Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 1
Carey Faughs 0-15 St Brigid’s Cloughmills 1-13
An injury time goal gave Cloughmills victory over Carey on a highly emotional evening at Ballintoy on Wednesday, a result that puts the Biddies on track for a semi-final spot, while badly denting the home team’s chances of qualification.
Both clubs had suffered tragedies in the weeks leading up to the game with six year old Joe Heggarty, the Carey team mascot, and Cathair McKendry, brother of the Cloughmills centre forward Callum, losing their lives in tragic circumstances. Joe had worn the no 26 jersey around the Carey club during his short life and both team marked the occasion in a very dignified way. Joe’s sister Katie and two of her friends led out the Carey team, with team captain Shea Hunter carrying a photo of Joe. To make the occasion even more poignant Cloughmills captain for the night Callum McKendry presented a specially commissioned hurley, with Joe’s name on it, to Shea Hunter before the ball was thrown in.
With emotions running so high it was quite understandable that the game took a while to get going, and both teams missed a few chances before Conal McGlynn opened the scoring for the Faughs after seven minutes. However once it got going the scores began to flow, despite the very heavy underfoot conditions, and two great points from the Biddies full forward Conor Laverty (one direct from a sideline cut) were matched by two by James Black and Calum Kane. Entering first half injury time points from Liam Kearns and Eoin Dobbin brought the visitors level on seven points apiece, but two quick strikes in first half injury time from Conlith McKinley and Conor McBride gave Carey a 0-09 to 0-07 lead at the break.
Two quick points from Eoin Dobbin and Odhran McCurdy had the Biddies level just two minutes after the restart, but the home side hit back with three on the spin, two of them from top scorer Conor McBride, and one from Patrick Butler, to open up a three point lead after 40 minutes.
Eoin Dobbin and Callum McKendry closed the gap to just one and the teams were level again on 50 minutes as the tension grew. When Carey had top scorer McBride sent off with just eight minutes left to play they appeared to be in trouble. To their credit the Faughs turned the game back in their favour as ‘Rocket’ Black, Conal McGlynn and Conlith McKinley all picked off points to open a three point gap. When the home team still held that three point cushion a minute into injury time, they appeared to be on course for the win, but Eoin Dobbin reduced the gap to two and in the final attack the Biddies struck a telling blow as they scrambled the ball home from close range.
Speaking to some of the players after the game nobody would say for sure they had scored the telling goal. A photo of the incident appears to show Liam Kearns (15) sweeping the ball in, but there was nothing conclusive.
The win puts St Cloughmills joint top of Group 1 with Glenariffe, but with one game more played, but if they were to beat the Oisins in their final game on September 6th then they would appear to be nailed on for that semi-final spot. Carey travel to St Gall’s on the same evening and they will need to win, and hope that Cloughmills lose if the are to get back in the race.
CAREY
Stephen McGinn, Zach McCaughan, Sean McBride, Michael McVeigh, Eoin Hill, John McBride, Shea Hunter, Callum Cane, Caolan McCaughan, Patrick Gillan, James Black, Fiachra McVeigh, Conlith McKinley, Conor McBride, Conal McGlynn.
CLOUGHMILLS
Christopher McKernan, Rian Dobbin, Corey Blair, Sean McKendry, Geoffrey Og Laverty Ruairi Laverty, Johnny Duffy, Odhran McCurdy, Kevin O’Boyle, James Doherty, Callum McKendry, Eoin Dobbin, Stephen Smyth, Conor Laverty, Liam Kearns.
FOR MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/HixReQWLMkHeM9/?invite=ea9ba73c-fcba-4cca-b770-2d05abc9db7d