Antrim Hurling League – Division 1
St Enda’s 0-18 Ballycastle 3-15
Ballycastle qualified for the top half of the Division 1 Hurling League when they beat St Enda’s in their final game of the first half at Hightown on Sunday. In a game dominated by a strong wind the McQuillan’s men managed to hold off a fight-back by the home side to squeeze through. Six points separated the side at the end but the Glengormley men were pushing hard in the last quarter and Ballycastle goalkeeper Ryan McGarry had to be sharp to deny heavy St Enda’s pressure in the end.
Both teams actually played better against the strong wind, the visitors winning the toss and deciding to play against it, and they went ahead with a Neal McAuley point in the first minute. However St Enda’s came back with three quick points through Cormac Jennings, Brendan Cormican and Eddie O’Connor to go two clear. At this stage it looked like the home side were going to steadily pull away but three brilliantly taken points by Tiernan Smyth swung the game in Ballycastle’s favour
Free taker Ruairi Donaghy pulled one back for Naomh Eanna but two from Niall McKenna, and a goal from Tiernan Smyth, which was set up by McKenna, put Ballycastle four ahead by the twentieth minute. The smart money would have been firmly on the visitors at this stage, but St Enda’s dominated the last ten minutes of the half hitting seven points, while conceding just one to turn the game on its head. Two of the points came from Niall O’Connor which Ruairi Donaghy, Joe Maskey, Ciaran McAllister, Niall O’Connor and Cormac Jennings got the others, while Conor Donnelly got the Ballycastle score in the final minute of the half to leave the teams tied on 0-12 to 1-09 at half-time.
St Enda’s moved ahead early in the second half with two points from Ruairi Donaghy free to one from play by Seamus McAuley but the game was to swing dramatically in Ballycastle’s favour in a seven minute spell that saw them grab 2-02 without reply. Tiernan Smyth started the run when fired home following a great save by St Enda’s keeper Niall McGivern to deny Arden Kelly what seemed a certain goal. Two minutes later came the second goal which was blocked down into the net by Conor Donnelly and when Niall McKenna and Neal McAuley added points the ‘Town’ were seven clear entering the last quarter.
As it turned out they needed all of those seven points as St Enda’s threw everything they had at them in a bid to salvage the game. They hit four points down the home straight, and had a few good goal chances, including one from a penalty that was mishit, and two late points from Conor Boyd, one of which was from deep in his own half, and one from Cahair Donnelly, secured the win for the Ballycastle men.
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