Cushendall scored a thirteen point win over Ballycran in last weekend’s game at Pairc Mhuir, Cushendall. With both teams short a good few regulars because of senior county commitments the Ruairis fielded five of the Antrim Under 20 side who made their exit from the Leinster U20 Championship three days earlier, and they all played their part in a decisive win.
Sean McAfee seems unafected despite having a hurl broken over his arm during Cushendall’s league win over Ballycran at Pairc Mhuir
The home side laid down a marker in the opening five minutes and after Conor Woods opened the scoring for the Down men they hit back with 1-03 without reply, the points coming from Joe McNaughton, Fred McCurry and Fergus McCambridge, while McNaughton also got the goal. Ballycran stayed well in touch as David Gilliland Ehtan Small and Conor Woods got three of the next four points but points in reply from Joe McNaughton and Fergus McCambridge, plus a goal from Thomas McLaughlin started to put daylight between the teams.
Woods and Bell closed the gap for the Down men with two points inside thirty seconds but Cushendall finished the half strongly with four of the next five points, three of those coming from corner forward Fiontan Bradley, to lead by 2-10 to 0-08 at the break.
Conor Woods struck the first point of the second half to leave seven between the sides but Cushendall came back strongly when Joe McNaughton got his second goal, while McNaughton and Thomas McLaughlin added points. By this stage it was clear the points were going to the home side and they carried on in convincing fashion as they added a further 1-07, 1-03 of them from the highly dangerous Bradley to win in the end by 4-16 to 0-15.
Ballycran’s Dominic McGrath in action during his team’s league game in Cushendall
TO SEE MORE OF SEAN PAUL’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
The League fixtures continue on the mid-week schedule as they retain the Wednesday slot for the 6th round
Division One (all games at 7.00pm)
Kickham’s Creggan v St Mary’s Ahoghill
Ahoghill recorded their first victory of the season when they travelled to Corrigan Park and recorded a two point win over St. John’s.
They are on the road again as they make the shorter but more difficult journey to meet Creggan at their Staffordstown Road ground.
The Kickham’s men have been in relatively good form this term but they suffered defeat on the road last time when they lost to the in-form St Gall’s at Milltown and they will be keen to return to the positive here as they play hosts to St Mary’s.
Creggan will start as firm favourites back on their home sod and although Ahoghill may well give them a run for their money a home win looks on the cards.
St Johns v O’ Donovan Rossa
This one is usually a hard fought close affair as O’ Donavan Rossa travel to Corrigan Park to cross swords with their keen rival’s St John’s in a matchup which is always keenly anticipated.
The home side have struggled this term, despite reputation and have failed to collect a single point from their fixtures to date and they will be more than keen to turn the corner here.
Rossa, like to their hosts in this one have failed to impress in their fixtures to date and with just one win over Ahoghill to their name the Shaw’s road side will travel to Corrigan more than keen to gain the win.
Certain to be fiercely contested, both sides will see this one as a chance to improve their points tally and this one could go either way and a draw certainly can’t be ruled out.
Erin’s Own v St Paul’s
Having enjoyed a good victory over Casement’s on Sunday last in the final of the O’ Cahan Cup, Erin’s Own are back in league action again this time as they welcome St Paul’s to Toome.
St Paul’s gained promotion from division 2 last year but have struggled for points in the higher grade and face another difficult opponent who will start this one as short odds favourites.
Cargin remain unbeaten to date and although they needed to dig deep to get the better of Glenravel last time out they should have too much in store for the visiting St. Paul’s.
Roger Casement’s v St Galls
Roger Casement’s have mixed the good with the bad this year. They started their league programme with a victory over the visiting St Paul’s, lost away to Aldergrove and All Saints before getting their second win over Dunloy and they followed that up next time out with a draw at St Brigid’s.
The Bannsider’s face another tough challenge this time as St Gall’s visit Kelly Park and the Milltown Row side have maximum points from their opening five games.
Casement’s lost to Cargin in the O’ Cahan Cup decider and looked badly off the pace but this might just be the challenge they need and this one could be closer than expected with a Casement’s win not ruled out.
St Mary’s Aghagallon v Con Magee’s Glenravel
Aghagallon have enjoyed a descent start to the season with three victories over Dunloy, Rossa, and Ahoghill but suffered defeat at St Brigid’s and Portglenone.
The St Mary’s men do seem to have picked up the pace and with home venue they will face Glenravel hoping for their fourth win.
Glenravel came close to ending Cargin’s unbeaten run last time out and they will be hoping to build on that good performance and record their third win, despite being away from home.
Tir na nOg v St Brigid’s
Tir na nOg have struggled to date but have come close on occasions and shared the points with St Paul’s and Dunloy.
Their turn may well be just around the corner but this looks to be a tough one as the league champions visit Whitehill.
The Musgrave Park side dropped a point to the visiting Casement’s last time out, having suffered defeat to Creggan in their previous fixture and Tir na nOg may see this as an opportunity to get their first win.
Both sides have been missing players recently and much will depend on how strong they can field but Tir na nOg, at their best could give this one a real lash.
Lamh Dhearg v Cuchullian’s Dunloy
Cuchullian’s Dunloy enjoyed a good start to the season with wins over Creggan and St John’s and a draw with Tir na nOg. They lost to St. Mary’s Aghagallon and Portglenone and will be happy with their results to date.
Lamh Dhearg’s two win to date have come at home with wins over Tir na nOg and St. Paul’s and they will see the visit of St. Paul’s as an opportunity to add to those wins but if Dunloy are anywhere near full strength then they will certainly ask questions of the Hannastown side.
Division Two (all games 7.00pm
Michael Davitt’s v St Teresa’s
Davitts have not started 2025 well and have yet to record a win though they did draw with Glenavy on day one and went close before losing narrowly to Naomh Comhghall at Dunsilly.
Last year’s division 2 runners up, St Teresa’s have recorded a couple of win s to date and they will travel to Davitt’s as favourites to add another couple of points.
St Joseph’s Glenavy v St Comgall’s
Glenavy opened their season with a draw away to Davitt’s and followed with a win over St. Enda’s before losing away to Naomh Padraig in Lisburn. They suffered another heavy defeat to league leaders, Sarsfields in round 4 and will be keen to get some points on board.
St Comgall’s lost by four points to a strong Moneyglass on day one before recording a home win over Davitts in their second outing. They lost on the road again to St. Enda’s at Hightown but came mighty close to beating St. Patrick’s, Lisburn last time out but threw away a convincing lead.
The Antrim men will travel to Glenavy hoping to get their season back on track but this does look a difficult assignment with St Joseph’s starting as favourites.
St Enda’s v St Mary’s Rasharkin
Rasharkin gained their first win last time out when Davitt’s visited Dreen and the St Mary’s men will travel up to Hightown hoping to add to that win when they face St Enda’s.
St Enda’s have posted wins over St. Comgall’s and Gort na Mona and home advantage could give them the edge over the South West side.
Patrick’s Sarsfield’s v St Ergnat’s Moneyglass
This meeting of Sarsfield’s and Moneyglass sees unbeaten records on the line with both sides having recorded four wins from four starts.
This one has the making of a thriller at the ‘Bear Pit’ and is certain to draw a good crowd for a game that will be fully contested.
Ground advantage may well count but the visitors are in good form at present and may well gain the verdict.
St Patrick’s Lisburn v Gort na Mona
St Patrick’s came from well off the pace last time at Dunsilly to gain the verdict over St Comgall’s and the Lisurn side have made a good start to the season and they will travel to meet Gort na Mona with confidence.
Gort na Mona have just one win to date over Davitt’s in round three and will be hoping to build on that win but a confident St Patrick’s may gain the verdict.
Division Three (all games at 7.00pm)
Cardinal O’ Donnell’s v Wolfe Tones
Cardinal O’ Donnell’s have recorded a couple of victories to date and they will play hosts to Wolfe Tones as favourites to add another win.
St Agnes v Eire Og
The Aggies have maximum points from an unbeaten run of four in a row and play hosts to Eire Og who have just a single win to date and a home win looks likely.
Patrick Pearses v St Malachy’s
With just a single win each to their names to date this may well be a close one as Pearses play hosts to St Malachy’s with ground advantage possibly aiding Pearses to the win.
Laochra Loch Lao v Kickham’s Ardoyne
Both these sides have recorded a couple of victories as Laochra Loch Lao play hosts to the men from Ardoyne with the North Belfast men given the nod.
This weekend will see the Antrim minor ladies take on Cavan for the Ulster Platinum title in Crossmaglen.
The saffron squad have topped their group in the Ulster league ahead of Monaghan, Armagh and Down to qualify for their first platinum final since 2022.
The current senior squad is backboned by many players from the class of 22 but they fell at the last hurdle against the Breffni girls.
The task ahead for the Antrim girls can not be underestimated as their opponents Cavan are the reigning Ulster and All Ireland minor champions as well as having dominated post primary competitions this season. Add to that the fact that Cavan are back to back U16 champions and it would seem a daunting proposition for the talented Antrim side.
The young Saffs have had unprecedented success in the last two seasons with back to back Ulster and All Ireland silver successes but Saturday is without doubt a formidable step up.
However it is a challenge the girls are relishing and they have previously made history of their own. This group brought the first All Ireland underage title to the county and then retained it last July.
Many of these players are already key to the successes of their club senior squads and now they have the chance to make history again.
The game in Crossmaglen at 4pm on Saturday has all the makings of a David v Goliath tussle. Hopefully the girls from the county of the Giant’s Causeway can be the giant killers.
Antrim Minor Hurlers faced Meath on Saturday in what turned out to be the first round of the Leinster B Championship in Páirc Tailteann Navan.
Both sides were informed the night before that their last Group Game would double up to be the Leinster B Knockout Championship.
Antrim with a slight breeze advantage raced into a 1-04 to 0-00 lead after the opening 8 minutes, the goal coming from Christy Leech.
In the next seven minutes Meath were back in the game out scoring Antrim by 1-03 to 2pts in this period.
The goal coming from a deflection that Antrim Keeper Liam Magee could do nothing about.
In the Final 15 minutes of the half Antrim took complete control and produced some brilliant team play and scores, 3 from from the Cadhan Crawford 3 from James McDonnell & 2 from the impressive centre half back Dylan McNaughton.
The second half was nip and tuck through the first 10 minutes, the breeze had lifted in Meath’s favour but strong defending from Antrim’s full back Conor McCann aided by Paddy Morgan & Aaron Quinn thwarted the danger and Meath were forced to shoot for scores from further out the field.
Daire JemfreyJay McAlonanRonan Taylor
Antrim then fired in two goals, one from joint captain Cadhan Crawford which her fired to the top corner of the Meath net and one from vice captain James McDonnell. From then on Antrim were always in control and ran out winners in the end on a scoreline of 3-23 to 1-19.
Although the Leinster A comes to an end these young lads will go all out to try to win the B Competition.
The Opening Game in the A Championship against Offaly with some harsh decisions and a black card at a crucial time will feel like the game that got away from them this year.
They now face Kildare this coming Saturday at 2pm in Dowdallshill in the Leinster B Championship Semi Final
Joint captains Conor McCann and Cadhan Crawford recieve the Ulster Minor Cup from Ulster GAA President Michael Geoghegan after their win over Down back in early March
Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy
Rossa made it three from three on Saturday evening as they inflicted Dunloy’s first league defeat of the season. In an entertaining game, it was a strong first half and ability to score goals that proved to be the difference.
All of Rossa’s goals came in the first half, two from James Connolly with Thomas Morgan adding the third. Both men contributed hugely throughout the hour with Morgan’s agility and pace causing problems while Connolly’s presence on the edge of the square gave the Dunloy defence their fill of it.
Deaglan Murphy gave an energetic display from the middle of the park but it was the back six that formed the basis for this victory. Dunloy trailed by 11 points at half time and with the wind at their back, looked to make inwards into that lead and while they threatened to make a comeback, five points was as close as they got. The Rossa defence soaked up the pressure, led superbly by Ciaran Orchin, Chris McGuinness and Daire Murphy.
Nicky McKeague continued his fine early season form, finishing top scorer for the Cuchullains with 11 white flags beside his name while Paudie Martin, Luke McFerran and Anton McGrath were always in the thick of things.
Tom McFerran put in a great shift in the middle of the pitch while Eamon Smyth and Deaglan Smith had good games in the half back line. The Dunloy management will look at the three goals as being avoidable as they looked to come to terms with the aerial bombardment sent their way. They created few clear cut goal scoring opportunities however as Rossa saw out the second half.
Despite Morgan opening the scoring, it was the home side who made the brighter start. Three points in as many minutes from Luke McFerran, Martin and Tom McFerran had them two clear inside six minutes but it was their last score for 14 minutes as the visitors to Pearse Park took a stranglehold. A run of 1-8 without reply, just two of those coming from placed ball and five different scorers. Eoin Trainor, Deaglan Murphy, Morgan, and Aodhan O’Brien dissecting the posts while Connolly grabbed his first goal of the game in the 16th minute. The goal coming from a long ball which he won himself with a piece of individual brilliance before rifling home. Indeed, it could have been better for the Shaw’s Road men but for O’Brien’s effort being saved by Eoghan Richmond between the sticks. The Dunloy netminder had the presence of mind to deny the follow up with a superb piece of bravery.
Dunloy got the scoreboard ticking once again with McKeague’s first point from a placed ball. He would follow up with another two in the space of five minutes along with Paudie Martin’s second of the game to leave five between the sides.
The home side had their own sight of goal amongst McKeague’s scoring spree, McGrath with a brilliant touch and burst of speed to evade the Rossa defence but his effort was well saved by Donal Armstrong between the sticks for Rossa.
Eoghan McMenamin extended the lead to six once again before Rossa added their second and third majors in the space of two first half minutes. Connolly grabbed his and his teams second and almost a carbon copy his first goal. Getting on the end of a long ball before finishing expertly while Morgan made the most of a mistake in the Dunloy full back line from close range for Rossa’s third.
Ryan Mort had the final say of the half as he fired over Dunloy’s eighth point to leave the half time score 3-10 to 0-8 in Rossa’s favour.
Dunloy had whatever wind was blowing at their backs for the second half and had added a further three points inside the opening minute of the second half. Tom McFerran, Paudie Martin and McKeague all dissecting the uprights and when McKegaue and Ronan Molloy added further scores, it made it five without reply and the Rossa lead reduced to six inside six minutes of the second half.
The sides went toe to toe with Deaglan Murphy and James Connolly prominent for the visitors while McKeague and Luke McFerran were firing for the Cuchullains.
Five points separated the sides with 10 minutes remaining but the visitors to Pearse Park finished strongly outscoring Dunloy five points to one with O’Brien, Connolly (two) and Deaglan Murphy (two) firing over with a McKeague free the solitary response for Dunloy. The Cuchullains had a sniff of a major in the closing stages with Anton McGrath going close but he was denied by a diving save from Oisin McVicker who turned the sliotar away at full stretch.
The action continues next Sunday for the Cuchullains as they host Cushendall while Rossa take on old rivals, St John’s on the same afternoon.
TEAMS
Dunloy: Eoghan Richmond; Conor Kinsella, Daire McMullan, Oran Quinn; Paudie McGilligan, Eamon Smyth, Deaglan Smith; Ciaran Elliott, Tom McFerran; Ryan Mort, Nicky McKeague, Luke McFerran; Paudie Martin, Ronan Molloy, Anton McGrath
Subs: Jack Martin for C Elliott (38); Ben O’Kane for D McMullan (51)
Scorers: N McKeague 0-11 (7fs, 1’65); P Martin 0-3; T McFerran 0-2; L McFerran 0-2; R Mort 0-1; R Molloy 0-1
Rossa: Donal Armstrong; Oisin McVicker, Ciaran Orchin, Patrick Moyes; Declan McCartney, Chris McGuinness, Daire Murphy; Diarmuid Rogan, Deaglan Murphy; Eoin Trainor, Pearce Short, Thomas Morgan; Eoghan McMenamin, James Connolly, Aodhan O’Brien
Subs: Michael Armstrong for E McMenamin (54); Liam McEnhill for D Rogan (57); Owen May for T Morgan (60); Darrach Morriarity for J Connolly (60+2)
Scorers: J Connolly 2-3; Deaglan Murphy 0-8 (6fs); T Morgan 1-3; E Trainor 0-2; A O’Brien 0-2; Daire Murphy 0-1; E McMenamin 0-1
Referee: Darren McKeown (St Galls)
TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
