Month / May 2021

by thesaffrongael

Cavan too strong for Antrim’s young charges

Littlewoods Division 4 League

Antrim 3-4 Cavan 5-22

LAST year’s Premier Junior championship finalists Cavan dumped Antrim out of the Littlewoods Div 4 League by pulling away from the Saffrons after a promising first 20 minutes from the home side in Randalstown on Saturday.

Although Riana McBride pointed a free inside 30 seconds, things looked bleak for the new Antrim team when Róisín O’Keefe cut in twice from the left wing to hit goals before the clock had reached the third minute of play.

However Antrim showed their spirit and recovered. McBride hit a long ball into the area for Molly Woulahan to catch and bat home from close range. McBride followed up with two frees and when another free from the McQuillan’s teenager dropped short, Niamh O’Neill stabbed home and only a point, 2-4 to 2-3, separated the teams at the water break.

However Cavan were moving best as a team and a flurry of scores followed with all six forwards getting on the score-board before half time.

Those scores included a goal from Orla Smith in the 23rd minute. Although Antrim responded when yet another high free from McBride was knocked back for Orlagh Laverty to fire home four minutes later, Cavan had stretched the gap to 3-12 to 3-3 by the interval.

The second half saw Cavan turn the screw helped by a goal from Shanise Fitzsimons in the 34th minute. They kept the pressure on the Antrim defence and Fionnghuala Rocks, Frances Ramsay and the defence did well to curb the scoring threat.

However the points kept piling up and Cavan added a goal from Orla Smith in the 49th minute before going on to record a 5-22 to 3-4 win.

Tyrone, who edged out Antrim by a single point last week, beat Wicklow by 4-15 to 2-10 and that result makes Antrim’s game against Wicklow of academic interest in determining semi-finalists from the group.

Still Gavin Curran and his management team will look to record a victory and lift heads once more ahead of the All-Ireland Junior championship which begins in July.


Antrim : Frances Ramsay, Emer ONeill, Fionnghuala Rocks capt., Eimear Matthews, Enya McShane, Mary McKillen, Caitlin Heggarty, Orlagh Laverty 1-0, Eimear Byrne, Martine McCann, Maria Bakewell, Rianna McBride 0-4 frees, Niamh O’Neill 1-0, Molly Woulahan 1-0, Debbie Boyd.

Subs used: Siantelle Boyd, Fionnuala Kelly, Tara O’Neill, Rebecca Stewart, Lauren Coleman, Orlagh O’Neill.

Cavan scorers: Roisin O’Keefe 2-7, Orla Smith 2-1, Shanise Fitzsimons 1-2, Clodagh Keenaghan 0-7, 4 frees, Sinead McKenna 0-2, Niamh Keenaghan 0-1, Hannah Fitzsimons 0-1, Ciara Finnegan 0-1

Referee : Bernard Heaney (Meath)

by thesaffrongael

Rollercoaster ride was fun but it’s great to get back on solid ground

NFL Division 4

Antrim v Louth

Have you ever been on one of those roller coaster rides? For this punter they always have been an exhilarating but somewhat frightening experience. For those of us who were fortunate enough to have been at Corrigan Park yesterday for the Antrim v Louth Division 4 North game the experience was much the same. Certainly it was for this punter.

The game and some of the refereeing decisions saw Antrim supporters (and probably Sligo supporters) go through the ups and downs of the rollercoaster and when referee Conor Dourneen from Cavan blew the full-time whistle it was a bit like the feeling you get when you step down from the rollercoaster onto solid ground.

In all my time in following football, or hurling, I rarely remember a game with so many twists and turns. The Saffron’s conceded three penalties, were four down playing into a second half wind and came back to take the lead through a Eunan Walsh goal with time almost up and then conceded the third of their penalties.

As those in the Antrim camp bemoaned the performance of the man in the middle, the Saffrons launched one last attack with substitute, Paddy Cunningham screwing over a point from an almost impossible angle to give Enda McGinley’s side both points.

To be fair to yesterday’s referee, and in the heat of battle I was one of his greatest critics, but the Cavan official was the victim of one of the new rules which states that a foul which prevents a goal scoring opportunity inside the 20 meter line including the semi-circle, as I understand it is a penalty.

  • Paying the penalty: Sligo’s Niall Murphy beats Antrim’s Michael Byrne from the penalty spot
  • Murphy strikes from the penalty spot for a second time
  • Nathan Rooney takes over the penalty taking duties after Murphy was sent off for a second yellow card

I don’t suppose that many of those attending understood the complexities of the rule and with the benefit of hindsight he was probably correct with the majority of his decisions but was spared from further criticism by Cunningham’s magic strike.

It was all handshakes at the end of a bruising encounter and while there are aspects of Antrim’s performance that are sure to come in for scrutiny by the Saffron management team there was also much to feel satisfied with.

Their refusal to bend the knee when everything seemed to be going against them and that remarkable comeback when trailing by four points into the breeze suggests that they are going in the right direction under their new management and they have now qualified for the league semi-final with one round of games still to play.

Leitrim will travel to Corrigan on Sunday with nothing to play for but pride but cannot be taken for granted and in the past fixtures that Antrim have been expected to win have proved to be banana skins.

Still for now the rollercoaster has come to a halt and this punter was glad to get his feet firmly back on the ground at the final whistle.

by thesaffrongael

Sean Duffin stars in Tir na nÓg win

Antrim Hurling League Division 2

Tir na nOg 1-14 Gort na Mona 0-11

Last year’s Intermediate Hurling Champions Tir na nOg had six points to spare over Gort na Mona in Sunday’s Division 2 League game at Whitehill. The Randalstown men were five points up at half time and pushed on after the break to win by six in the end.

Sean Duffin was the man who did most of the damage for Tir na nÓg, scoring freely and ending up with 1-8 to his name in a man of the match display.

Aaron McNeilly got Tir na nÓg on the scoreboard in the opening minute but the Gorts were level a minute later. Sean Duffin got his first two points, one from a free and one from play but in each occasion the visitors found a reply at the first half water break the sides were level at 0-4 apiece.

Gort na Mona received a blow when corner forward Dessie McLean was forced to retire through injury, something that clearly upset the Gorts and the they struggled during the second quarter as Tir na nÓg took control and Sean Duffin showed his class, scoring a goal and two points to put his team 1-6 to 0-4 ahead at half time.

Duffin hit the first three points of the second half to pull the Randalstown men seven clear by the 43rd minute. To their credit the Turf Lodge outfit never gave up the fight and finished strongly with four points, though Ronan O’Neill, Niall Devlin and Ciaran McKeown had three at the other end to cut the gap back to six at the final whistle..

  • The Tir na nÓg management denied afterwards that they were planning to play a sweeper.
by thesaffrongael

McGarry hat-trick helps Lámhs to victory

ACHL Division Four

Lámh Dhearg 3-14-1-06 Loch Mor Dal gCais

Kevin Herron reports from Hannahstown

A hat-trick of Niall McGarry goals helped Lámh Dhearg continue their unbeaten start to the league season with a 3-14-1-06 win over Loch Mor Dal gCais at Hannahstown on Sunday afternoon.

Lámh Dhearg got on the front foot early and led through a Declan Straney point before claiming the game’s opening goal.

Daniel Murray saw his free from distance drop short and Niall McGarry was on hand to hook the ball to the net.

Loch Mor Dal responded through Matthew Jones with a fine point over the shoulder, but Fionn Mervyn got his angles right at the other end.

Bailey Graham made a smart save in the Loch Mor goal to deny Ronan Fegan with a low drive though Daniel Murray popped the ball over minutes later and then converted his first free of the afternoon.

On 20 minutes the hosts claimed their second goal of the half, again it came through Niall McGarry who confidently turned Aaron Monaghan and raced in at the by-line before drilling high into the top right-hand corner of the net to give his side a 2-05-0-01 lead.

Daniel Murray conjured up his third point of the half before the Lámhs third goal arrived. Christopher Nolan switched to Sean Paul Gibson who floated a dangerous ball into the area, and it fell to Niall McGarry who shot straight at Bailey Graham- the ball came loose and McGarry poked home for his third inside the opening half hour.

A further point would follow courtesy of Ronan Fegan before the break with Matthew Jones replying at the other end as Lámh Dhearg were ahead at the interval.

Loch Mor Dal were first off the mark in the second half as Darragh Turley converted an early free and they then followed that up with a goal from full-forward Murtagh Moran – who was unable to dip and fire home from close range to make it 3-06-1-03.

Daniel Murray would settle his side down with their first score of the half and Fionn Mervyn then followed that up with his second point of the game.

A point from Michael McCullagh broke the hosts momentum- though they replied with a superb score after Fionn Mervyn popped the ball off the shoulder to Declan Straney who sent the ball between the posts.

Mervyn would then convert a free for his third of the afternoon and hat-trick hero McGarry added his second period in the aftermath of the second half water break.

Loch Mor Dal replied through a fantastic Matthew Jones point- his third of the afternoon. Fionn Mervyn would then convert from a 70’ to add to his personal tally.

Declan Straney would pick off his third score of the afternoon from range with Sean Paul Gibson emerging forward and striking over to finish his sides scoring for the afternoon.

Goal scorer Murtagh Moran would conjure up a further point for Loch Mor but Lámh Dhearg had a little too much in the end and continue their winning start to the season.

Lámh Dhearg: F Dugan, C Nolan, J Brady, T McKenna, SP Gibson (0-01), P Fitzsimons, R Diamond, M Hamill, E Murray, F Mervyn (0-04, 0-01f, 0-01 70’), D Straney (0-03), D Murray (0-04, 0-01f), R Fegan (0-01), C Hannan, N McGarry (3-02). Subs: N McGuigan for R Diamond (6), A Ferris for D Murray (48), S Byrne for C Nolan (53), G Smyth for E Murray (56), C Boyd for R Fegan (58).

Loch Mor Dal gCais: B Graham, A Monaghan, D Phillips, D Bell, G Pickering, C Jones, R Bannnon, M Braniff, R Moran, M Jones (0-03), C Dwyer, P Molloy, D Turley (0-01f), M Moran (1-01), M McCullagh (0-01).

Referee: Danny O’Neill (Gort na Mona)

by thesaffrongael

Armagh’s Cuchulianns snatch victory in a tight affair.

Antrim Hurling League Divison 3

Glenravel 2-08.    Cuchulianns 1-12

Glenravel will definitely feel this was one that got away from from them having led for 95% of the game. Their opponents dominated the first five and last five minutes scoring four unanswered points in those final minutes to creep over the line in front when the final whistle blew.

Cuchulianns opened with a point in the first minute with full forward Jordan Murtagh scoring from a free. Murtagh would go on to score six from played balls before having to be substituted after an unfortunate strike to the head under a dropping ball in the second half. The Armagh lads really dominated the opening exchanges finding their men with ease and probably should have had more on the scoreboard than that solitary point. In the seventh minute though the home team opened their account with goal kicked over the line by dual player Eoin McCusker. Glenravel then went on to dominate with four unanswered points. Conleth O’Loan getting three with Declan Traynor slotting over the other score to leave the home on front 1-04 to 0-01. The last ten minutes of the half belonged to Cuchulianns with Jordan Murtagh scoring three consecutive points from frees in what was to be a foretaste of how the second half would end. That took us to the half time break with the Con Magees ahead by a goal 1-04 to 0-04.

Conleth O’Loan opened for the home team with a pointed free in the thirty first minute before Matthew Rafferty scored for the visitors one minute later. That was Cuchulainn’s first score from play; in fact of the twelve points they registered over the hour, only two came from play. Conleth O’Loan nudged his team ahead again with a well taken free but shortly after Ben Devlin netted for the Armagh men to reduce their deficit to a single point. With twenty minutes left on the clock Glenravel sent in a long ball which the defence couldn’t deal with and as the ball was bobbing around in the air Conleth O’Loan pounced to pull it to the back of the net and put the Glensmen into a four point lead once again. Jordan Murtagh pointed two frees to leave two between them but with the water break approaching the unfortunate Murtagh had to be helped off the pitch having just taken an accidental blow to the head. How would Cuchulainns perform without their ace free taker who had been so influential up to his substitution? We soon got our answer when Conleth Lavery took on free taking duties and pointed from a sixty five and we were down to a one point game with the hosts still leading. Cathal Hynds and Niall Donnelly extended that lead to three with five minutes left on the clock and the home team sensing victory. But Cuchulainns hadn’t made the lengthy journey from Armagh to go down without a fight and and three pointed frees in as many minutes from Conleth Lavery levelled the game as we entered added time. Both teams went for broke in the closing minutes of added time but unfortunately for the home team who had led for most of the game, the final score came from Cuchulainns with Matthew Rafferty scoring only their second point from play in the entire game. It was enough to send them back south with three points in the bag.

Glenravel:: Roan Donnelly, Brian O’Neill, Shan Lee Kerr, Stevie Acheson, Damian O’Hagan, James Duffin, Padge O’Neill, Jonathan Fyfe, Rian Lennon, Eoin McCusker (1-00), Cathal Hynds (0-01), Conleth O’Loan (1-05 4f), Declan Traynor (0-01), Shane Woulahan, Ryan McQuillan,
Subs:: Niall Donnelly (0-01), Sean Burns, Michael McDonald, Joe Martin.

Cuchulainns:: Adam Murtagh, Shane O’Hagan, Stefan McParland, Dermot Hicks, Ciaran Duffy, Tomas O’Mearthile, David Ryan, Connor Devlin, Fionntan Oliver, Conleth Lavery (0-03f)Tony Duffy, Patrick Heaney, Ben Devlin (1-00), Jordan Murtagh (0-06f), Matthew Rafferty (0-03, 2f)