Antrim Under 17 Hurling Final
Loughgiel 3-16 Cushendall 1-11
Loughgiel won their fourth minor title in a row when they beat Cusehndall in Sunday’s final in Ballycastle. Red hot favourites going into the game the young Shamrocks found the going tough in the opening half as wind assisted Cushendall opened up a five point lead by half time. The Ruairis actually stretched their lead to six early in the second half, but Loughgiel gradually reeled them in and with corner forward Roan McGarry in superb form from both frees and from play, they eventually took over to run out winners by eleven points.
Joseph McLaughlin put Cushendall ahead from a free in the second minute of the game, and they had a series of good chances to increase that lead but were wayward in their shooting. It was fourteen minutes before Darragh Patterson got Loughgiel’s first score to level up the game but McLaughlin came back with one at the other end to put Cushendall back ahead. Roan McGarry’s first point on 17 minutes tied things up yet again but as the half progressed Cushendall began to get on top and points from John Mitchell and Fiontan Bradley. Ronan Fitzgerald replied for Loughgiel, but Joe McLaughlin and Oran McCambridge pointed with a minute of each other to put the Ruairis 0-6 to 0-3 ahead.
Jack McCloskey, who played with a bad shoulder injury, got a point from a free and Roan McGarry added another from play, but a point from play and a goal from a penalty by Joseph McLaughlin gave Cushendall a five point lead at the half time whistle.
When Thomas McLaughlin got the first point of the second half to increase the lead to six within a minute of the restart Cushendall must have felt they were in with a chance, but a goal and three points from corner forward Roan McGarry in a devastating six minutes spell turned the game in the Shamrocks favour.
Codai McGarry and Roan McGarry put the winners two clear, but Cushendall kept in the race and a Thomas McLaughlin point on 47 minutes kept them in touch. Points from Ronan Fitzgerald, Roan McGarry and midfielder Liam Glackin began to put a bit of daylight between the sides, but Oran McCambridge replied for Cushendall to keep the Ruairi’s hopes alive.
However Loughgiel finished with a flurry scoring goals through substitute Conan Johnston and Jack McCloskey, plus four more points to run out winners by eleven and claim their fourth title on the trot.
Above – L-R, Tony Shivers presents the cup to team captain Ben McGarry, the Saffron Gael Man of the Match award to younger brother Roan McGarry, while corner back Ashdon McGarry points out the four in a row
