Bathshack Antrim Senior Hurling Championship Group Two
St John’s 2-19 St Gall’s 0-15
St John’s booked their place in the semi-finals of this year’s Antrim Senior Hurling Championship, and a meeting with Cushendall, when they beat West Belfast rivals St Gall’s in the last of their round-robin games at Corrigan Park. In a game played in a mixture of bright sunshine and driving rain there was little to choose between the sides in the opening twenty minutes. However the Johnnies had a bit more in their armoury than their Milltown visitors and it paid off in the final ten minutes of the half as they stretched their lead to six points at half time, before pushing on in the second half to win by ten in the end.
Padraig Nugent opened the home teams’ account with a pointed free in the first minute and the Corrigan Park men went two clear when Michael Bradley sent over a peach of a point from a narrow angle on the left, but St Gall’s soon settled and two pointed free by Tomas O’Ciaran had them back on term. O Ciaran was the main source of scores for the visitors and he brought them level on 0-3 apiece before Carl Stewart got their first score from play to tie things up again at 0-4 to 0-4 by the ninth minute.
Nugent edged St John’s back in front from another free and Bradley added another fine score from play, this time from the right wing, but St Gall’s hit back in their best spell of the game and after Anto Healy and Sean McAreavey sent over points to bring their team level O’Ciaran split the uprights from a 65 to put the Milltown men ahead for the only time in the game. Nugent added another point from a ‘placed ball’ to restore the Johnnies lead and as the first half wound down the home side started to get on top. Nugent put them two clear before a good run down the left wing by midfielder Oisin Donnelly saw him find Peter McCallin in the corner and the centre forward cut in and fired a great shot to the St Gall’s net. The score really changed the momentum of the game and the gap was soon out to seven as Conor Johnston and Padraig Nugent tagged on point, though another score from O’Ciaran just before the break reduced the gap to six by the change of ends. (1-12 to 0-9)
If St Gall’s were to get back into contention they needed a good start to the second half and though Bradley increased the home team’s lead with an early point O’Ciaran hit back with two on the trot to close the gap to five. St Gall’s were back in contention but O’Ciaran’s radar was a bit off in that second half and the chance to close the gap even further was missed during the third quarter. Oisin Donnelly hit a fine score to restore the Johnnies six point cushion before Mick Dudley struck a telling blow when raced in from the right wing and struck a great ball across goalkeeper CJ McGourty and into the far corner of the net.
The only thing the Johnnies fans had to worry about for the remainder of the game was avoiding the heavy showers that swept down off the Black Mountain, and while St Gall’s never gave up the fight, there scores from O’Ciaran and Carl Stewart were always answered and substitutes Bohill and McKernan added two top class points and Domnhall Nugent showed his worth with a couple of great high catches.
The win sets up another battle with champions Cushendall in two weeks’ time. Last year it took two cracking games to separate them with the Dall edging it in the replay in Ballycastle. However there was little or nothing between the sides in both games and this one has the potential to be equally as close.
ST JOHN’S: S Doherty; C Maskey, R McNulty, L Heenan; S Tierney, Ciaran Johnston, C Morgan; S Wilson, O Donnelly (0-1); A McMahon, P McCallin (1-0), P Nugent (0-7, all frees); M Dudley (1-0), M Bradley (0-5), Conor Johnston (0-4). Subs: J Bohill for C Maskey (34), C Bohill (0-1) for S Tierney (41), D Nugent for P McCallin (46), D McKernan (0-1) for O Donnelly (46).
ST GALL’S: CJ McGourty; S Morrison, J McDaniels, L McCluskey; B O’Neill, A Gallagher, C McCaffrey; A Healy (0-1), G McGreevy; K Stewart (0-2, 1 free), K McGourty, R Irvine; M Napier, T O’Ciarain (0-11, 8 frees, 2 65s), S McAreavey (0-1). Subs: J Hopkins for L McCluskey (57).
REFEREE: Colum Cunning (Dunloy)
