Antrim Hurling League Division One
Dunloy 2-17 Cushendall 1-13
Sunday 4 May
Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy
Dunloy recorded their third league win of the season on Sunday afternoon as they defeated Cushendall with seven to spare. Played under strong sunshine at Pearse Park, the Cuchullains were worthy of the margin of victory after a hugely entertaining hour of hurling.
Both teams were short plenty of first team regulars, and it was the home side that showed that bit more bite, intensity and overall fluency in their play. Scoring 2-12 from open play and while they hit double figures in wides, their attacking unit gave the Ruairi Og’s plenty of problems.
Nicky McKeague top scored for the Cuchullains with five points beside his name while both goals came in the first half from Ryan Mort and Ronan Molloy. The home side had eight different scorers over the hour and conceded just 1-7 from open play, defensively they had Cushendall’s number.
Fiontan Bradley’s star continues to shine as he top scored for the Ruairi’s, scoring 1-4 while the midfield pairing of Padraig McKillop and Fergus McCambridge had four points evenly shared between them over the hour. They too had eight different scorers by the final whistle but couldn’t match the intensity of the home side.
The Ruairi’s started the match on top, scoring three unanswered points in the opening five minutes. Bradley and Joseph McNaughton finding their range from placed ball while Fergus McCambridge fired over for the first score from open play.
The home side opened their account with a touch of class from Ryan Mort. McKeague’s free was drilled low and Mort trapped the sliotar into his path before collecting and firing low beyond Eoin Gillan in the Cushendall goal.
That major sparked the Cuchullains into life with further points coming from Ronan Molloy and McKeague (free) before Padraig McKillop split the uprights with his first of two points in the 10th minute.
McKeague and McAuley swapped frees before Daire McMullan fired over a free from the edge of the ‘New D’ – a gargantuan score from the Dunloy defender as the home side controlled the second quarter.
Points from Bradley (free) and McKeague left two between the sides going into the final 10 minutes but it was Dunloy that finished the half with a flourish.
Their second goal came through a brilliant finish from Ronan Molloy after a strong run to hold off the Cushendall challenges. Paudie Martin forcing the turnover before finding Molloy and while he had plenty of work to do, Molloy found the top corner with a sublime effort.
Quickfire scores followed from Luke McFerran, Martin and Paudie McGilligan to leave eight between the sides. Bradley and McKeague frees rounded off the scoring to leave the half time score 2-9 to 0-7 in the home sides favour.
Like the first half, Cushendall made the brighter start after the restart. Thomas McLaughlin split the posts for the opening score before they found the back of Eoghan Richmond’s. Bradley applied the finish after a move that saw the Ruairi’s cut through the heart of the Dunloy defence with a series of handpasses, Sean McAfee with the assist to Bradley’s finish.
Fergus McCambridge fired over moments later as Cushendall reduced the Dunloy lead to three points just six minutes into the second half.
Points from McGilligan and Martin were answered to by Padraig McKillop and Bradley (’65) to leave three between the sides but a run of three unanswered points in as many minutes from Mort, McGilligan and Luke McFerran gave the Cuchullians a six point cushion going into the final quarter.
It was going to take another goal for Cushendall to get anything out of this one, it never looked like it was coming. Oisin Woodhouse added his name to the list of scorers with a score from distance but another run of three points from Kevin Molloy, McKeague (free) and Luke McFerran were responded by a solitary score from Dominic Delargy as Dunloy ran out comfortable winners.
Next up for the Cuchullains is a trip to Naomh Éanna next Sunday while Cushendall play host to Rossa on the same day.
TEAMS
Dunloy: Eoghan Richmond; Conor Kinsella, Daire McMullan, Reece Cunning; Eamon Smyth, Kevin Molloy, Deaglan Smith; Paudie McGilligan, Tom McFerran; Ronan Molloy, Nicky McKeague, Luke McFerran; Paudie Martin, Anton McGrath, Ryan Mort
Subs: Eoin McFerran for D McMullam (41); Ben O’Kane for E Smyth (47); Oisin McCamphill for A McGrath (50); Gabriel McTaggart for R Mort (60)
Scorers: N McKeague 0-5 (4fs); R Mort 1-1; R Molloy 1-1; P McGilligan 0-3; L McFerran 0-3; P Martin 0-2; K Molloy 0-1; D McMullan 0-1 (1f)
Cushendall: Eoin Gillan; Callagh Mooney, Ronan McAteer, Stephen Walsh; Alex McCambridge, Charlie McAuley, Oistin Birt; Fergus McCambridge, Padraig McKillop; Sean McAfee, Joseph McNaughton, Thomas McLaughlin; Oisin Woodhouse, Dominic Delargy, Fiontan Bradley
Subs: Francis McCurry for A McCambridge (HT); Senan Black for F McCambridge (60)
Scorers: F Bradley 1-4 (3fs 1’65); F McCambridge 0-2; P McKillop 0-2; T McLaughlin 0-1; O Woodhouse 0-1; D Delargy 0-1; J McNaughton 0-1 (1f); C McAuley 0-1 (1f)
Referee: Patrick Tumelty (Lámh Dhearg)
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