Andersonstown Social Club – Intermediate Hurling Championship Final
Carey Faughs 1-19 Oisins Glenariffe 0-15
Saturday October 19
Brendan McTaggart reports from Healy Park, Loughgiel
A strong end to either half and a goal from Conlith McKinley ensured the Intermediate Hurling championship would return to Ballyvoy on Saturday afternoon for the second time in three years. Seven points separated the sides at the end of the hour, perhaps a slightly unfair on the Oisin’s on the overall balance of play but there’s no doubting that Carey were worthy winners.
They were much more direct in their play and clinical when it mattered in comparisons to Glenariffe who will rue the number of missed chances they had over the 60 minutes. Several missed frees and perhaps guilty of overplaying, the Oisin’s accuracy let them down. Well into double figures in wides and with every missed chance, the Faugh’s made them pay at the other end.
Conall McGlynn top scored with six of his seven points coming from placed ball while Conor McBride excelled. He would end the hour with five points beside his name with McKinley adding a further two points along with his goal.
Defensively, the Ballyvoy side had the answers to anything Glenariffe could throw at them. Sean McBride and Patrick Gillan were excellent in the full back line while Michael McVeigh was superb. Shea Hunter was in the thick of it all and a real threat while ‘Rocket’ James Black got my vote for man of the match. On an occasion when you need your big players to stand up to be counted, Rocket was that man for Carey. His aerial ability and use of the sliotar time and again in both attack and later in defence, Rocket excelled.
Glenariffe had top performers in Conor Patterson, Oliver Kearney and Brogan O’Connor. O’Connor with four points over the hour while the work rate of Orrin O’Connor, Alex O’Boyle, Niall Magee and Phelim Ward could never be faulted. They threw everything they could at Carey in the closing stages but got no change from a brilliant Carey defence.
Playing with whatever wind advantage there was to be had at Healy Park, it was Seanie McIntosh who opened the scoring. Converting a ’65 in the third minute of the game. Despite that, it was Carey who looked to have settled much more quickly into their game plan. Callum Cane and Conor McBride edged them ahead while Conal McGlynn went close for goal soon after. Paul McMullan was equal to his effort from an acute angle.
McGlynn and McBride would extend the Carey lead to three before the tenth minute as Glenariffe’s profligacy in front of the target had already begun. Three wides in the same space of time gave energy to the Faughs and they were making the most of the let off.
A super score from McIntosh from wide on the right and under pressure got the Oisin’s firing again before Ciaran McKendry split the uprights.
Glenariffe went close to scoring the opening major of the game soon after with Phelim Ward denied by a heroic piece of defending by the Carey defence.
Carey were getting joy from delivering early ball into their forwards and McGlynn opened a two point lead with his second of the game and first from open play in the 15th minute. The Oisin’s were having the vast majority of the ball and despite points from McIntosh (free) and Brogan O’Connor, they recorded another three wides in the same period of time. They were well placed going into the final 10 minutes of the first half with the scores tied on five points apiece but it was the Faugh’s who finished the half superbly. Four unanswered points from Cane, Caolan McCaughan, Black and McKinley in just under five minutes put some daylight between the sides and while Brogan O’Connor fired over his second of the half, it was McBride who had the final say before the short whistle with his third point of the game to leave the half time score 0-10 to 0-6 in Carey’s favour.
Four points was far from insurmountable given the wind blowing and three points unanswered for Glenariffe in the opening exchanges of the second half saw them reducing Carey’s lead to the minimum. A brilliant score from Brogan O’Connor and frees from McIntosh and O’Boyle for the Oisin’s.
A brace of frees from McGlynn at the other end of the pitch either side of McIntosh’s sixth point of the game (free). The Oisin’s were playing with more fluency and were denied a major with some brilliant goal keeping from Stevie McGinn. The Carey netminder would deny both Brogan O’Connor and Daniel Kearney in quick succession and another brace of wides looked to hurt their challenge.
Carey were playing second fiddle for the majority of that opening quarter of the second half but still held a one point lead. They took full advantage of Glenariffe’s inaccuracy with the only goal of the game in the 45th minute. McKinley got on the end of a long delivery into the danger area and broke the sliotar into his own path. He gathered the sliotar and fired his shot with his effort bouncing in front of Paul McMullan between the sticks for Glenariffe.
It was a massive score and gave Carey a shot of adrenaline at the perfect time. Brogan O’Connor would split the uprights for the fourth time in the game before McGlynn’s fourth kept four between the sides.
Glenariffe continued to push and a brace of frees from O’Boyle cut the deficit to two going into the final ten minutes but the Oisin’s challenge was rocked moments later. Michael Haughey’s game was ended with an off the ball incident involving Conall McGlynn to leave the Oisin’s down to 14 men and facing an uphill task.
A brace of points from Conor McBride got the Faughs firing again and while McIntosh’s sixth of the game left McKinley’s major between the sides with five minutes remaining, it would be Glenariffe’s last score of the game.
Two pointed frees from McGlynn preceded a massive goal chance for Fiachra McVeigh. The Carey substitute going close but was denied superbly by McMullan. McKinley and McGlynn converted placed ball’s in injury time to leave Carey seven point winners at the end of the hour.
It was scenes of sheer joy at the final whistle before a banner was unfurled with the Faugh’s remembering their number 26, ‘Wee Joe’ Hegarty who passed away earlier this year. A lovely touch from the players and club to remember one of their own amongst the unbridled joy that a championship win brings.
TEAMS
Carey: Stevie McGinn; Zach McCaughan, Sean McBride, Patrick Gillan; Michael McVeigh, James Black, Conall McGlynn; John McBride, James McCouaig; Conlith McKinley, Shea Hunter, Conor McBride; Caolan McCaughan, Paddy Butler, Callum Cane
Subs: Fiachra McVeigh for P Butler (HT)
Scorers: C McGlynn 0-8 (7fs); C McBride 0-5; C McKinley 1-2 (1 ’65); C Cane 0-2; J Black 0-1; C McCaughan 0-1
Glenariffe: Paul McMullan; Patrick McIlwaine, Conor Patterson, Niall Magee; Ciaran McKendry, Michael Haughey, Callum McIlwaine; Oliver Kearney, Odhran Gillan; Orrin O’Connor, Alex O’Boyle, Phelim Ward; Brogan O’Connor, Daniel Kearney, Seanie McIntosh
Subs: Connor Kerr for D Kearney (47)
Scorers: S McIntosh 0-6 (3fs 1’65); B O’Connor 0-4; A O’Boyle 0-3 (3fs); C McKendry 0-1; C McIlwaine 0-1
Referee: Colum Cunning (Dunloy)
FOR MORE PICS FROM THE FINAL CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/vrPuKVYnR9ZrKi
Paddy has added another album from yesterday’s final. To view click on the link below