Antrim Hurling League Division 2
Cloney Gael’s 1-12 Cushendun 2-16
Cushendun got their first win of the season with this 6 point win over the team who beat them in last years’ Intermediate Champions final. With eight different names on the scoresheet, this was an impressive team performance from the Emmets. After having lost their opening game to Tir na nÓg the Emmet’s were under pressure going into this game, as two defeats from two would have been hard to recover from, but when the chips were down the came up with the goods
Harry Kilgore top scored for Cushendun with 1.04 from play, but it will be the spread of scorers that will please the Cushendun management the most.
Ahoghill had the better of the opening exchanges, but Harry Kilgore’s well placed goal on ten minutes levelled things for the visitors. Cushendun pushed on with points from Connloath McNeill, Aidan Corbit, Conor McHugh and Colin McKeegan, but points from Diarmaid and Gerard Graham kept Ahoghill in touch. With five minutes of the half remaining, Dominic McQuillian battled hard to win possession in the corner and layed the ball onto Harry Kilgore who picked out Colin McKeegan on the edge of the square. With the ball in hand, McKeegan give Aiden Graham no chance in the Ahoghill net, when he fired Cushendun’s second goal of the game. Another Harry Kilgore point, and two for the hosts (Gerard Graham, Daniel O’Neill) saw Cushendun take a 2-07 to 0-10 lead into half time.
Cushendun started brightly in the second half, with McNeill and Harry Kilgore getting points in the first two minutes. James O’Connell then hit three in reply (1 free) to give Ahoghill some hope, but Cushendun were to hit a purple patch. In the tenth minute Cushendun ‘keeper Gareth Magee made a fine save to keep Eamon Brady’s close range effort out and from here on it was all Cushendun. The Emmets defence got on top and soaked up everything Ahoghill threw at them and going forward they hit seven points in twelve minutes. Scores from C Bannon, McHugh,D McQuillian (2), D Kilgore (2) and H Kilgore sealed the win, with their last score the best of the day when Donal O’Hara and Conor McHugh worked the ball out from their own 21 to set up David Kigore who converted from a tight angle on the left wing. Ahoghill did get a late consolation goal through PJ O’Connell when he pulled on a high ball on the edge of the square, but time was almost up and the two points were going to Cushendun.
Scorers
Ahoghill PJ O’Connel 1.02
J O’Connell 0.05
G Graham 0.2
R Graham 0.01
D Graham 0.01
D O’Neill 0.01
Cushendun
H Kilgore 1.04
C McKeegan 1.01
C McHugh 0.03
C McNeill 0.02
D McQuillian 0.02
D Kilgore 0.02
A Corbit 0.01
C Bannon 0.01
