting a series of great points but their hopes were dealt a blow when Down full forward Ronan Blair grabbed a goal in the 13th minute. However the result was never in any doubt after Seaan Elliott fired a penalty to the Down net in the 18th minute for the Saffrons’ opening goal to give his team a 1-7 to 1-2 lead.

Blair’s major was very much against the run of play as Seaan Elliott

hit three early points and his Dunloy club-mate Declan Smyth (who ended with 0-7 from play) was dictating play around the midfield.

**Man of the match Declan Smyth who gave a superb display, scoring seven points from play from midfield. Pic by John McIlwaine**

A great flowing movement which saw Dominic McEnhill place Conal Bohill for a second Antrim goal saw the Saffrons pull safely clear and they continued to hold the upper hand as they raced to a 2-17 to 1-6 to half time lead, with eight different players getting their name on the scoreboard.

Niall McCormick was the only Antrim forward not to trouble the score board in the opening half, but he corrected that with a goal on the re-start after Caolan Coulter and Ronan Blair had opened well for Down with points.

Indeed with Phelim Savage dropping back at times behind his half back line, Down played better during the second half and Coulter and Niall McFarland in particular picked off some fine scores.

**Down’s Phelin Savage who played very well for the home team. Pic by John McIlwaine**

Overall however Antrim kept Down on the back foot and played some excellent hurling, something that definitely pleased assistant manager Gary O’Kane.

“They actually have surprised us along the line with how well they played together.

“Believe it or not we haven’t had any collective training to date, but a number of them are in the senior panel and we would be pleased with their progress.

“However the team play was very good, striking top class, movement off the ball and the awareness of where each other was, you couldn’t ask for better. It gives us an excellent platform to move forward.”

It has to be said that the only down side of the night was the fact that nobody knew this game was on. There was no pre-publicity and it showed in the numbers that turned up to see the game. The old adage that there was more people on the pitch than there was in the stand certainly rang true. Overall I counted seventeen people at the game, which was a real shame for they were denied the chance of seeing some top class hurling.

**Antrim’s Conor McHugh comes out of defence with the ball. Pic by John McIlwaine**

Antrim : P McMullan, A Crawford, L Gillan, F McCurry, R McGarry, C Boyd, C McHugh (0-1), S Walsh (0-1), D Smyth (0-7), C McFadden (0-3), C Bohill (1-0), N McCormack (1-1), S Elliott (1-8, 1-0 pen, 0-1 free), D McEnhill (0-3), E McQuillan (0-1)

Subs : M Close for E McQuillan (41), J McKay for C McHugh (41), M Smyth for C Boyd (47), E Elliott (0-2) for S Elliott (49)

Down : C McAlornan, E Kelly, J Hughes, A Dorrian, C Smyth, T Murray, M McKay, P Savage, J Hanrahan, C Coulter (0-2), N McFarland (0-2), P Davidson (0-1), L McCaughey, R Blair (1-6, 0-6 frees), S Martin (0-2)

Referee : James Clarke (Cavan)