Antrim Hurling League – Division 3

Cloughmills St Brigid’s 3-17 (26) Glenarm Shane O’Neill’s 4-20 (32)

Glenarm travelled to Cloughmills on Wednesday evening and beat the home side in a high scoring game and as a result move above their rivals in the league table for the first time this season.

Two goals inside a minute by corner forward Kevin O’Boyle midway through the opening half were the scores that tipped a close fought game in the way of the visitors. O’Boyle’s double helped the Feystown men to a four point lead at the break and they went on to extend their lead to six by the end.

It was score for score during the opening quarter, and after Eoin Dobbin gave the Biddies the lead, Ciaran Magill and Dylan McLaughlin hit back with two for the visitors to put them ahead. Points from Ruairi Laverty and Stephen Smyth pushed the home side back in front and this pattern continued until midway through the half when corner forward Kevin O’Boyle hit two goals inside a minute to give his team the edge. Mickey Devlin and Liam Kearns replied for the Biddies but the visitors responded with two from Darren Hamill and one from Dylan McLaughlin. When Hamill and McGarel pointed late in the half Glenarm were nine clear, but late points for Cloughmillls from Mickey Devlin, Stephen Smyth and Laim Kearns cut the gap back to four at the half time whistle. (0-13 to 2-11)

Goals were to prove decisive in the second half, and there were plenty to choose from. The first of the five second half majors came four minutes after the restart from veteran centre forward Darren Hamill and that score kept Glenarm in control until the end of the third quarter when his Cloughmills counterpart Mickey Devlin fired a penalty to the Glenarm net.

Two minutes later Niall McGarel got Glenarm’s third of the game with a neat finish from play to keep them in control, and going into injury time the Feystown men appeared to be coasting. When Devlin got Cloughmills second goal two minutes into injury time it didn’t appear to matter as Glenarm were still comfortably ahead, but when Devlin completed his hat-trick, this time from play the lead was down to six. However it was a case of too little, too late, and Glenarm deservedly held on for the win.

CLOUGHMILLS

Chris McKiernan, Aaron McGuckian, Marty Dobbin, Johnny Duffin, Reece Watt, Conor Laverty, Joe Smyth, Geoffrey Og Laverty, Ruairi Laverty, Rian Dobbin, Michael Devlin, Eoin Dobbin, Stephen Smyth, Liam Kearns, James Doherty.

GLENARM

Michael Abram, Conal Ward, Barry Hamill, Liam Og McLaughlin, Daniel Black, Declan McDermott, Aidan Scullion, Ben O’Boyle, Kieran O’Boyle, Sean O’Boyle, Darren Hamill, Dylan McLaughlin, Kevin O’Boyle, Ciaran Magill, Niall McGarel.

Referee – Declan McGarry (Loughgiel)