Senior Reserve Hurling Cup Final – Fr Maginn Park, Glenravel

Loughgiel 2-27 Cushendall 1-15

An injury time goal by man of the match Maol Connolly secured the Senior Reserve Hurling Cup for Loughgiel at Fr Maginn Park, Glenravel on Wednesday evening. Finals between these great rivals have been hard fought and close over the years, and this one was no different. They were tied at 1-8 apiece at half time and though Cushendall had edged ahead in the second half, they never really recovered from losing a man to a red card midway through the second half, and Loughgiel pushed ahead. Despite this the sides were level with just three minutes left to play but Conolly’s accuracy from frees saw his team go two ahead going into injury time, and the centre forward sealed it for the Shamrocks with a great individual goal.

It was score for score in the opening half as two great points from play by Shamrocks midfielder Declan Gillan and one from a Maoly Connolly free were answered by two from frees by Cormac McClafferty and one from play by Paddy Sharpe. Points from McClafferty, Dominic Delargy and Fred McCurry in reply to another pointed free by Connolly gave Cushendall a two pointe lead nearing the end of the first quarter, but Damian Quinn pulled one back for Loughgiel, before a Cushendall defender deflected a ball into his own net to put Loughgiel two points ahead.

Paddy Laverty increased the Loughgiel lead but points from placed balls by Clafferty and a goal from Sean McAfee just before the break tied things up at 1-8 apiece by the half time whistle.

Two points from Paddy Sharpe and one from Enuan McKillop, in reply to one by Maol Connolly, had Cushendall two clear. They had reduced the gap to just one when Cushendall’ were reduced to 14 men, but substitute Ruairi McCormick levelled things up soon afterwards. Points from Connolly and Gillan for Loughgiel were answered by two from Sharpe and Carson for Cushendall, which kept the Ruairis nosed in front, but a great strike from ‘Betty’ McKee brought the Shamrocks level on 54 minutes.

Extra time looked a possibility, but Connolly took control of matters when he fired over a pont from play before picking up a loose ball 60 meters from goal before soloing through to fire the ball past Karl McKeegan in the Cushendall goal to put four between the sides. That just about sealed it for the Shamrocks, but Connolly had time for one more and he struck one more excellent point in the fading light to deservedly seal the deal.

Loughgiel : C McFadden, F Henry, D McPeake, C McCloskey, C Henry, C Blair, O McFadden, D Gillan, C McKay,, P Laverty, M Connolly, D Quinn, R McCollum, S Casey, M McGarry. Cushendall: K McKeegan, S McKenna, L Gillan, R McAteer, M Donaghy, S Walsh, C McCollum, A Delargy, F McCurry, D Delargy, S McAfee, S Black, P Sharpe, S McNaughton