Leinster Under 20 Hurling Championship – Tier 2
Antrim 3-23 Meath 2-10
Antrim overcome a shaky start to beat Meath convincingly in Tuesday evening’s Leinster Under 20 Hurling Championship final round-robin game at St Brigid’s Park, Dundalk. The Saffrons had three points on the board in the opening minute but were rocked back on their heels when Meath hit back with two quick goals. However Antrim soon settled into their stride and with the diagonal breeze in their favour they got on top and went on to lead by 1-13 to 2-02 at half time. When the Royal county side turned to play with the wind in their favour they started with three quick points to cut their deficit to five after six minutes. There were a few anxious looks among the Antrim followers for a minute or two but they need not have worried as the Ulster champions got going again with a Orann Donnelly point, and when Jack McCloskey took a clever pass from Fiontan Bradley to fire home his team’s second goal the pendulum swung back in the Saffrons’ favour and they pushed on for a win that takes them through to a Tier 1 meeting with Dublin next Wednesday evening.
Joseph McLaughlin got Antrim off to a lightening start inside 15 seconds when he pointed from play and when McLaughlin grabbed his second and Calum McIlwaine got a third the signs were promising for the Saffron fans. However in their first attack Meath corner forward Darren Higgins cut through the Antrim defence to fire in a sensational goal. Sean McKay came back with a point for Antrim but right away Higgins repeated his early heroics with goal number two, a carbon copy of the first.
It looked like Antrim had a real fight on their hands, but with corner forward Fiontan Bradley leading the line up front they drew level by the 15th minute, Bradley accounting for two of the points and Jack McCloskey the other. Meath went back ahead when midfielder George Douglas sent over a sensational point from a sideline cut, but Antrim upped the pace and dominated the rest of the opening period, Bradley adding five points while Aodhan McGarry and Liam Glackin got the other two to move 0-13 to 2-02 ahead going into first half injury time. They appeared to be in a strong position but things got even better when Bradley went for goal from a twenty metre free and left the Meath net rattling after a well struck shot.
The half time debate among the Antrim fans was would their 8 point advantage be enough and when Meath made a great start to the new half with quick points from Gallagher, Ennis and Leavy that half time confidence started to waver a little. The Saffrons needed a score to settle the nerves and Orann Donnelly provided it, the big full forward racing out to the wing to win a ball before sending it between the Meath posts. Two minutes later came the score that really started the victory march when great work by Bradley put Jack McCloskey clear and the Loughgiel man fired home.
Donnelly hit another beauty as the Antrim boys began to show what they were capable off and when Thomas McLaughlin set up his brother Joseph for his team’s third goal there was no way back for the Meath men. Bradley and Sean McKay added points before Douglas broke the sequence with a top class score at the other end. Goalkeeper Eoin Richmond was called upon to make a fine save to deny Meath substitute Luke O’Halloran but by this stage the size of the winning margin was the only thing to be decided, and they finished with a flourish with points from Luke McFerran, Jack McCloskey and Orrin O’Connor to wrap it all up.
Antrim’s starting team was –
Eoghan Richmond, Mal McGibbon, Liam Glackin, Dara Patterson, Ben McGarry, Sean McKay, Ben O’Kane, Joe McLoughlin, Callum McIlwaine, Aodhan McGarry, Cormac McKeown, Thomas McLoughlin, Fiontain Bradley, Orann Donnelly, Jack McCloskey
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