O’Neill’s Sportswear Senior Hurling League Division 1
Dunloy 2-15 St John’s 1-19
Saturday 30 March
Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy
As far as opening games to a league campaign goes, this one pretty much had it all. Penalties, red cards, exquisite free taking, remarkable individual performances and a Lazarus like comeback that ultimately fell short in the end.
It’s great to have club hurling back.
The Johnnies were the victors at the end of the hour (and a wee bit more) but they were holding on in the end with Dunloy almost recovering from a 13 point half time deficit and had a chance to grab what would have been the unlikeliest of draws right on the final whistle. It wasn’t to be but anything other than an away victory would have been a huge injustice given how Mickey Johnston’s men played.
St John’s came to Pearse Park on Saturday afternoon and played like a team who were midway through their league campaign in the first 30 minutes. Brilliant in rucks, hungry in the tackle and some just downright outrageous point taking from ridiculous angles.
The home side depleted with a host of absentees were chasing shadows and while the Cuchullains were far from their fluent best, the west Belfast side were playing some sublime hurling from the off.
It was a slow start to this one with the sides tied at two points apiece when St John’s clicked into another gear. They scored 1-4 in the space of four minutes with Oisin MacManus, Conor Johnston and Aidan McMahon raising white flags before Domhnall Nugent’s major in the 11th minute. Plucking the sliotar out of the sky from a perfectly struck side line by Jack Bohill, Nugent caught everyone by surprise with a low drive from fully 25 yards out. Dunloy ‘keeper Eoghan Richmond looked to have it covered but the green flag was raised.
A brace of frees from Aodhan McGarry followed to leave St John’s 1-6 to 0-4 ahead midway through the half but that would be the last time the Cuchullains would register a score in the half.
Six St John’s points in just over seven minutes followed as they turned the screw. MacManus with unnerving accuracy from placed ball while Ruairi Galbraith, Jack Bohill and Conor Johnston were all in on the act.
Dunloy looked to have derailed the Johnnies dominance when they were awarded a penalty in the 29th minute. Barry Scott superbly claiming the sliotar high in the square and with the goal at his mercy he was trailed to the ground. Referee Ciaran McCloskey awarded a penalty where Paul Shiels stepped up but he fired the sliotar to the left hand side of the posts and wide.
Further scores from Conor Johnston and MacManus left the half time score 1-14 to 0-4 in favour of St John’s.
It’s fair to say it really was all one way traffic in the first half and while there was a substantial breeze among the early spring sunshine at Pearse Park, it certainly wasn’t a 13 point advantage.
The home side started much better in the second half with McGarry firing over his fifth point of the game before Dunloy were awarded another penalty. This time Anton McGrath was fouled and McGarry dispatched with aplomb. Hopes of a herculean comeback were cut short however with the next puck out. Ciaran Johnston gathered a short restart from Declan Cregan and was met with a hefty challenge by McGrath. A foul and much to the dismay of the home management, a red card followed.
The numerical disadvantage did little to derail the Dunloy however. The Cuchullains reorganised and with McGarry’s accuracy from frees, they began to eat into the St John’s lead.
Eight points separated the sides midway through the second half and with ten minutes remaining that lead was down to six. A huge point from Eamon Smyth in the 52nd minute, incredibly the Cuchullains first effort from play, was quickly followed by another McGarry point to leave four between the sides.
A super score from Conor Johnston, splitting the uprights under pressure got the scoreboard ticking again for St John’s while Galbraith had a sniff of a goal chance. Aidan McMahon’s pointed effort coming back off the upright and Galbraith pulled on the rebound only for Eoghan Richmond to deny him superbly.
With the clock going into injury time, St John’s held a five point lead and Dunloy laid siege on Declan Cregan’s goal. A driven Paul Shiels free looked to be heading for the top corner but just cleared the cross bar while but they had more joy with the next effort. Shiels took the free quickly and found substitute Chrissy McMahon and he rifled to the back of the net.
There was enough time for one more attack and Dunloy looked to set up the shooter but Kevin McKeague’s long range effort drifted to the right of the posts and wide with Ciaran McCloskey blowing for full time.
A cracking end to a physical game of hurling where both sides tested each other and more. Both sides have two weeks before their next game with Dunloy travelling to Ballycran while St John’s will welcome their noisy neighbours, Rossa to Corrigan Park. Both matches to be played on 14 April.
TEAMS
Dunloy: Eoghan Richmond; Eamon Smyth, Karl O’Kane, Oran Quinn; Kevin McKeague, Kevin Molloy, Ronan Molloy; Nicky McKeague, Ciaran Elliott; Tom McFerran, Paul Shiels, Barry Scott; Aodhan McGarry, Anton McGrath, Gabriel McTaggart
Scorers: A McGarry 1-12 (1-00 pen, 12 fs); Chrissy McMahon 1-00; P Shiels 0-1 (free); E Smyth 0-1; K McKeague 0-1
St John’s: Declan Cregan; Odhran Carleton, Ciaran Johnston, Conor McEvoy; Darragh McGuinness, Ryan McNulty, Jack Bohill; Sean Wilson, Aidan McMahon; Oisin Donnelly, Domhnall Nugent, Conor Johnston; Ruairi Galbraith, Stephen Tierney, Oisin MacManus
Scorers: D Nugent 1-4 (3fs); O MacManus 0-6 (5fs); Conor Johnston 0-4; A McMahon 0-3; J Bohill 0-1; R Galbraith 0-1
Referee: Ciaran McCloskey (Loughgiel)