Reserve Hurling Cup
St. John’s 2-16 Cushendall 5-31
Ruairi Ogs, Cushendall produced a power packed second half performance to overcome the challenge of St. John’s in a high scoring and entertaining Reserve Hurling Cup semi-final at Corrigan Park on Wednesday night.
The Johnnies kept in touch during the opening exchanges thanks to a goal from Daire King in the second minute when he got on the end of a long delivery to finish from close range.
Slowly the visitors began to find their range however with Joseph McNaughton leading the way and his goal in the 10th minute edged the Ruairi Ogs ahead for the second time in the contest.
Earlier Conor Flannery in the St. John’s goals pulled off a smart save to deny the visitors what looked a certain goal but slowly the North Antrim men began to find their range with Austin Birt, Paddy Magill, Patrick Sharpe and Charlie McAuley hitting some excellent points.
Points from Donal Carson and Ruairi Galbraith kept the St. John’s scoreboard ticking and when they got in for a scrambled goal after a mix-up in the ‘Dall’ defence in the 20th minute they looked to be back in contention.
The visitors would finish the half on the front foot however as Paddy Magill 0-3, Patrick Sharpe 0-2 and Joseph McNaugton added points with Donal Carson 0-2, Daire King and Peter McCallin leaving the home side trailing by six at the short whistle.
The Corrigan men needed a good start to the second half if they were to get back into contention but it was Cushendall who got off to a blistering start as Paddy Magill pointed after 10 seconds and three more from the excellent McNaughton saw them 11 ahead with 5 minutes of the second half gone.
St. John’s did respond with a couple of well struck points from Donal Carson and another from Collie McFall but the Ruairi Og’s responded with their third goal of the evening when Conor Carson punished a mistake in defence to finish to the net in the 8th minute.
The visitors were now very much in the ascendancy as Joseph McNaughton followed with goal number four, a minute later to effectively end the game as a contest though St. John’s continued to battle.
Conor Carson and Paddy Magill continued to find the target with some excellent points as the gap increased and Carson got in for their fifth goal with five minutes remaining to put the visitors out of site.
Donal Carson, Ruairi Galbraith, Luke Loughlin, Fearghal McManus and Odhran Carson added points to the St. John’s total but it is Ruairi Og’s who go forward to the decider where they will meet Loughgiel Shamrocks in what should be an excellent final.
St. John’s: 1 Conor Flannery, 2 Odhran Carleton, 3 Joe Hand, 4 Michael Darragh, 5 Michael Napier, 6 Colly McFall, 7 Jim Peoples, 8 David Robinson, 9 Ruairi Galbraith, 10 Donall Carson, 11 Peter McCallin, 12 Danaan McKeogh, 13 Daire King, 14 Lorcan Heenan, 15 Conan McKinney.
Subs: 18 Luke Loughlin, 19 Darragh McGuinness, 20 Matthew Mallon, 21 Michael Dudley, 30 Fearghal MacManus
Ruairi Og: 1 Eoin Gillan, 2 Senan Black, 3 Daire Mort, 4 Michael Quinn, 5 Padraig McKillop, 6 Stephen Walsh, 7 Charlie McAuley, 8 Alex Delargey, 9 Austin Birt, 10 Joseph McNaughton, 11 Paddy McGill, 12 Oisin Woodhouse, 13 Patrick Sharpe, 14 Conor Carson, 15 Christy McLaughlin.
Subs: 16 Ruairi Sharpe, 17 Andrew DFelargy, 19 Ruairi McCollum, 20 Matthew McCann, 21 Conan Brown, 22 Ciaran Neeson, 23 Mark Emerson, 24 Dominic Delargy
Referee: John Dornan
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