Andersonstown Social Club Intermediate Hurling Championship

Oisins 3-20 Con Magees 0-15

When Glenariffe Oisins lost their opening game of the championship campaign to Creggan there was doom and gloom around the club, but two games later they sit on top of the table on 4 points after wins against St Paul’s and Glenravel, with all the other clubs on 2. However this still does not guarantee the Oisins a place in the knock-out stages, for they have played a game more than the three teams below them, and they have to travel to the Bear Pit in the last game of the campaign to take on Sarsfields.

The Con Magees win came on Wednesday evening and Glenariffe had a wee bit too much for their neighbours from ‘over the mountain’, many of whom had played a lot of their juvenile careers for the Oisins.

Oisins corner forward Shae McDonnell and Con Magees Declan Traynor exchanged points in the opening minutes as did McDonnell and Eoin McCusker to leave the score tied on 0-2 apiece after five minutes. However the Oisins were gaining the upper hand and Niall Murray and Caolan O’Connor put them two clear by the seventh minute. Conleth O’Loan pointed a free for the visitors on ten minutes to keep them well in touch and Cormac McKeown pulled one back for the Con Magees on fourteen minutes.

However as the half progressed the Glenariffe men took charge of the game and boosted by a late goal from Caolan O’Connor they went at the break leading by 1-11 to 0-5.

Caolan O’Connor and Cormac McKeown exchanged points early in the second half, but Glenariffe came back with a goal from full forward Conor Patterson to push their advantage out to twelve.

Con Magees kept battling away but when Patterson found the net again midway through the second half there was no way back for them and the Oisins pushed on the win convincingly to set up that final meeting with Sarsfields in two weeks’ time.

Andersonstown Antrim IHC, Group 2

Sarsfield’s 1-19 St Paul’s 3-14

A Stephen Rooney rocket in the dying second snatched victory for St. Paul’s over Sarsfields at the Bear Pit on Wednesday night and throws Group 2 of the Andersonstown IHC wide open.

Niall McKenna looked to have sealed it for Sarsfield’s when he fired to the visitors net with five minutes of normal time remaining to put seven between the sides but St. Pauls came back strongly to snatch it at the death and they now join Con Magee’s, Sarsfield’s and Creggan on 2 points but the Shaw’s Road side have played a game more and have an inferior score difference.

 Niall McKenna had led the way for the ‘Paddies while Daniel McKernan was also prominent for a Sarsfield’s side who looked to be heading for a top spot in the group with Oisin Glenariffe before Rooney put a spanner in the works.

St Paul’s were first to score as Mark Munce split the posts just 35 seconds in, but two in reply from Oisin Coleman gave the hosts the lead for the first time.

Conall Finnegan came back for the visitors to tie the contest for the second time and then a good move involving Stephen Rooney and Thomas Duff placed Lorcan Phillips who drilled his shot low to the net from a difficult angle.

Sarsfields looked shocked but with Niall McKenna leading the way they came back strongly with four on the bounce to draw level but again St. Paul’s found a response.

Daire Stevenson split the posts and Caolan Crossan added two more, one from play, to move the Hoops 1-6 to 0-6 ahead after 18 minutes but the visitors would not score again until injury time in the first half.

It was Sarsfield’s who finished the half strongly with seven unanswered points with McKenna leading the way and Ryan O’Neill, Gary Lennon and Coleman all to the fore.

Points from Marcus Munce and Caolan Crossan in time added on kept St. Paul’s in touch at the short whistle where they trailed by two but were very much back in contention.

The home side looked once again to be asserting control of the contest when they hit the first four scores of the second half but St. Paul’s came back once more as Marcus Munce, Daire Stevenson and Caolan Crossan replied at the other end.

Sarsfields hadn’t raised a flag for 12 minutes but Donal McKernan got them going again with a point at the other end and when county man, Niall McKenna drilled the sliotar to the net to put his side seven ahead with five remaining it looked all over.

St. Paul’s had displayed a never say die attitude throughout the contest and they picked themselves off the floor once more and Daire Stevenson finished a dropping free from Caolan Crossan to the net.

St. Paul’s were now on top as Thomas Duff pointed and Caolan Crossan added two more to leave just one in it as the tension grew before McKenna replied from a free to put two between the sides.

A Niall McKenna free in reply seemed enough to see Sarsfield’s through but there was still time for that late drama as St Paul’s won a free some 20 meters from goal.

Up stepped Rooney to drill his shot through a crowded goalmouth to snatch it for the visitors and hand his side a championship lifeline with one game remaining.

In the other game in Group 2 played Glenariffe defeated |Glenravel 3-20 to 0-15 while in Group One, there was a 2-19 to 2-12 win for Cushendun over Tír na nÓg and Carey defeated Glenarm 3-25 to 4-11.

Sarsfield’s: G McKernan; B McGibbon, J Daniels, M McCavanagh; J Cunningham, C McKernan, E McCartan; K McKernan (0-1 free), Daniel McKernan; D Smyth, N McKenna (1-11, 0-3 frees, 0-1 65), R O’Neill (0-1); Donal McKernan (0-1), G Lennon (0-2), O Coleman (0-3).

Subs: R McAreavey for R O’Neill (42), D Coleman for B McGibbon (47), A McGarrigle for O Coleman (56), R McKenna for J Cunningham (56)

St. Paul’s: C Murray; C Gallagher, F Sewell, T Auld; T Duff (0-1), S Rooney (1-0 free), L Walsh; M Munce (0-3), C Finnegan (0-2); D Stevenson (1-2), C Crossan (0-6, 4 frees), D Chapman; S Munce, L Phillips (1-0), B Burns.

Subs: C Duffy for C Gallagher (HT), A Carey for C Finnegan (42), D McGreevy for B Burns (59)

Referee: Darren McKeown (St Gall’s)

Andersonstown Social Club Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 1

Carey Faughs 3-25 Shane O’Neill’s Glenarm 4-17

Carey Faughs survived a late wobble to win their first game of the campaign when they hosted Glenarm in Wednesday evening’s Intermediate Hurling Championship Round 3 match in Ballyvoy.

Playing their best hurling in years the Faughs led by eight at half time and came flying out of the traps at the start of the second half to stretch that lead to seventeen after 42 minutes, hitting a series of wonder scores on the way. Glenarm staged a mini revival with a goal and three points, but the Faughs came again with four quick points in a row to lead by 15 with five minutes of normal time left on the clock.

Everything was done and dusted, or so it appeared, but nobody told the Glenarm men who produced a stunning final rally that produced three goals and a point to leave just five between the sides at the end.

Glenarm started the game with two quick points from Niall McGarel, but Conor McBride and Shea Hunter had the Faughs level by the fourth minute. It was point for point during the next seven minute until Conor McBride got Carey’s opening goal and when Josh Mullan got a second the Faughs started to open a gap, and they pushed on to lead by 2-13 to 0-11 at half time.

With Conor McBride and James ‘Rocket’ Black in fantastic form the home side turned on the style in the third quarter as they hit 1-7 to just a single reply for Glenarm, the Faughs goal coming from a long delivery from Shea Hunter which deceived Michael Abram in the Glenarm goal and somehow ended in the net. The gap was now seventeen points and you feared his could be an annihilation, but Glenarm dug deep and points from Benny McDermott and Niall McGarel (2) were followed by a goal from Blain McDermott.

Their good work appeared to have been wasted at hit Carey came back with four in a row, two from Sean McLoughlin and one each from Conor McBride and Rocket to lead by 15 with just five minutes to play. However Glenarm had bit of fight left in them still and in an extraordinary rally they battled back again as Shane Magill, Dylan McLaughlin and Benny McDermott fired in goals, while Blain McDermott added a points to leave just five between them in the end. Once again the Intermediate Hurling Championship has proved to be the pick of all the championships. Last years’ Junior Champions Glenram cannot make the knock-out stages, but they have acquitted themselves well. They have one game still left to play when they host group leaders Cushendun in Feystown on Saturday evening and Carey will be hoping they can do them a big favour by getting a result there.

Carey are still needing others to do them a favour if they are to make it through but if Cushendun beat Glenarm on Saturday and Tir na nOg beat St Gall’s then their race will over before their last game of the campaign in Cushendun in two weeks’ time.