Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship Final
Cushendall 1-16 Dunloy 2-12
Sunday 20 October
Brendan McTaggart reports from Páirc Mac Uílín, Ballycastle
It was Sweet 16 for Cushendall on Sunday afternoon as they retained the Volunteer Cup in the midst of Storm Ashley. As the wind battered the north coast, it was Cushendall who weathered the storm to edge out Dunloy by just the minimum.
It was far from a classic final but that will matter little to the Ruairi Og’s as they wrote their name on the senior championship trophy for the 16th time. The wind had a major say in how both teams approached the decider with even the simplest of tasks made more difficult. Both sides would play a short passing game that relies on precision and speed. The speed was there but Storm Ashley was playing havoc with the precision. It came down to who made the fewest mistakes and after a strong first half playing into the breeze, the Ruairi’s pushed for home in the second.
Captain Neil McManus was his metronomic best from placed ball with a flawless display while their half back and midfield were exceptional. Ruairi McCollam with an awesome display while Eoghan Campbell’s influence on the game grew greater as the game went into the final quarter.
It was Ed McQuillan who scored their major. It came in the 45th minute and gave Cushendall a cushion, and while the Cuchullains hit back through a Seaan Elliott penalty, the Ruairi’s finished strongly.
Dunloy will look at the opening 30 minutes when they dissect this game and rue the missed chances they had. 12 wides while hurling with a gale at their back and 12 minutes into the game before they would open their account from open play. When they did begin to find their rhythm, they managed to put daylight between the sides with a six point lead at the interval. Keelan Molloy instrumental, Seaan Elliott at his impish best while Nicky McKeague vindicated his selection with an excellent hour for the Cuchullains.
Against the elements, the Cuchullains are usually a force to be reckoned with, but 18 second half minutes passed before they would add to their half time tally. The precision wasn’t there and sometimes the wrong decision with the final execution. A lot of that can be down to the storm, most of it down to Cushendall pressure.
Both sides showed changes from their semi-final wins with Sean McAfee and Ed McQuillan coming in for Cushendall while Nicky McKeague and Anton McGrath made the Dunloy 15. Having won the toss, the Ruairi’s elected to play against the wind. It turned out to be a massive toss to win. The opening 15 minutes was a bedding in period for both sides with the opening four scores coming from placed ball, McManus and Seaan Elliott with two each. Elliott would go close to the opening goal of the game but the Ruairi’s netminder, Conor McAllister made the first of two superb saves in the first half.
A brace of points from Keelan Molloy and Paul Shiels gave Dunloy a two point lead midway through the first half while Joseph McLaughlin split the uprights for Cushendall’s first from play in the 17th minute. It would be first half injury time before the ‘Dall would register another score however as Dunloy clicked into gear.
A super score from distance by Keelan Molloy preceded the opening goal of the game. Kevin Molloy sending the sliotar towards the Dunloy full forward line where Anton McGrath broke the ball into the path of Eoin O’Neill. ‘Sammy’ would react quickest and had one thought on his mind, making no mistake from close range.
O’Neill would go close moments later after Aodhan McGarry and McGrath combined to set him free but McAllister was equal to his rasping drive.
Scores followed from Seaan Elliott (’65), Aodhan McGarry and Keelan Molloy to extend the Dunloy lead to seven. It could easily have been more but for some wayward shooting.
As the clock ticked into first half injury time, Cushendall were awarded a penalty with referee Ciaran McCloskey spotting an infringement between Phelim Duffin and McLaughlin. McManus stepped up to take the penalty and struck it well but Ryan Elliott produced a quite brilliant save to deny the Cushendall captain. McManus would convert the resultant ’65 to leave the half time score 1-8 to 0-5 in the Cuchullains favour.
Given the wind, Cushendall would have been delighted to be trailing by just six points but they made a slow start to the second half and it was nine minutes old before they would open the scoring. McLaughlin with a point from the most ridiculous angle on a day when everyone was struggling with the elements, it was the genius of McLaughlin who used it to his advantage.
The Ruairi’s were denied a goal chance moments before McLaughlin’s piece of magic. Fergus McCambridge with the chance but he was denied by Shorty Shiels and a block at full length, putting his body on the line for his side.
Cushendall were starting to click into gear and Ryan McCambridge fired over from wide on the right and under pressure to leave four between the sides.
Any moments of attacking pressure from Dunloy were fleeting as they looked to play their short passing game but they were denied by McAllister again when McGrath went close but the Cushendall ‘keeper dived at full length to stop the sliotar.
Fergus McCambridge and McLaughlin fired over either side of a gargantuan free from Conor McAllister. Just outside his own ’21, the Cushendall ‘keeper added his name to the list of scorers to leave one between the sides…..It must surely be the longest frees ever scored in a county final.
As the match ticked into the 45th minute, Cushendall produced a moment of magic for their goal. Eoghan Campbell with a quick side line into the path of Fergus McCambridge. Close to the corner, McCambridge spotted the run of Ed McQuillan as he evaded the Cuchullains defenders. Gathering the sliotar on the gallop, McQuillan fired past Ryan Elliott to give Cushendall the lead and mean the Ruairi’s hit 1-5 without reply.
Dunloy needed a response and found one through Nigel Elliott. Looking to find his way through the Ruairi’s defence, he was adjudged to have been fouled and Dunloy were awarded a penalty. Seaan Elliott made no mistake with his drive and the Cuchullains edged into the lead once again with 12 minutes remaining.
Cushendall’s response was match defining and ultimately championship winning. They would hit five of the next six points in an eight minute period that saw Campbell take the game by the scruff of the neck. Scores came from Campbell, McManus (two frees), substitute Paddy McGill and Ronan McAteer while the solitary response from the Cuchullains came through an Eoin O’Neill point.
Seaan Elliott and McManus would swap scores before the Cushendall captain put three between the sides in the last minute of the hour with his seventh point of the final.
The Cuchullains pushed for the goal that would bring the game to extra time but they got no joy from a packed Cushendall defence. Shiels would fire over a brace of frees deep in injury time but time was not a friend to the Cuchullains.
Cushendall celebrate their first back to back wins since the 2014-15 seasons and have their eyes set on an Ulster semi final with the winners of Slaughtneil and Banagher in four weeks time.
TEAMS
Cushendall: Conor McAllister; Liam Gillan, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ruairi McCollam; Fred McCurry, Ryan McCambridge; Ronan McAteer, Neil McManus, Fergus McCambridge; Ed McQuillan, Sean McAfee, Joseph McLaughlin
Subs: Paddy McGill for S McAfee (40); Alex Delargy for F McCurry (53); Ciaran Neeson for E McQuillan (58); Andrew Delargy for R McCambridge (60+3)
Scorers: N McManus 0-7 (5fs 2’65s); J McLaughlin 0-3; E McQuillan 1-00; F McCambridge 0-1; R McAteer 0-1; E Campbell 0-1; R McCambridge 0-1; P McGill 0-1; C McAllister 0-1 (1f)
Dunloy: Ryan Elliott; Oran Quinn, Ryan McGarry, Phelim Duffin; Eoin McFerran, Paul Shiels, Kevin Molloy; Seaan Elliott, Tom McFerran; Nicky McKeague, Aodhan McGarry, Keelan Molloy; Nigel Elliott, Anton McGrath, Eoin O’Neill
Subs: Chrissy McMahon for A McGrath (44); Gabriel McTaggart for A McGarry (52); Paudie Martin for T McFerran (57)
Scorers: S Elliott 1-4 (1-00 pen, 2fs, 2’65s); E O’Neill 1-1; Keelan Molloy 0-3; P Shiels 0-3 (2fs); A McGarry 0-1
Referee: Ciaran McCloskey (Loughgiel)
TO SEE MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW