Report by Sean McCormick
Pics by Sean Paul McKillop
A monster free from 85 yards from Barney McAuley, four and a half minutes into referee John Carson’s added stoppage time, proved to be the score which settled this Countess of Antrim final V Carey Faughs at St Patrick’s park Ballyvoy.
Loughgiel made a good start to the game through Barney McAuley, who registered the first two scores of the game with points from play. Carey replying with a James Black pointed free after five minutes, to get the home side on the scoreboard.
Another Barney McAuley free was answered by two Carey points from play by James Black and Fiachra McVeigh to leave the score all square at three points each with ten minutes played.
Play now swung back and forth with the lead changing hands on a regular basis. Scores from play for Loughgiel for Michael McGarry and Aodhan McFadden, plus three pointed close range frees from Shan McGrath, were answered for Carey by points from play for James Black and Caolan McCaughan, plus pointed frees from Conor McBride and Darren McGowan to leave the score Carey 0-7 Loughgiel 0-8 in the 29th minute of the first half.
In the remaining four minutes before the halftime whistle, Carey made a surge for the front, with Conor McBride latching onto a breaking ball inside the twenty metre line before lashing the ball into the roof of Clinton Hennessy’s net for what proved to be the only goal of the game. Cathal McAuley and John McBride knocked over two more points from play to extend Carey’s lead to 1-09 to 0-8 at the break.
It looked like Carey were taking control, when James Black got the first point of the second half from a free to extend their lead. Barney McAuley stopped the slide with a good point from play for the shamrocks and then after 34 minutes Carey’s Conor McBride popped over a short free.
Loughgiel then turned it up a gear. Between the 35th and 42nd minutes, they scored seven unanswered points. Paul Boyle and Shan McGrath knocking over one point each from play, Barney McAuley adding two frees and Shan McGrath three frees to leave the score 1-11 to 0-16.
Carey woke up from their slumber in the 45th minute with a Conor McBride pointed free, quickly followed by three more points from play by Fiachra McVeigh, Caolan McCaughan and John McBride to leave Carey two points ahead with just nine minutes left to play.
A Michael McGarry point in the 45th minute from play and a Shan McGrath free levelled proceedings again for Loughgiel. Conor McBride scored from play for Carey and Shan McGrath slotted over another short range free for the Shamrocks in the 58th minute to keep this pulsating contest on a knife edge at all square.
James Black broke free in the 59th minute for Carey, finding himself in space 35 metres out to slot over a great point, but once again Barney McAuley answered with a free from midfield as the clock ticked into additional time.
When Carey’s James Black was fouled two and a half minutes into injury time, Conor McBride stepped up to slot the free over the bar, for what looked potentially the winning point. Not so, said Loughgiel as deep into injury time, a Carey player was caught in possession in midfield, allowing a hand pass to Michael McGarry who made a weaving run before slotting a classy equalising point.
Carey won the resulting puck out, in a good attacking position, but again over played the ball, got caught in possession and conceded a free 85 metres out from their own goal. With 64 minutes and 20 seconds on the clock, Barney McAuley stepped up and launched the long range free straight over the black spot to put the Shamrocks one point up. When the ball was pucked out, referee John Carson called time on a great game. Loughgiel running out one point winners in a game neither side deserved to lose.
Carey Faughs: 1 Chris Butler, 2 Kevin Murphy, 3 Sean McBride, 4 Conaire Butler, 5 Colm McBride, 6 James McCouaig, 7 Peader McVeigh, 8 Patrick Butler, 9 Darren McGowan, 10 James Black, 26, Cathal McAuley, 12 Caolan McCaughan, 13 Fiachra McVeigh, 14 John McBride, 15 Conor McBride.
Carey scorers: Conor McBride 1-6 (0-4f) James Black 0-5 (0-2f) Caolan McCaughan 0-2, Fiachra McVeigh 0-2, Darren McGowan 0-1, John McBride 0-1, Cathal McAuley 0-1,
Loughgiel Shamrocks: 1 Clinton Hennessy, 2 Caolan Blair, 3 Ronan Gillan, 4 Ronan McCloskey, 5 Seamus Dobbin, 6 Odhran Laverty, 7 Ciarán McKay 8 Declan Gillan, 9 Mark McFadden, 10 Shan McGrath, 11 Callum McKendry, 12 Barney McAuley, 13 Michael McGarry, 14 Shay Casey, 15 Aodhan McFadden.
Loughgiel scorers: Barney McAuley 0-9 (0-6f), Shan McGrath 0-8 (0-7f), Michael McGarry 0-3, Callum McKendry 0-1, Aodhan McFadden 0-1
