Antrim Hurling League – Division 1

Cushendun 0-13 Cushendun 1-23

Cushendun made their return to Division 1 hurling on Wednesday evening when they hosted their neighbours Cushendall for the first time in over twenty years. The last time they met here in the league they were building those apartments down where the Bay Hotel used to stand, so it is great to see the Emmet’s back competing at this level.

There was little sentiment among the visitors as they did a clinical job on their hosts, as everyone would expect, but Cushendun will learn from this experience as they adjust to life in the top grade.

The Ruairis were on top from the start and went on to lead by 12 at half time. The Emmet’s produced a much better showing in the second half and were winning the second half by a couple of points until Sean McAfee struck for the only goal of the game four minutes from the end.

With Dominic Delargy on the edge of the square for Cushendall they were on the scoreboard early and the number 14 had plundered two points from play inside 90 seconds. Corner forwards Fred McCurry and Alex Delargy added one each to stretch the gap to four before Conlaoith ‘Loaf’ McNeill got the Emmet’s on the scoreboard with a pointed free, but two from Paddy McGill (the only man on the field who could possibly have been playing in that last game in 2001) and another from Alex Delargy stretched the lead to 0-7 to 0-1.

Loaf sent over a second point from a free on 11 minutes, but the gap began to widen as they were hit by seven unanswered points…McGill, Aidan Delargy and Aidan McNaughton getting two apiece, while Ryan McCambridge got one from the half back line.

Loaf converted another placed ball and centre back Donal O’Hara got the Emmet’s first score from play to closed the gap to 0-13 to 0-5, but the Ruairis finished the half strongly with four in a row to lead by 0-17 to 0-5 by the time referee Ciaran McCloskey sounded the short blast for half time.

Two more pointed frees from McGill stretched the lead to 14, two minutes into the second half, but Cushendun were starting to find a bit of rhythm in their play and corner forward David Kilgore and Loaf McNeill from a 65 started to get the scoreboard ticking, though McGill and Alex Delargy posted points in return for the visitors.

However Cushendun then had their best spell of the game as they held the upper hand for the next 15 minutes, holding the Ruairis scoreless while adding six points of their own, three of them from McNeill frees and one each from Conor McHugh, David Kilgore and Harry Kilgore.

The Ruairis ended a fifteen minutes scoreless spell when Fred McCurry sent over a point and Paddy McGill followed it with another from a free before Sean McAfee put the icing on the cake for the Cushendall men with the only goal of the game on 56 minutes.

CUSHENDUN

Gareth Magee, Conor Bannon, Aidan Corbett, Jack McKay, Matthew McCartin, Donal O’Hara, Tomas Scally, Dominic Sharkey, Colm Kilgore, Pierce Bannon, Harry Kilgore, Conlaoith McNeill, Conor McHugh, John V Morgan, David Kilgore

CUSHENDALL

Colm McKeegan, Ronan McAteer, Aaron Graffin, Sean McKenna, Conor McCollum, Mark Donaghy, Ryan McCambridge, Paddy McGill, Fergus McCambridge, Andrew Delargy, Sean McAfee, Aidan McNaughton, Francis McCurry, Dominic Delargy, Alex Delargy

Referee – Ciaran McCloskey (Loughgiel)