Junior B Hurling Championship semi-final
Latharna Og 7-17 Loch Mór Dál gCais 2-12
Larne booked their place in the final of the Junior B Championship when they recorded an emphatic 7-17 to 2-12 win over Loch Mór Dál gCais in Friday evening’s semi-final at Feystown, Glenarm. The Larne men, who were making a welcome return to the competition after a four year absence, made a bad start to both halves, conceding early goals in both, but once they got going there was no stopping them and with a big support cheering them on they ran up a massive score to set up a final meeting with holders All Saints next Friday evening.
Loch Mór Dál gCais started brightly and were a goal to the good after just twenty seconds when Bailey Graham fired a 20 metre free to the net, and when Gary Dunlop added a point on four minutes things looked good. It was eight minutes before Latharna Og got the first score on the board through Conor Matthews, but the point settled them and soon afterwards Phil Craig added another from a free. Gary Dunlop came back with one for Loch Mór, but the tide was begging to turn and when Matthews grabbed his team’s opening goal in the 13th minute the momentum of the game swung in Larne’s favour.
Phil Craig added a point to put his team in front and when Michael Lismore won a race for possession to pull a ground shot past the Loch Mór goalkeeper Gerard Pickering they were in control.
Gary Dunlop steadied the Loch Mór ship with a point on 18 minutes but the Larne men hit five on the bouche through Philip Craig (2), Conor Matthews (2) and Seamus McNeill to open a 2-9 to 1-3 lead, though two late points from Conor McAreavey and Gary Dunlop cut the gap to seven by half time.
Just as they had done in opening half Latharnana Og conceded a goal in the opening minute of the new half when a long delivery by Loch Mór’s Ruairi Moran went all the way to the net. Suddenly the gap was back to just four and it remained that way after Matthews and Dunlop exchanged points. As it turned out that was as close as the Loch Mór men would get as Larney hit 3-2 within five minutes. Brian Quinn got the first of the three goals while full forward Anthony O’Neill got the other two in quick succession to all but seal the win.
Dunlop and McAreavey pulled a couple of points back for Loch Mór but the scores were coming thick and fast at the other end and further goals from Thomas Carson and O’Neill, who completed his hat-trick, sealed the decisive win.
LATHARNA OG: Chris Keenan, Thomas Carson, Barry Petticrew, Conor Barkley, Darren Martin, Ryan O’Donnell, Niall McGoldrick, Caolan Shields, Philip McKendry, Seamus McNeill, Brian Quinn, Philip Craig, Michael Lismore, Anthony O’Neill, Conor Matthews.
Subs – Daniel Heggarty for Matthews (blood sub), Ciaran McKillion for McNeill
LOCH MÓR DÁL GCAIS: Gerard Pickering, Michael Morgan, Liam Burke, Michael Braniff, Manus Pickering, Geard Pickering jnr, Daniel Bell, Conor Jones, Ruairi Moran, Bailey Graham, Conor McAreavey, David McAreavey, Gary Dunlop, Edward Fallon, Conor Murray.
Referee – Seamus Burns
