Bathshack.com
Senior Hurling Championship
Group 2
Loughgiel, Shamrocks 1-15 St John’s 0-12
Saturday August 10
Brendan McTaggart reports from Fr Healy Park, Loughgiel
The senior hurling championship group stage started with a bang on Saturday evening with Loughgiel and St John’s putting on a show in Fr Healy Park. A hugely physical and intense 60 minutes with three red cards in the opening 20 and a goal with the last poc of the game.
It’s great to have the championship back.
Where do you start to try and digest that hour of hurling? St John’s started like a house on fire before imploding. Shea Shannon and Seamus Dobbin were sent off for an off the ball incident before barely two minutes later full back Ryan McNulty saw red for a second yellow card. The impressive start made by the Corrigan Park side was slowly being reeled in by the Shamrocks and they had Liam Watson as chief tormentor on the edge of the square. The Loughgiel star was rolling back the years with a magnificent display that had the Johnnies defence in all sorts of trouble once the Shamrocks finally found some footing in the game.
Loughgiel held a two point lead at the short whistle and despite playing with the wind for the opening half, they would have been happy with their advantage on the scoreboard and numerically on the field. St John’s looked to have lost discipline and needed half time to get reorganised.
The introduction of Conor Johnston and Conal Bohill added another dimension for the Johnnies after the restart but the Loughgiel defence were immense, especially in the second half. Using the extra man at the back to ensure possession from Chrissy O’Connell’s poc outs and double-teaming Conor Johnston, the Shamrocks snuffed out any attacking threat posed by the Johnnies with the Corrigan Park men relying on the free taking ability of Padraig Nugent to stay in touch.
Such was the superiority of the Loughgiel defence that after the initial burst from the Johnnies, they held St John’s to just eight points in 56 minutes with just three of those coming from play. A stat that is probably effected by the inclement weather conditions as well but one that will have caused concern among the St John’s management.
That being said, St John’s were still only one poc of the ball away from getting a result up until the last action of the game. Substitute Odhran McMullan added gloss to the score line for the Shamrocks by scoring the only goal of the game but it ensured Loughgiel made a winning start to their championship campaign.
The home side were chasing shadows in the opening exchanges such was the brilliance of St John’s from the first whistle. Four points in as many minutes from the hurl of Micheál Bradley gave the Johnnies a dream start and Loughgiel couldn’t get going. Missed frees, shots dropping short and the Shamrocks weren’t at the pace of the game. When Peter McCallin played a one-two with Padraig Nugent before splitting the posts in the 10th minute, St John’s were in control.
Loughgiel needed something to get their fire ignited and Watson duly obliged. James McNaughton scored their first score of the 2019 championship in the 11th minute before Watson took over. He converted a pair of frees after being fouled himself before scoring his first from play in the 17th minute.
With plenty happening all over the pitch, referee Fiontann McCotter had his hands full and his umpires brought an off the ball incident to his attention which led to red cards for Dobbin and Shannon. Two minutes later however McNulty also saw red and the Johnnies were down to thirteen men.
Watson converted a free in the 21st minute and despite not firing on all cylinders, the Shamrocks were back on terms. The home side took the lead in the 24th minute with Barney McAuley adding his name to the list of scorers while Watson’s fifth point of the half doubled the Loughgiel advantage.
Padraig Nugent’s first of five frees over the hour stopped the rot for the Johnnies, their first point for close to 20 minutes but Watson’s fifth free of the half ended the scoring with Loughgiel leading 0-8 to 0-6.
St John’s needed half time and after the restart they got their game together. Ciaran Johnston sitting deeper got more involved with Conal Bohill also making an impression after his introduction. The sides went toe to toe with McNaughton (free), Eddie McCloskey and Shan McGrath firing over in response to Nugent (three frees) and Peter McCallin to leave just the minimum between the sides going into the final quarter.
Loughgiel edged the closing stages however with Shay Casey prominent and McNaughton accurate from frees, the Shamrocks had a four point lead with time running out of the hour. It could have been over by that stage when McNaughton created a chance from nothing, bringing the best out of Simon Doherty between the sticks but they had to settle for McAuley converting the resulting ’65.
St John’s went in search of the goal that would bring them back into the tie and were perhaps unlucky not to have a free or a possible penalty when Conor Johnston was felled while making his way towards Chrissy O’Connell’s goal but it was more an isolated incident than a wave of constant attacks from St John’s.
Padraig Nugent added his fifth and what would be final free of the contest in the last minute of normal time but the home side had the final say with the only goal of the tie coming with the last attack. James McNaughton sending the sliotar high into the Loughgiel sky in search of an insurance point from deep but his effort hit the upright. The sliotar fell into the path of substitute Odhran McMullan and the Loughgiel man did the rest. Marking his senior championship debut with a game clinching goal.
TEAMS
Loughgiel: Chrissy O’Connell; Declan Gillan, Tony McCloskey, Ronan McCloskey; Seamus Dobbin, Tiernan Coyle, Odhran McFadden; Eddie McCloskey, Mark McFadden; Barney McAuley, Declan Laverty, Callum McKendry; Shan McGrath, Liam Watson, James McNaughton.
Scorers: Liam Watson 0-6 (5 f’s); James McNaughton 0-4 (3 f’s); Barney McAuley 0-2 (1 ’65); Eddie McCloskey 0-1; Shan McGrath 0-1; Shay Casey 0-1.
St John’s: Simon Doherty; Lorcan Heenan, Ryan McNulty, Jack Bohill; Stephen Tierney, Conal Morgan, Oisin Donnelly; Aidan McMahon, Sean Wilson; Ciaran Johnston, Peter McCallin, Padraig Nugent; Shea Shannon, Micheál Bradley, Dannan McKeogh.
Scorers: Padraig Nugent 0-5 (5 f’s); Micheál Bradley 0-4 (1 f); Peter McCallin 0-2; Oisin Donnelly 0-1.
Referee: Fiontann McCotter (Sarsfields)
St John’s Peter McCallin reaches in to blaock a shot by Loughgiel’s Shea Casey during Saturday evening’s HSC round robin game at Fr Healey Park. 
Odhran McMullan runs away to celebrate with the Loughgiel fans after his injury time goal sealed the Shamrocks win over St John’s 
St John’s Stephen Tierney and Loughgiel’s James McNaughton. 
St John’s centre back Conal Morgan hand passes the ball away 
Ciaran Johnston strikes a long range free 
St John’s Padraig Nugent who his a series of excellent long range points from frees. St John’s Sean Wilson in action 
Loughgiel’s Calum McKendry solos towards the St John’s goal. 
Loughgiel’s Ronan McCloskey. 
Loughgiel’s Ronan McCloskey gets past the challenge of St John’s Peter McCallin. 
Loughgiel’s Tiernan Coyle in action against St John’s Peter McCallin 
St John’s corner forward Danan McKeogh 
St John’s corner forward Danan McKeogh 
Loughgiel’s Brney McAuley Loughgiel’s Odhran McFadden in action aginst St John’s Peter McCallin and Shea Shannon 
Loughgiel’s Odhran McFadden in action aginst St John’s Peter McCallin and Shea Shannon 
St John’s Michael Bradley who hit four points in the opening five minutes