Leinster Hurling Under 20 Qualifier
Antrim 0-23 Down 2-9
By John McIlwaine
Antrim withstood a spirited fightback by Down in Friday night’s Leinster Under 20 Qualifier at Dunsilly to book their place in the Leinster A competition, and a meeting with Laois in two weeks’ time. After controlling the first half and opening up a 0-13 to 1-0 lead it appeared to be plain sailing for the young Saffrons, but a Tom McGrattan inspired Down fought their way back into contention. The Ards side closed to within four points with seven minutes still to play they were right back in contention, but to their credit Antrim steadied the ship and a late flurry of points saw them safely home.
The Saffrons, who started without injured team captain Enda Og McGarry, got off to a flying start when Rian ‘Bubbles’ McMullan pointed them ahead within ten seconds, and when Seamus McAuley and Dairi McMullan added two more they were three clear in as many minutes. On four minutes Down’s Tom McGrattan got what was to be his team’s only score of the first half when he brilliantly controlled a ball high above his head on the edge of the Antrim ‘square’ before flicking it to the net in the one movement – shades of Liam Watson v Coolderry in the All Ireland club final ten years ago.
However the Down men (who started with five of the Red High team who won last season’s Mageean Cup), would not trouble the scoreboard operator for the remainder of the first half while Antrim played some great hurling as they picked off a series of top class scores. Seamus McAuley started the run with one from a free from distance, before full forward Aidan Scullion added two within a minute. Ferghal McKiernan and Eoin Trainor split the down posts in the 15th and 16th minutes and Daire McMullan landed one from a free inside his own half. ‘Digger’ McKiernan grabbed another one and that was followed by three in a row from Seamus McAuley, two from frees and one from play, which gave the home side 0-13 to 1-0 lead by the time match referee Tarlach Conway sounded the half time whistle. An impressive tally but it could and should have been more as they shot a series of bad wides, and were denied two goals by brilliant saves by the down goalkeeper Cathal Laverty.
Someone I spoke to at half time wondered if they might rue squandering those chances and that could well have come to pass as Down showed a marked improvement after the restart. McGrattan hit two in the opening minute to give his team renewed hope, and though Antirm came back with a lovely point from corner forward Tiernan Smyth, the visitors were getting a grip on the game.
However they too were guilty of squandering a good few chances, but when Rory Corcoran took advantage of some slack marking by the Antrim defence to grab his team’s second goal on 38 minutes they were right back in contention. It was score for score for the next 15 minutes but when two inside a minute from McGrattan closed the gap to just four there were a lot of nervous Antrim fans biting their finger nails.
To their credit Antrim reacted well down the home straight, and helped by the introduction of substitutes Eoin McFerran, Seanie McIntosh, Conlith McKinley and Conor Boyle picked off vital scores through McIntosh, Bubbles McMullan and Aidan Scullion to win by eight and set up a meeting with Laois.
ANTRIM
Callum Mullan, Ruairi McCormick, Ruairi McCormick, Dubhaltach Wilson, Barry Scott, Ronan Laverty, Dairi McMullan, Eoin Trainor, Dairi Murphy, Rian McMullan, Seamus McAuley, Feargal McKiernan, Tiernan Smyth, Aidan Scullion, Christy McGarry.
Subs – Eoin McFerran for McKiernan; Seanine McIntosh for McAuley; Conlith McKinley for Scullion; Conor Boyle for McMullan
DOWN
Cathal Laverty, James Higgins, Deglan Mallon, Eoin Pucci, Ciaran Milligan, Lucas Boyd, Eoin Magee, Finn Turpin, Aodhan Furlong, Tom McGrattan, Rian O’Neill, Owen McDermott, Oisin Coulter.
Subs – Sean Millagan, Fionn McFall.
Referee – Tarlach Conway (Derry)
