ACHL Division 1

Loughgiel 1-22 v O’Donovan Rossa 2-11

 5rd July 2024

Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel

Tonight’s division 1 encounter between Loughgiel and O’Donovan Rossa was pulled forward on agreement but Jim Close from O’Donovan Rossa had to stand in as the referee due to a planning error.

Although this was the end of the league matches for both sides and neither were in a position to alter the final league outcome, both sides gave spectators an engaging game under changing conditions.

Loughgiel won the spin of a hurley and chose to play towards the road end into the cool breeze and it would be Loughgiel’s Darragh Patterson that would get the ‘Fridge Raiders’ scoreboard stirring with an opening point. Eoin McGarry set Patterson up for his second point from a pass under pressure, but it would be Roan McGarry that would shake the goal net within the first three minutes to give Loughgiel their only goal from a perceptive pass from Maol Connolly.

Rossa would climb into the driving seat for the next two points from frees by Diarmaid Rogan as Close spotted a push on the back on Rogan and an accidental trip by Rory McCloskey on Rossa’s Eoin Trainor.

The hosts would put Rossa under pressure for the next fifteen minutes and run up six points before Rossa’s Ruairi Murray set off on a solo run and pointed without taking the sliotar into his hand. Rossa’s Dominic McEnhill emulated Murray’s stroke as he pointed off the stick too from a neat pass from Owen May.

In the midst of Loughgiel’s six-point run, a notable point came from Ronan Fitzgerald. Not so much the finish but how it was built up from a Chrissy O’Connell puck out to Christy McGarry, then finding Daragh Patterson weaving into an open space, offloading to Fitzgerald who was on one of his blazing runs.

Scores stood at around the 20-minute mark, Loughgiel 1-11 Rossa 0-04.

Both sides would run up a further two points apiece before Close blew for the break. Rossa’s Diarmaid Rogan dropped over a 65 then Loughgiel’s Paul Boyle pointed straight from an O’Connell puck out. Rossa’s Owen May had an untimely fall as he met Loughgiel’s full back Tiernan Coyle and referee Close awarded a free that found the ball net from Rogan again, but Coyle would have the last laugh as he dispossessed Niall Devlin of the sliotar, went on a solo run that ended with his own point.

The second half witnessed no significant rain and a significant drop in the wind. Initially the change seemed to favour the visitors, Rossa making the scoreboard tally up five points and a goal from Declan McCartney shortly after the throw-in as he blazed a trail across the perimeter of O’Connell’s square finding a gap to deliver the sliotar.

Loughgiel’s Christie McGarry claimed the sliotar from a towering catch delivered by Tiernan Coyle that would keep the Shamrock’s three points ahead but a rallying call from Rory McCloskey to get active seen Loughgiel grind out three more points for a scoreline Loughgiel 1-17 Rossa 1-11.

Around the twenty-minute mark, Rossa’s Dominic McEnhill delivered the sliotar into the Loughgiel net from a spell of dogged ground work by Rossa around the 20m line on the low side of the pitch.

With just the three points in the game, Loughgiel’s substitutes Pearce Patterson and Daniel McPeake would bring new energy into the Shamrock’s side and pointed a piece along with a steal of a point by Christy McGarry as he intercepted the sliotar by hand as it was traveling between two Rossa players.

Loughgiel’s Seamus Dobbin would have the honours of the last point in tonight’s league match to close out the game Loughgiel 1-22 Rossa 2-11 in a fine game of hurling to end the league for both teams.

Loughgiel Scorers:

Tiernan Coyle 0-01, Ruairi McCormick 0-01, Seamus Dobbin 0-01, Christy McGarry 0-03, Paul Boyle 0-04, Darragh Patterson 0-02, Ronan Fitzgerald 0-02, Eoin McGarry 0-01, Maol Connelly 0-01, Roan McGarry 1-04 (4f), Pearce Patterson 0-01, Daniel McPeake 0-01

O’Donovan Rossa Scorers:

Declan McCartney 1-00, Diarmaid Rogan 0-07 (5f 1×65), Ruairi Murray 0-02, Dominic McEnhill 1-01, 24 0-01

Photos from Friday evening’s game can be found in the photo album by clicking on the link here…

https://myalbum.com/album/xeh6swDig2dMNm/?invite=f8fdee10-64e3-46b1-97ac-aeaa1b24cd38

Follow Michael G Corcoran @keep_clickin on X (formerly Twitter) for match Gifs when available.

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