Ruairi’s repel late Rossa comeback

Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group B

Cushendall 3-16 Rossa 1-19

Sunday 11 August

Brendan McTaggart reports from Pairc Rossa, Belfast

Reigning champions Cushendall got their campaign off to a winning start on Sunday afternoon but they were made to fight all the way by a determined Rossa side. Three points the difference at the end of an hour that had a wee bit of everything thrown in and not many wanted to see an end to such was the nature of this contest.

It was the Ruairi’s ability to create and take their goal chances that proved to be the difference, scoring two in the opening 10 minutes and passing up the chance of more on another couple of occasions in the first half.

Yet, Rossa’s determination and desire to keep fighting to the end in the second half had the ‘Dall on the ropes. A run of three points reduced Cushendall’s lead to four before a penalty was awarded with the impressive Joseph McLaughlin duly obliging.

Rossa will look at the start of the second half when reviewing this one and rue their profligacy in front of target. Trailing by six, they had the wind at their back but in the opening exchanges of the second half, a run of five wides from six shots did little to help any momentum they were looking for.

When the game entered the final stages, the home side rallied and scored 1-6 in the last 10 minutes but Cushendall weren’t to be denied. The Ruairi’s had leaders when they needed them most with Eoghan Campbell’s third of three second half points a glittering example of how to drag your team from trouble. Collecting the sliotar from a ruck deep in his own 21, Campbell soloed clear from safety and after a 1-2 with Fred McCurry, he split the uprights. As good as anything you’ll see on any pitch in Ireland.

McCurry was another who was outstanding for the champions. Five points from play overall and a dogged tenacity in the middle third, Fred is fast becoming a vital cog in the Ruairi Og machine.

With the sun beating down on the perfect Shaws Road surface, the home side were ahead two points to one before the first goal chance of the game. McLaughlin found Ciaran Neeson in space and while the angle was acute, it took the width of the post to deny him with his near side shot hitting the inside and somehow spinning across the goals and out for a Rossa side line.

He was presented with a similar opportunity moments later and made no mistake with a riffled effort in the 6^th minute and while Aodhan O’Brien responded for the hosts, Cushendall were celebrating another major with their next score. Andrew Delargy applied the finish but it owed much to the work rate of Dominic Delargy and vision of Joseph McLaughlin to find him in space.

With Dominic Delargy playing on the edge of the square and the wind at their back, Cushendall were happy to send long ball on top of him and work from the breaks. Their ability to win that second ball was paying dividends and putting the Rossa defence under immense pressure.

A rejig in defence to counteract the Cushendall threat helped the home side to settle down as the first half progressed and with O’Brien, McEnhill and Walsh (free) all finding their range, they had the Cushendall lead back to three with 10 minutes of the half remaining. Cushendall responded with a trio of unanswered scores of their own, McLaughlin (two) and McCurry splitting the posts.

That six point difference would remain with Seaghan Shannon (free) and McEnhill splitting the posts either side of a brace of scores from Fergus McCambridge and McLaughlin to leave the half time score 2-9 to 0-9 in favour of Cushendall.

Six points was probably the bare minimum that Cushendall deserved to lead from in the first half. They reached double figures in wides and passed goal chances and while it was far from an insurmountable lead, it was going to take everything to go right for the home side to get back into this.

It just didn’t happen for Christopher McDonnell’s side. Two points in 15 minutes while trailing, six wides in that same period and the Ruairi’s had stretched their lead to seven. A brace of scores from Campbell came in typical fashion, running from deep and giving an option in support. It’s a score you see Eoghan hit on numerous occasions and underpins his hurling intelligence.

The lead remained at seven with 10 minutes remaining when Rossa found another gear. A run of four unanswered scores for the first time in the match from centre half Declan McCartney and frees from messers Walsh and O’Brien had thoughts of Rossa comeback with time running out.

Those thoughts were pushed to one side with five minutes of the hour remaining however. With Paddy McGill on the charge and with a glimpse of Donal Armstrong’s goal, referee Barry Winter’s awarded a penalty for an infringement on the Cushendall man. The Rossa protests fell on deaf ears and McLaughlin dispatched the resulting penalty with aplomb.

The home side continued to push with Walsh and Stephen Shannon reducing the deficit and as the home side laid siege on the Cushendall goals in search for goals, Eoghan Campbell proved to be the coolest man in west Belfast. The sliotar had bounced loose and he collected among a crowd before going clear and scoring one of the points of the day after a neat interchange with McCurry.

As the clock ticked into the third minute of injury time, the home side were awarded a 21 yard free. Walsh’s ferocious drive found the back of the Cushendall net despite being guarded by a maroon and white wall but time was not the friend of the home side.

A scintillating end to a pulsating game of hurling and while Rossa tasted defeat, they will have taken plenty of positives from this performance. Cushendall probably had to win this one on three different occasions, such was the tenacity of Rossa throughout and their thoughts now turn to a meeting with St John’s in two weeks time.

TEAMS

Rossa: Donal Armstrong; Chris McGuinness, Ciaran Orchin, Conor Boyle; Stephen Shannon, Declan McCartney, Gerard Walsh; Seaghan Shannon, Diarmuid Rogan; Stephen Beatty, Pearce Short, Aodhan O’Brien; Dominic McEnhill, Eoin Trainor, Thomas Morgan

Subs: Eoghan McMenamin for D Rogan (HT); Conall Shannon for Seaghan Shannon (43); James Connolly for P Short (54); Ruairi Murray for S Beatty (58)

Scorers: G Walsh 1-4 (1-3fs); A O’Brien 0-5 (1f); D McEnhill 0-4; T Morgan 0-2; Stephen Shannon 0-1; Seaghan Shannon 0-1 (1f); D McCartney 0-1; E McMenamin 0-1

Cushendall: Conor McAllister; Liam Gillan, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ruairi McCollam; Francis McCurry, Alex Delargy; Andrew Delargy, Ryan McCambridge, Fergus McCambridge; Ciaran Neeson, Dominic Delargy, Joseph McLaughlin

Subs: Stephen Walsh for S Walsh (HT); Andrew McNaughton for Alex Delargy (31); Sean McAfee for Andrew Delargy (46); Paddy McGill for R McCambridge (56)

Scorers: J McLaughlin 1-6 (1-00 pen, 3fs); F McCurry 0-5; E Campbell 0-3; Andrew Delargy 1-00; C Neeson 1-00; R McCambridge 0-1; F McCambridge 0-1Referee: Barry Winters (Dungannon)