U15 Hurling League – Division One
Wednesday 13th July
Report by Niall Kelly
Ruairi Óg Cushendall 5-18 Na Seamróga Loughgiel 2-12
Top of the table Loughgiel made the journey over Orra to face their rivals Cushendall on Wednesday evening. The Shamrocks sit atop the table and were set on revenge for their defeat in the reverse fixture earlier in the season, but Cushendall were looking to make it ten wins from ten, only sitting in second place because they’ve played three fewer games than their counterparts. In the end, Cushendall would prove too strong and were no doubt buoyed by their recent form and Féile heroics.
The hosts got the scoring underway with Thomas McLaughlin. The full forward powered through to point from play before getting on the end of a high ball from Fiontan Bradley to flick into the Loughgiel net. Bradley himself then added a point as Cushendall raced into a five point lead with three minutes on the clock.
Ryan O’Boyle got the Shamrocks off the mark but the ever-dangerous Fiontan Bradley pointed twice with Fintan McKillop adding one from range. The Ruairi’s dominance was stemming from their ability in the middle third; latching onto breaks and driving through.
Loughgiel then began to get some rhythm to their play and Eddie Smyth was pulling a few strings from centre back. Smyth himself notched two with Conan Johnston and Daniel O’Mullan splitting the posts to cut the gap further.
However, in what was a recurrent theme in the game, Cushendall only flexed their muscles further each occasion Loughgiel threatened to get closer to them. Points from Dáire Higgins, Fiontan Bradley and Callagh Mooney only widened the gap further and when Thomas McLaughlin added his second goal of the game a deft flicked finish on the 22nd minute, the game was edging further away for the lads in red and white.
Although Loughgiel battled hard and responded with a goal of their own from Oisin Connolly, Cushendall would deal two more hammer blows before half time. Fintan McKillop finished off an intricate counter-attack to the net before Oran McCambridge rattled in a penalty to leave the half time score 4-12 to 1-7 in favour of the hosts.
Loughgiel’s tenacity and resilience was much more prevalent in the second half as they battled valiantly despite the sizable deficit. The visitors made it a much closer game in the second half. Three early points from Cushendall’s Oran McCambridge, Dáire Higgins and Fiontan Bradley were cancelled out by Eddie Smyth, Daniel O’Mullan and Dylan O’Boyle. Eunan Johnston perhaps symbolised the Shamrock’s fighting spirit most prominently as he worked tirelessly and threw himself into tackles, making some vital blocks and clearances.
As the teams went tit for tat with points, the game was to reach its climax with a goal apiece. Loughgiel’s constant bombardment of the Cushendall defence in the final quarter was to bear fruition when Daniel O’Mullan scrambled the ball home with five minutes to go. Fiontan Bradley’s effort from range then somehow found itself in the back of the net as the Shamrock’s defence lost flight of the ball seeing Cushendall home on a score line of 5-18 to 2-12 on Ryan O’Reilly’s final whistle.
Cushendall
L McGhee; C McAlister, C McCann, D McManus; A Campbell, C Mooney (0-01), A McCambridge; D McNaughton (1-00), F McKillop (0-04); O McCambridge (1-01), D Higgins (0-02), S McQuillan; F Bradley (1-08), T McLaughlin (2-01), C McCambridge (0-01)
Loughgiel
S Douthart; C McCullough, A McGarry, T McKendry; E Johnston, E Smyth (0-03), T McNulty; L McGarry, L Smyth; O Connolly (1-01), R O’Boyle (0-01), C McCollum (0-01); D O’Mullan (1-04), C Johnston (0-01), D O’Boyle (0-01)
