February 24, 2024February 25, 2024 by thesaffrongael

Antrim lift the gloom with win against Down

National Camogie League – Division 1B

Down 1-8 Antrim 2-9

It may not have been a perfect performance, but considering the ‘shenanigans’ in the build-up to the game Antrim’s win over Down at Attacal on Saturday in the opening round of the National Camogie Leeague was a very welcome boost.

With Carl McCormick filling in for the management team who stepped down during the week the girls in Saffron did enough to get the vital win against a Down side who were well short of their strongest side. The first touch at times left a lot to be desired, but they showed a great fighting spirit for most of the game to win by four in the end and secure two vital league points.

**Annie Lynn fires in the second of her two goals against Down**

Antrim started the game and went on to dominate the first half with Annie Lynn playing the starring role at full forward, the Loughgiel star hitting 2-2 to help send her team to a 2-5 to 0-3 lead. Lynn and Maeve Kelly got the first two points of the game and though Down came back with a point from Aoife Murphy the Saffrons came back with two quick points to go 0-4 to 0-1 clear. Murphy pulled one back for Down from a free, but Annie Lynn gave the visitors a firm grip of the game with her first goal midway through the half. Maeve Kelly grabbed another point and when Lynn bagged goal number two on 23 minutes it all looked plain sailing for Antrim.

***The Mourne mountains forms a beautuful backdrop as Antrim come out for the second half at Attacal***

Trailing by 0-3 to 2-5 at half time Down made a great start to the second half when they grabbed a goal and a point inside the first minute of the new half to the gap back to four. A pointed free by Roisin McCormick and one from play by Annie Lynn eased the pressure a little but Down were playing well and two well taken points from Aoife McDowell and Grace Cunningham brought the gap back to four again.

Roisin McCormick and Down substitute Saoirse Sands exchanged points and kept the gap at four but when Christine Lavery came up from the back to send over from play the game looked safe. The excellent Grace Cunningham pulled another one back for Down to just on full time but four was as close as the home team would get.

ANTRIM

Caitriona Graham, Colleen Patterson, Caitlin Crawford, Evanne Martin, Erin Coulter, Caoimhe Conlon, Clare McKillop, Fionnuala Kelly, Anna McNeill, Maeve Kelly, Christine Laverty, Elen McIntosh, Roisin McCormick, Annie Lynn, Caitrin Dobbin.

Subs – Sara Fyfe for Elen McIntosh Emily Faloon for Maeve Kelly Maebh O’Neill for Fionnuala Kelly

**Antrim’s Fionnuala Kelly pulls the ball on the ground during Saturday’s win over Down at Attical**

February 24, 2024February 24, 2024 by thesaffrongael

Two changes in Antrim line-up to face Galway in National Hurling League – Division 1B

The Antrim team to play Galway at Corrigan Park on Sunday shows two changes in personnel from the side who lost so cruelly to Dublin last time out at the same venue.

There are two changes in the defence with Phelim Duffin, who was replaced by Stephen Rooney at the ‘11th hour’ against the Dubs, starts this time while Conor Boyd, who started at right half back that day is unavailable, with St Enda’s Niall O’Connor, midfield against Dublin, dropping back to take Boyd’s place.

Ronan McAteer makes his first start in the NHL as he comes in at midfield to take O’Connor’s place, alongside his Ruairi Og team mate Eoghan Campbell.

There are no changes in forward line with Rian McMullan, Aodhan O’Brien and Niall McKenna making up the half forward line with team captain Conal Cunning in one corner, Fred McCurry in the other with Joseph McLaughlin on the edge of the square.

February 24, 2024February 24, 2024 by thesaffrongael

Bradley steers St Louis to Foresters final

Danske Bank Ulster Schools Hurling

Foresters Cup semi-final

St Louis 1-13 St Killian’s 0-13

A man of the match performance by centre forward Fiontan Bradley guided St Louis Ballymena to victory over St Killian’s Garron Tower in Friday evening’s semi-final of the Foresters Cup at Quinn Park, Ballymena.

Bradley’s ability to find the target at regular intervals proved the difference between the two sides, and his goal early in the second half was the score that decided the contest. With Caolan McCollum also a starring role at right half forward it gave the Ballymena boys a decided edge.

An evenly contested opening quarter saw the sides level at 0-3 apiece, but St Louis pushed on with four in a row from Bradley (who ended with 0-9) and one from McCollum to open a five point lead. Two St Killian’s pointed frees closed the gap as Canice McIntosh found the target to close the gap to three at the interval.

Bradley struck early in the second half to increase the St Louis lead and when McCollam broke through to score the only goal of the game soon afterwards it was a long way back for the Garron Tower boys. St Louis could have sealed the win a minute later when Bradley found Domnhal McKay on the edge of the square, but a brilliant point blank save by the Tower goalkeeper Ben Duncan turned the ball around for a 65.

To their credit the Tower boys battled hard and held the upper hand during the last twenty minutes, but they hit a series of bad wides during that time that could have got them back into the game. They did close the gap nearing the end but a well taken point from St Louis Caolan McCollum sealed St Louis place in the final against St Pat’s Maghera.

ST LOUIS

1 – Conal Boyd

2- Joe McFadden

3 – Aaron Doherty

4 – Rory Blaney

5 – Niall McCloskey

6 – Eddie Smyth

7 – Domhall McKay

8 – Seamus McMullan

9 – James McGarry

10 – Eunan Curry

11 – Fiontan Bradley

12 – Caolan McCollum

13 – Dylan O’Boyle

14 – Neil Rodgers

16 – Euan Curry

Robert Crooks for Seamus McMullan

Ryan O’Boyle for Domhall McKay

Cian Higgins for Dylan O’Boyle

ST KILLIAN’S

1 Ben Duncan

2 Cadhan Graham

3 Ciaran McLaughlin

4 Eunan Harvey

5 Niall McKeown

6 Conor McCann

7 Dermot McManus

8 Dylan McNaughton

9 Ciaran McCann

10 Shane McQuillan

11 Christopher Leech

12 Canice Macintosh

13 Nicholas Mc Laughlin

14 Cahir McCambridge

15 Conleth McNaughton

Referee – Ray Matthews.

February 23, 2024February 23, 2024 by thesaffrongael

Denis O’Brien was guest speaker at the Saffron Business Forum breakfast

Saffron Business Forum had its biggest ever breakfast on Friday at the Crown Plaza Hotel, Shaws Bridge with star guest Denis O’Brien in the hot seat with host Paul McErlean.

The event was sponsored by Whiterock Finance a locally owned Fund Manager, which was established in Belfast in 2012. David McCurley, Director, also took the opportunity to launch a new £75m equity fund, the largest ever locally managed equity fund to be available to businesses here.

Also promoting their businesses in the Three for Three slots were Magheramorne Estate,
Burke Systems and Solutions Ltd and MH Fire Safety Engineers.

In what was undoubtedly a major coup for the Saffron Business Forum, Dublin billionaire Denis O’Brien provided insights into the construction of his business empire with a series of fascinating stories about his work in the Caribbean with Digicel and in the South Pacific.

The 200 plus audience listened intently to Denis, who was very forthright on a whole range of issues, expertly questioned as always byPaul McErlean from MCE.

One of the key questions afterwards was, how could the forum ever top the quality of that speaker and event again? We will have to see…

February 22, 2024February 22, 2024 by thesaffrongael

‘Tosh’ late goal gave Antrim victory over Galway

Antrim’s wins over Galway have been few and far between over the years but 18 years ago this week the Saffrons shocked the Tribesmen in the National Hurling League Division 1B game at Casement Park. Antrim held the upper hand for most of the game, but trailed by two at half time. They got back on top again during the second half but once more Galway rallied to take a two point lead with time almost up Johnny ‘Tosh’ proved the hero of the hour when he cut in from the left wing and fired a rasping shot to the Galway net.

The goal would cap a great day for Antrim GAA for as the teams were leaving the field it was announced over the PA that St Gall’s had just beaten Nemo Rangers in the All Ireland Senior Club semi-final in Portlaoise. Not a bad double.

Incidentally in this report of the Galway game, which featured in the Irish Times on Feb 20th 2006, descibed McIntosh as….. the big Armoy man!!! Obviously they thought the goal was so good only Clute could have scored it!

**Conor Cunning in action for Antrim against Galway. If things go to plan there will be another C Cunning from Dunloy facing Galway again on Sunday.**

National Hurling League Division 1B

Antrim 1-14 Galway 0-16

National Hurling League Division One B/ Antrim 1-14 Galway 0-16: A late goal by Johnny McIntosh gave Antrim an unexpected victory over Galway at Casement Park yesterday.

It was a 70th-minute solo effort by the big Armoy man who cut in from the left wing to slam the ball home from close range. He had already sent over seven points, six of them from frees, to emerge the hero of the day.

Antrim hustled and harried their opponents throughout with the defence holding firm and had it not been for a series of wides – nine – in the second half, the winners would have wrapped up victory much earlier.

The hurling wasn’t out of the top drawer but total commitment was the order of the day by the Antrim players who snuffed out their more illustrious opponents in many instances. Goalkeeper Damien Quinn also pulled off two remarkable saves.

***Team managers Paul McKillen and Jingo McKernan who guided Antrim to the famous win over Galway***

Antrim breezed into a 0-4 to 0-2 lead after 15 minutes but Ger Farragher put over a free seven minutes later to level, following points by Niall Healy and Eugene Cloonan.

Had it not been for the accuracy of Farragher from placed balls – he hit a total of 10 – the winners would have been out of sight well before the final whistle. They were level again on the half-hour and once more three minutes later but points by Kevin Broderick and Farragher sent Galway in leading by 0-9 to 0-7 at the interval.

A blazing restart by Antrim pegged Galway in their own half for nearly 20 minutes as the home side tagged on five unanswered points to go three ahead. Farragher grabbed three frees to balance the scales again but Galway could never establish authority.

The fast and furious action was level at 13 and 14 points before Cloonan scored his second point in a minute to give the visitors a 0-15 to 0-14 lead with six minutes left. Farragher pointed his 10th free but when Cloonan sliced through for what seemed a certain goal on 67 minutes Quinn dashed out to bring off an amazing stop.

Then right on time, McIntosh produced the winning blast that stunned Galway.

**Dunloy’s Paddy Richmond who scored 0-3 on the day**

ANTRIM: D Quinn; B McAuley, M McCambridge, G Cunningham; J Campbell, K McKeegan, C Herron; C Cunning (0-1), M Herron; C Hamill, B Delargy, M Scullion (0-1); S Óg McFadden (0-2), P Richmond (0-3), J McIntosh (1-7, 0-6 frees). Subs: B McFall for Hamill (half-time), B Quinn for Scullion (53 mins), M Dallas for McFadden (61 mins), J Scullion for Cunning (66 mins).

GALWAY: L Donohue; D Joyce, T Óg Regan, G Mahon; D Hayes, C Dervan, S Kavanagh; F Healy (0-1), D Collins; G Farragher (0-10, 0-9 frees, 0-1 ’65), R Murray, K Broderick (0-1); N Healy (0-1), E Cloonan (0-3), D Donohue. Subs: K Daly for D Donohue (50 mins), A Coen for Murray (59 mins), MJ Quinn for Hayes (61 mins).