Antrim Minor Hurling Championship semi-final
Ballycastle 4-11 Dunloy 0-11
Goals were the difference when Ballycastle beat Dunloy in Sunday’s Minor Hurling Championship semi-final in Armoy. Two in each half were the main difference between the sides, all of them coming from the full forward line three of them from corner forward Tiernan Smyth and one from Eoin Magee, scores which guided the Town to a minor final meeting with Loughgiel.
There was just two points between the sides at half time, the McQuillan’s boys just two in front, but after the break they got on top and two more goals helped them pull twelve clear by the end.
In a low scoring opening quarter Dunloy just edged it, Padraig McGilligan putting them ahead on nine minutes, only for Seamus McAuley to bring Ballycastle level a minute later.
Point from Barry Scott and McGilligan put Dunloy 0-3 to 0-1 by the eighteenth minute but Ballycastle closed to within a point again on 20 minutes when Tiernan Smyth pointed. Ballycastle took the lead for the first time in the game when Smyth scored their first goal on 23 minutes, but Dunloy hit back strongly with three points on the trot through Oisin Elliott, Paudie McGilligan and Conal Kelly to lead by one with just five minutes of the opening half left to play. However Ballycastle finished the half strongly and a goal from Eoin Magee restored a lead they carried into the break. (2-4 to 0-8)
Ballycastle started the second half strongly and after Seamus McAuley moved them three clear with a point from play and two minutes later corner forward Tiernan Smyth grabbed his teams’ third goal, to put six between the sides. Padraig McGilligan cut the gap back to five with a point from a free but five on the trot from Ballycastle through Joe McToal (2), Tiernan Smyth, Seamus McAuley and Caolan O’Connor put clear daylight between them and the Cuchullains.
McGilligan tagged on two more from frees for Dunloy to keep their slim hopes alive but Seamus McAuley pointed from a free before Tiernan Smith completed his hat-trick to seal the final spot.
BALLYCASTLE: James Bakewell, Mark McClean, Cormac Donnelly, Jack Colgan, Jack McGowan, Sean Brogan, Ronan Laverty, Seamus McAuley, Reubin McClean, Eoin Maybin, Caolan O’Connor, Feargal McKiernan, Tiernan Smyth, Eoin Magee, Joe McToal.
DUNLOY: Paul Doherty, Daire Crawley, Cathair McCloskey, Cathain Martin, Sean Scullion, Rory Mullan, Padraig McGilligan, Eoin McFerran, Daithi McGuigan, Ryan McFarline, Barry Scott, Daithi Cree, Conal Kelly, DJ Crawley, Ryan Mort.
