O’Neills Sportswear Antrim Hurling League Division 2A
St Paul’s 3-16 Cushendun 1-20
St Paul’s got themselves back in the race for the Division 2 Hurling title when they beat fellow contenders Cushendun at Shaw’s Road on Wednesday evening. The win keeps them level with league leaders Shane O’Neill’s Glenarm with just three games still to play, though the Glenarm men still have a game in hand. Having said that the two sides will meet each other in the last game of the season at Shaw’s Road on Wednesday 10th July in what could well be a memorable night for one of the two clubs. However the defeat now ends the Emmet’s chances of Division 2 glory so they must now concentrate on their forthcoming Intermediate Championship campaign.
There was little to choose between the sides in the early exchanges but the Shaw’s Road men took control of the game when a long ball ‘in around the house’ by Daire Stevensonon was fired to the Emmet’s net by Patrick Doyle, and things went from bad to worse for the Glens men when Doyle struck again after winning the puck-out. The men in hoops would maintain the upper hand through the remainder of the opening half to lead by to 2-6 to 0-9 at the half way stage.
The Emmet’s started the second half well and points from Conor McHugh and and ‘Loaf’ McNeill cut the deficit back to a single points. However St Paul’s were able to keep their noses in front as Ó Duibhfinn sent over two frees and Declan Chapman grabbed one from play, but the men from the glens got back on level terms as Loaf pulled two back and Aidan McSparran one to tie the scores up once again. However St Paul’s never fell behind and when Caolan Crossan, Mark Munce and Thomas Duff hit the target the Belfast men were a goal clear.
A bad defence mistake by the visitors, which saw a long delivery by Ó Duibhfinn found its way through the Emmet’s line and ended up in the net to put them in the driving seat. Cushendun did come close as the battle to salvage something from the game, and Alex McMulan came close with a ground stroke, but St Paul’s held their nerve and sealed a vital win to keep their league hopes very much alive.
ST PAUL’S: C Murray; C O’Carroll, F Sewell, T Auld; D Stevenson, L Walsh, T Duff (0-1); M Munce (0-1), D Quinn; C Ó Duibhfinn (1-9, 1-6 frees), D Chapman (01), P Phillips; P Doyle (2-1), C Crossan (0-2, 1 sl), C Duffy.
Subs: B Burns for D Quinn (1), S Munce (0-1) for C Duffy (41), P Donnelly for D Chapman (43), C Killleagh for M Munce (51), C Murray for P Doyle (55).
CUSHENDUN: G Magee; M McSparran, A Corbett, M McHugh; T Scally, D O’Hara (0-1), J McKay; A McSparran (0-2), A Breslin; D McQuillan, C Kilgore (0-1), C McNeill (0-9, 5f, 1 65, 1 sl); C McHugh (1-5, 0-2f), J Morgan (0-2), A McMullan (0-1).
Subs: C Bannon for M McHugh (34), P McKeegan for J McKay (43), J O’Connell for A Breslin (58)
REFEREE: Colm McDonald (St Gall’s)