Intermediate Hurling Championship – Round Robin 2
Cushendun Emmet’s 1-10 Tir na nÓg Randalstown 4-10
Tir na nÓg moved to the top of the Group 2 in the Intermediate Hurling Championship when they travelled to Cushendun on Saturday evening and beat the Emmett’s by three clear goals, a defeat that puts them joint top with their South West neighbours Cloney Gael. However it also deals a severe blow to Saturday’s opponents who are still looking for their first point of the campaign after their second defeat in a row. The Cushendun men are not gone yet but they must win their last three games of the round-robin section and hope other teams do them a favour by taking points of the two top teams along the way.
Tir na nÓg took the lead in the first minute when Darragh Fagn pointed from play, but the Emmet’s hit back with three in a row through Conor Bannon, Dominic McQuillan and Conlaoith McNeill to lead by two after five minutes play. The scoring dried up for the home side at this stage and by the time Callum Kilgore got their next point ten minutes later the Randalstown side had come back with three of their own, two of them from Ciaran Logan frees and the other from Fagan, his third of the game.
The second part of the opening half saw Tir na nÓg get on top, and when Eamon Og McAllister struck for their first goal on 17 minutes they began to open up a gap and when Fagan, McAllister and Logan all added points they were 1-07 to -05 ahead with time almost up in the opening half. Just before the break the home side were awarded a free thirty metres out from goal and sensing they were up against it ‘Loaf’ McNeill stepped up and fired to the ball to the net to cut the gap back to 1-05 to 1-07 at the interval.
With just two points between the sides as they came out for the second half Cushendun must have felt they were back on track, but they were dealt a double blow in the opening minutes of the new half when Darragh Fagan and Eamon Og McAllister grabbed two quick goals and Fagan also added a point to put nine between the sides.
The Emmet’s began to edge their way back with two points from Callum Kilgore, one from ‘Loaf’ McNeill and another from Conrad McDonnell. However just when it appeared they were getting themselves back into the game the Randalstown men struck for goal number four, Daniel Martin delivering the killer blown this time around.
Cushendun fought back and cut the gap a bit with three unanswered points, but the goals were the killer and they now face a very tough battle, and a few favours from other clubs, to get themselves back into the race. Their next outing is away to second placed Cloney Gaels in Ahoghill, while Tir na nOg have a home game against Sarsfields the day before.
FOR MORE OF MICKY MORGAN’S PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME JUST CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW