Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group 2
Dunloy 2-19 Rossa 1-12
Sunday 25 August
Brendan McTaggart reports from Dunsilly
Dunloy produced another solid performance on Sunday afternoon to ensure they remained unbeaten in the championship and make it two wins from two. 10 points separated the Cuchullains and Rossa at the end of the hour, in truth this contest was probably over at half time.
It was in the second quarter where the Cuchullains pulled away. Aodhán O’Brien had just scored the Rossa goal to edge the Shaws Road men ahead but Dunloy’s response was emphatic. Outscoring their opponents 2-7 to 0-3 and dominating the middle third, Dunloy controlled the second half keeping Rossa at arm’s length.
Seaan Elliott top scores for the Cuchullains with 1-7, five of those coming from placed ball while Keelan Molloy continued his fine form with 1-4. Defensively, Ryan McGarry and Kevin Molloy formed the spine of a watertight defence but the whole unit worked well together to deny space for the Rossa forwards.
Aodhán O’Brien finished with 1-3 for his side while Gerard Walsh and Seaghan Shannon pitched in with seven white flags between them, but they couldn’t live with how sharp the Cuchullains were winning breaking ball and retention. It allowed them to build sustained pressure and their forward line flourished.
Despite the unseasonal and unrelenting weather, the Dunsilly surface was in good condition. The wind was playing havoc in the early stages, not really favouring either side and swirling around the front pitch but it was Dunloy who adapted quickest.
They would lead three points to one after five minutes – Keelan Molloy with two outrageous scores from wide on the right along with a ’65 from Seaan Elliott while Seaghan Shannon had the solitary response for Rossa.
Dunloy began to cut loose and with Nigel Elliott in top form, they created two goal chances in those opening minutes. Elliott was twice denied by Donal Armstrong in the Rossa goals before Thomas Morgan split the uprights to double Rossa’s tally.
A Seaan Elliott free was answered by Gerard Walsh who split the posts with a classy strike to leave the minimum between the sides in the 10th minute.
Chrissy McMahon’s first of the game came before Nigel Elliott found himself through on the Rossa goal once again. He passed to McMahon who tried to deflect the sliotar beyond Armstrong but his instinctive effort pushed wide of the posts.
The first goal of the game came in the 14th minute. Eoin Trainor send the sliotar high towards Ryan Elliott’s goal and with the ball dipping viciously, the Dunloy ‘keeper was called into action. The sliotar went loose and O’Brien was on hand to hit the back of the net.
With Rossa ahead for the first time in the game, the Dunloy response was definite. A brace of scores from Keelan Molloy and Seaan Elliott (free) followed further scores from McMahon and O’Neill. O’Brien had a Rossa score in that same three minute period but Dunloy evidently found another gear.
Seaghan Shannon reduced the Dunloy lead to the minimum before the Cuchullains scored their first goal of the contest. Seaan Elliott delivering a crossfield ball into the path of O’Neill and while he couldn’t gather cleanly, Keelan Molloy gathered at pace. He still had some work to do before evading the Rossa tackles but finished off his hurl with aplomb.
Rossa had a goal chance of their own with O’Brien in the thick of things once more. This time he made a dashing run down the right and cut inside, with the angle against him, he passed to Diarmuid Rogan but he couldn’t get the required touch to beat Ryan Elliott in the Dunloy goals.
As if to compound the Rossa misery at missing that chance, Dunloy would score their second goal with the next attack of the game. Seaan Elliott breaking free and with plenty of grass to run into, Elliott finished to give Armstrong little chance in the Rossa goal.
Seaghan Shannon (free) and Keelan Molloy swapped scores to leave the Cuchullains ahead 2-12 to 1-6 at the interval.
Rossa managed to score the opening two scores of the second half, O’Brien and Walsh (free) splitting the uprights, but the Cuchullains were wasteful in front of the target with three wides in the same period of time. Dunloy did have another sniff of a major when McMahon was felled inside the large square, referee Ciarán McCloskey awarded a penalty. Paul Shiels strike was hit with venom but Armstrong managed to deflect the sliotar over the bar with an excellent save.
Walsh (free) reduced the lead to seven once more while Dunloy’s wide count continued to grow at the other end of the pitch, another three efforts missing the targets while McMahon was unlucky not to score another major. Getting on the end of a long delivery from Oran Quinn, McMahon looked to deflect the sliotar with some purchase in mid-air but Armstrong pulled off another excellent save to deny him.
Walsh’s third free of the match and fourth point overall was followed by a trio of unanswered scores from the Cuchullains. Substitute Deaglan Smith, Shiels and Seaan Elliott (free) all finding their range to put some further daylight between the sides.
Stephen Beatty and O’Brien (free) found the target in response to scores from Seaan Elliott (free) and Eamon Smyth to leave 10 between the sides at the full time whistle.
Dunloy will travel to Cushendall in two weeks time in a contest that will decide who goes straight to the semi-final’s while Rossa will make the short journey to the Whiterock Road and a match that is do or die with the losers out of the championship.
TEAMS
Dunloy: Ryan Elliott; Oran Quinn, Ryan McGarry, Phelim Duffin; Eamon Smyth, Kevin Molloy, Ronan Molloy; Paul Shiels, Seaan Elliott; Nigel Elliott, Keelan Molloy, Eoin McFerran; Nicky McKeague, Eoin O’Neill, Chrissy McMahon
Subs: Aodhán McGarry for N McKeague (HT); Anton McGrath for E McFerran (35); Deaglan Smith for C McMahon (46); Ciaran Elliott for S Elliott (55); Kevin McKeague for Kevin Molloy (57)
Scorers: S Elliott 1-7 (4fs 1’65); Keelan Molloy 1-4; E O’Neill 0-2; C McMahon 0-2; P Shiels 0-2 (1 pen); E Smyth 0-1; D Smith 0-1
Rossa: Donal Armstrong; Christopher McGuinness, Ciaran Orchin, Conor Boyle; Stephen Shannon, Declan McCartney, Gerard Walsh; Seaghan Shannon, Eoin Trainor; Stephen Beatty, Pearce Short, Aodhán O’Brien; Dominic McEnhill, Diarmuid Rogan, Thomas Morgan
Subs: Conall Shannon for D Rogan (35); James Connolly for Seaghan Shannon (42); Niall Crossan for C Orchin (51); Oisin McVicker for S Beatty (57)
Scorers: A O’Brien 1-3 (0-1 f); G Walsh 0-4 (3fs); Seaghan Shannon 0-3 (3fs); S Beatty 0-1; T Morgan 0-1
Referee: Ciarán McCloskey (Loughgiel)
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