Creagh Concrete Minor Hurling Championship – Group 1
Ballycastle 3-18 Oisins 0-10
In the end it was an easy win for Ballycastle, but for a good part of Saturday’s Minor Hurling Championship round robin game Glenariffe were competitive. The home team lead at the break by 1-7 to 0-8, but their task was made a lot easier in the second half as the Oisins had two players sent off and they took full advantage to pull away and win convincingly in the end.
Ballycastle got the first three points of the game through Joe McToal, Tiernan Smyth and Feargal McKiernan, but Nial McGarel opened the visitors account on five minute and Jack Leech closed the gap to just one with a points soon afterwards. Ballycastle got back on top with points from Rueben McClean and Tiernan Smyth and when a Smyth free was dropped in around the Oisins goal in the eleventh it was flicked to the net to put them 1-5 to 0-2 clear. Nial McGarel got Oisins back into with two points in a row and when Daniel Kearney landed another from long range the gap was down to three. James Bakewll and Tiernan Smyth added points for the home team, but McGarel hit his sixth point of the half to leave his team trailing by just two at the interval. (1-7 to 0-8)
Tiernan Smith and Feargal McKiernan stretched the Ballycastle lead to four after the break and though Niall McGarel pulled one back Ballycastle took control of the game. Cailin O’Connor started it all with a goal on 42 minutes before Tiernan Smyth added three quick points. McGarel grabbed another from a free on 51 minutes but it was Ballycastle from there on and after hitting six points without reply O’Connor grabbed his team’s third goal to seal an emphatic win.
