ACHL Division 2
Carryduff 2-12 Clooney Gaels 1-17
Clooney Gaels maintained their place at the top of what is turning out to be the closest ACHL Division 2 race for years when they travelled to Carryduff on Wednesday night and recorded a two point win over the Down men.
They certainly didn’t get it all their own way and trailed by five at the break in a sometimes bad tempered contest but a goal from Fionnbar O’Neill, direct from a free, at the end of the third quarter turned it in the way of the Ahoghill men.
Carryduff scored their last point with ten minutes remaining as a James O’Connell added three to his total and another from Dan O’Neill saw them over the line and maintain their top of the table birth.
It was Carryduff who edged the exchanges during the opening half with James Lavery, Oran Teague, Eoin Rooney, Donal Rooney and Conor Cassidy on target as both sides went toe to toe with Ronan Graham leading the charge for the visitors with three points in the opening 10 minutes.
At this stage Carryduff led 0-4 to 0-3 and would extend that lead to two by the halfway stage with Dominic Sharkey, Donal Rooney 0-2 and Eoin Rooney 1-1 their marksmen and James O’Connell from two converted ‘65’s and a free, Dan O’Neill and Conor Crossey getting the Ahoghill scores.
Things got heated after the break with Clooney Gaels losing a player to a straight Red after four minutes and the hosts suffering a similar fate after 15 minutes.
Conor Cassidy pointed on the restart for the Down men and then got in for their second goal with only four minutes of the new half gone but Ronan Graham and James O’Connell 0-3 kept the score board ticking for the visitors but it wasn’t looking good as they trailed by 2-11 to 0-13.
The home side would add only one further point however as Fionnbar O’Neill free in the 13th minute sailed all the way to the Carryduff net and this bit of good fortune certainly lifted the ‘Gaels’.
James O’Connell brought his contribution for the evening to 0-10 as the visitors finished with a flourish and Dan O’Neill fired over the final score of the night in the 29th minute to see the visitors home with two points to spare and maintain their place at the top of the division.
Carryduff: 1 Conor McLornan, 2 Conor McCormick, 3 Conor Cassidy, 4 Ciaran Goodwin, 5 Ciaran Rodgers, 6 James Lavery, 8 Ciaran O’Callaghan, 9 Dominic Sharkey, 10 Owen Wyer, 11 James Woods, 13 Conor O’Reilly, 14 Lorcan McCaughey, 15 Oran Teague, 16 Matthew Mooney, , 17 Christopher McConville, 18 Niall McArdle, 19 Michael Conway, 20 Donal Rooney, 24 Eoin Rooney
Clooney Gaels: Aiden Graham, Charlie McCloskey, Harry O’Donnell, Joe Logan, Fionnbar O ‘Neill, Bobby Magee, Dan O’Neill, Eamonn Brady, Conor Crossey, Donal Graham, Ronan Graham, James O’Connell, Colla McDonnell, Niall O’Connell, Owen Neeson
Subs: Eoin Graham for Joe Logan Patrick Graham for Boris Conor McGarry for Charlie McCloskey
Referee: Colm McDonald (St. Gall’s)