Darragh Cup- North Antrim U17 Hurling
Cushendall Ruairi Og 4-14 (26) Glenariffe Oisins 5-15 (30)
Darragh Cup holder Glenariffe visited neighbours Cushendall in the opening round of this year’s competition and what a game both team’s produced, with fourteen different players, between both teams, getting their names on the scoresheet. Both halves started with a real bang with goals at each end within a minute. Cushendall led by five points after having first use of the strong breeze, but Glenariffe pegged them back in the second half to win by four in the end.
Cushendall full forward Joseph McNaughton got the ball rolling when he goaled inside a minute but there was little time for the home crowd to celebrate as Phelim Wards had the ball in the net at the other end just fifty seconds later. Cushendall were on top though and they added five of the next points through Fintan McKillop, Joseph McLaughlin, Oisin Woodhouse and Callagh Mooney, in reply to just one from Oisins’ Orrin O’Connor, to move four clear. However the boys from the other side of the Red Arch were soon back on terms as Brogan O’Connor grabbed a goal on 11 minutes and centre forward Ronan Leech added a point.
A peach of a point directly from a sideline cut, and one from a free by stylish midfielder Joseph McLaughlin put the Ruairis back ahead, and after Phelim Ward came back with one for the Oisins, McLauglin hit two more, and Joe McNaughton one, to put a bit of daylight between the sides.
Brogan O’Connor came back with one for the Oisins but three more in a row from Oran McCambridge, Austin Birt and Joe McLaughlin brought them six clear on the cusp of half-time, but Phelim Wards pointed yet another free just before the break to cut the Oisins deficit back to five.
Just as in the first half there was an explosive start with goals at each end. Austin Birt got in for a goal for the Ruairis to push his team eaight clear, but just 43 seconds later Calum McIlwaine relied at the other end to cut the gap back to five again. That goal signalled the start of a period of dominance for the wind assisted Oisins as they hit the next eight scores without reply, six of them coming from the stick of right half forward Phelim Ward, while Peadar McDonnell got a point and Orrin O’Connor a crucial goal to put them six ahead.
However, just when it appeared that Glenariffe had gained the upper hand, back came the home side with goals from Thomas McLaughlin and Oisin Woodhouse, sandwiched on either side of a Phelim Ward point. With just seven minutes to go it looked it could go either way, but the Oisins finished stronger and points from Peadar McDonnell, Phelim Ward and McDonnell again, deep in injury time, got them over the line.
In the other quarter final Dunloy beat Ballycastle and will now meet Loughgiel in the semi-final, while the Oisins take on All Saints Ballymena in their semi-final.
CUSHENDALL
Liam McGhee, Charlie McAuley, Killian McNaughton, John Mitchell, Alex McCambridge, Sean McKay, Stephen McAuley, Joseph McLaughlin, Callagh Mooney, Oisin Woodhouse, Oran McCambridge, Austin Birt, Thomas McLaughlin, Joseph McNaughton, Fintan McKillop
OISINS
Paddy Joe Harvey, Oisin Mort, Cailin Devlin, John Scullion, Matthew Black, Cathan Graham, Eamon Ward, Patrick McIlwaine, Michael Magee, Phelim Ward, Ronan Leech, Brogan O’Connor, Calum McIlwaine, Orrin O’Connor, Peadar McDonnell.
REFEREE – Paul McSparran (Cushendun)
