Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group 2
Cushendall 2-14 St John’s 1-8
Sunday 25 August
Brendan McTaggart reports from Quinn Park, Ballymena
Cushendall sealed a comfortable win against St John’s at a rain drenched Quinn Park on Sunday evening to make it two from two in the Antrim Senior Hurling Championship. The reigning champions led from start to finish in a contest that saw both sides battle with the treacherous underfoot conditions.
With the rain unrelenting, there was talk of this tie being moved to Dunsilly but the pitch passed the inspection conducted at 3:30pm. Whether or not it would have passed the same inspection by the time throw in came at 5pm is another story. The water on the pitch throughout made this one dangerous for hurling and when you throw in the blood and thunder of a championship tie into the mix, it’s maybe a miracle that no one was seriously injured.
The contest itself was dominated by the Ruairi’s. Joseph McLaughlin adding to his burgeoning reputation with a final tally of 1-10 while on another day, Scott Walsh would have been an easy pick for man of the match. The Cushendall man was imperious in defence along with Paddy Burke who excelled.
The champions played with their usual panache and a mix of guile and power, running from deep while defensively they kept scoring opportunities to a minimum. The Johnnies made a number of changes from their opening day defeat to Dunloy with Domhnall Nugent, Oisin Donnelly, Jack Bohill, Ryan McNulty and Enda McGurk all making the starting 15. Nugent was used as a target man and caused plenty of problems with his strength and awareness while Donnelly and McNulty had strong games for the Corrigan Park side. They were shorn of time and space in attack however with a game that was played largely on Cushendall’s terms. Shea Shannon, Aaron Bradley and Conor Johnston all looked lively but couldn’t make much inwards in an imperious Cushendall defence that yielded just two points from open play for the whole contest.
Cushendall would finish the game down to 14 men after substitute Sean McAfee was given a straight red card for an off the ball altercation but there was no time for the numerical advantage to help the St John’s cause.
Cushendall started brightly and had a three point lead after the opening eight minutes. Fergus and Ryan McCambridge splitting the posts added to a brace of frees from McLaughlin. Conor Johnston with the solitary response for the Johnnies.
The Belfast side were struggling with the elements with a couple of efforts missing the target before Shea Shannon’s first free of the match reduced the Cushendall lead to two. They wouldn’t register another score for 17 minutes however as the Ruairi’s went through the gears. McLaughlin’s third free of the match was followed by a super score from Paddy Burke. Soaring down the left and leaving the St John’s challenges in his wake, Burke split the posts with ease. A score that’s fast becoming a trademark for the Cushendall man.
The first goal came in the 18th minute through a route one ball into the heart of the Johnnies defence. Fergus McCambridge sending the sliotar long and with it just dipping below the cross-bar, Simon Doherty had to deal with the danger. He couldn’t hold onto the sliotar and Ciaran Neeson was on hand to fire into the net with a first time swing.
A further three points followed from Paddy Burke and a brace of McLaughlin frees before the Ruairi’s were celebrating a second goal. Dominic Delargy winning the ball on the left before finding Andrew Delargy. He passed square to McLaughlin and he made no mistake in the 23rd minute to give his side a 2-9 to 0-2 lead.
McLaughlin’s major made it 2-5 without reply for the Ruairi’s and with any St John’s attacks fleeting, they weren’t making the most of their limited opportunities in attack. Four further wides in that same period of time did little to help their cause but they did manage to breach Conor McAllister’s goal line in the 27th minute. Domhnall Nugent stood over a 21 yard free and the line was filled with maroon and white but the St John’s man still managed to find the back of the net with a low, fierce strike in what was the last score of the half.
With the elements in their favour for the second half, St John’s had a mountain to climb with the 10 point half time difference. They got off to a strong start with a brace of points from Conor Johnston and Shannon (free) but they came up against a Cushendall defence in imperious form. It would be a further 14 minutes before they would register another score and while Cushendall managed just two points from McLaughlin frees in the same period, they were controlling the contest.
The Johnnies introduced Lorcan Heenan, Oisin MacManus and Danan McKeogh into the attack and while they gave them fresh impetus, Cushendall weren’t giving away anything easily. They did manage to reduce the deficit to six points with a run of four frees from MacManus but it was as close as they would get to the Ruairi’s.
A brilliant pointed free from McLaughlin, his eighth of the game, briefly halted the Johnnies charge and he would add a further brace of scores (one from play) as the game ticked towards the end of the hour.
Nine points separated the sides when Cushendall fashioned another goal chance through McLaughlin. He looked to have been fouled before finding McAfee in space. The substitute was brought down in the square when through on Simon Doherty’s goal. With tensions high, handbags were swung with referee Colum Cunning doing well to restore calm. McAfee would see red for his efforts in the skirmish and the penalty decision was overturned.
It was the last meaningful action of the game as Cushendall dealt with the numerical disadvantage well and time ran out for the Johnnies. Cushendall now turn their attentions to a meeting with Dunloy in two weeks’ time while St John’s will welcome their west Belfast rivals, Rossa to their back yard in a tie that will be winner takes all and elimination from the senior championship on the line.
TEAMS
Cushendall: Conor McAllister; Liam Gillan, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ruairi McCollam; Fred McCurry, Alex Delargy; Andrew Delargy, Ryan McCambridge, Fergus McCambridge; Ciaran Neeson, Dominic Delargy, Joseph McLaughlin
Subs: Edward McQuillan for F McCurry (HT); Ronan McAteer for D Delargy (HT); Stephen Walsh for L Gillan (51); Sean McAfee for C Neeson (51)
Scorers: J McLaughlin 1-10 (9fs); C Neeson 1-00; P Burke 0-2; R McCambridge 0-1; F McCambridge 0-1
St John’s: Simon Doherty; Enda McGurk, Ryan McNulty, Jack Bohill; Darragh McGuinness, Ciaran Johnston, Andrew McGowan; Aaron Bradley, Shea Shannon; Conor Johnston, Oisin Donnelly, Conal Bohill; Donal Carson, Domhnall Nugent, Peter McCallin
Subs: Oisin MacManus for D Nugent blood sub (41), replaced D McGuinness full sub (46); Danan McKeogh for D Carson (48); Lorcan Heenan for D Nugent (49); Ronan Donnelly for O Donnelly (59); Conor McEvoy for Ciaran Johnston (60+)
Scorers: O MacManus 0-4 (4fs); D Nugent 1-00 (free); S Shannon 0-2 (2fs); Conor Johnston 0-2
Referee: Colum Cunning (Dunloy)
FOR MORE OF SEAN PAUL’S PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW.