Antrim Hurling League Division 3
Glenarm 1-20 Con Magees 2-11
Glenarm gained a measure of revenge for their defeat at the hands of Con Magees in last season’s Junior Championship final when they beat the Glenravel men in Wednesday evening’s opening game of the new season at Feystown.
A dominant first half performance by the home side, which saw them go in at the break ten points to the good, set them up for victory. Full forward Ciaran Magill was the star of the show, especially from placed balls, the former St Killian’s student scoring 12 points in total in a man of the match performance. Glenravel fared better in the second half, especially in the final quarter, but they were never going to catch the Feystown men who ran out winners by six points.
The opening five minutes was evenly contested with points from team captain Darren Hamill and corner forward Niall McGarel being cancelled out by two from James Duffin for the visitors. However Glenarm took control of the game at this stage Ciaran Magill started to pics off the points, hitting four in a row before Niall McGarel got the home team’s only goal on 14 minutes.
Four more from Magill and one each from Daniel Black, Aidan Scullion and Ben O’Boyle pulled Glenarm 13 clear by the 27th minute and it took a late goal from returning veteran Martin Scullion to cut the gap back to ten, the former Loughgiel Shamrocks star cleverly lobbing the goalkeeper.
Ciaran Magill stretched his team’s advantage with the first point of the second half, and though James Duffin came back with two for Glenravel, two more from Magill and one from Daniel Black put 12 between the sides. A points from Niall Donnelly direct from a sideline cut and one from play from Shaney Woulahan cut the gap back to 10, and when Donnelly got in for his team’s second goal the gap was down to seven.
There was now a glimmer of hope for the Glenravel men, but though they finished with five more points, Glenarm kept the scoreboard ticking over at the other end to keep the visitors at arms length and secure an opening day win.
