McCloskey produces unrivaled display as Shamrocks win Darragh Cup
Darragh Cup – North Antrim Under 17 Hurling
By John Curly McIlwaine
Loughgiel 3-18 Oisins 3-16
The genius of Jack McCloskey steered Loughgiel to Darragh Cup glory in Cushendall on Friday night as the brilliant centre forward gave a man of the match display that will never be equalled as he scored 3-14 of his team’s total of 3-18. Four points down, and a man down after losing a player to a red card in first half injury time, McCloskey brought his team from behind at the break to win by two against a very good Glenariffe side, who also had their share of stars.
I have been watching hurling now for almost sixty years and reporting on it for almost fifty, and I have to say I have never seen a display that comes close to what McCloskey produced in this game. His range of scores, from play, and frees, was out of this world. To hit 3-14 in a hurling game against a weak team who were out of their depth would be and amazing feat, but to do it against a very good side like Glenariffe is just mind blowing. The Oisins were excellent in the first half, and though they faded a bit in the second period they still could have won this game, and up until the last five minutes it looked like they would win it. However they could not deal with the genius of Jack McCloskey and to be honest I don’t think any team could.
After a couple of good chances at either end McCloskey opened the scoring on two minutes when he cut in from the left and drilled a low shot across the goalkeeper and into the net. The Oisins came back strongly with a pointed free from Phelim Ward on five minutes and a minute later Ward set up Peadar McDonnell for his team’s first goal.
Within a minute McCloskey had the ball in the net at the other end of the field with a carbon copy of his first goal and seconds later he grabbed his first point after picking up a breaking ball 40 meters out and dispatching it between the posts. The Oisins were struggling to get to the pace of the game but a brilliant spell saw them hit four points inside three minutes as Orrin O’Connor, Brogan O’Connor, Peadar McDonnell and Phelim Ward all fired over to draw level. McCloskey get the Shamrocks back in front from a free, but a great catch and score from Calum McIlwaine and another from the excellent Phelim Ward got the Oisins back in front.
Three on the trot from the Shamrocks from Roan McGarry, Ronan Fitgerald and Jack McCloskey swung the pendulum back in Loughgiel’s favour by the eighteenth minute, but a great solo goal from Oisins full forward Orrin O’Connor, after cutting in along the endline, swung it back in his team’s favour. Back came Jack with pointed frees in the 22nd and 24th minutes, but it was to be their last scores of the half as Glenariffe finished the half strongly with two from Phelim Ward and one each from Orrin O’Connor and Peadar McDonnell to go in at the break 3-11 to 3-7 to the good.
With Loughgiel losing a player in first half injury time it seemed they had a big task on their hands as the second half got underway, but two from McCloskey and one from Ronan Fitzgerald had the gap back to a single point within four minutes of the restart. Orrin O’Connor, from play, and Phelim Ward from a free pushed the Oisins lead out to three, but two more by McCloskey, the second one an outstanding effort from the right corner. An exchange of points between Ward and McCloskey kept the gap at a point, but when Ward added a point and Orrin O’Connor got in for his second goal they game appeared to have taken a significant swing in the Oisins favour.
Incredibly they would add just one more point between then and the end as McCloskey took control of matters to haul his team back into the game. He started the fightback with a point from a free before completing his hat trick, his third goal even better than the two that went before. He levelled matters with a point from a free before putting the Shamrocks ahead with a brilliant solo score after a mazy 60 metre solo run.
The Oisins were treding water trying to make sense of it all but Phelim Ward brought them back level again with a good finish from 40 meteres. The prospect of extra time now looked likely, but McCloskey was not going to be stopped and he got his team back head in the 58th minute before Ronan McCloskey completed a fine individual display with his third point of the game.
After the game Malachy Darragh presented the cup he and his wife Kathleen put up in their son John’s memory some 30 years ago. This great competition has seen many great performances during those 30 years but it has never seen one that produced an individual display quite like this one.
LOUGHGIEL
Mark Christie, Ronan McLaughlin, Pearse Patterson, Codai McGarry, Tiago McGarry, Ben McGarry, Charley O’Hagan, Liam Glackin, Preston McGarry, Ronan Fitzgerald, Jack McCloskey, Danny McAuley, Conan Johnston, Ronan Carey, Roan McGarry.
Subs – Ryan O’Boyle for Carey
OISINS
Oisin Mort, Eamon Ward, Cailin Devlin, Matthew Black, Colla Ward, Cathan Graham, John Scullion, Patrick McIlwaine, Michael Magee, Brogan O’Connor, Ronan Leech, Phelm Ward, Calum McIlwaine, Orrin O’Connor, Peadar McDonnell.
Referee – Anthony McAuley (Ballycastle)
