Darragh Cup semi-final – North Antrim Minor Hurling
Loughgiel Shamrocks 3-16 Dunloy Cuchullains 3-11
Loughgiel set up a Darragh Cup final meeting with Cushendall next Friday evening when they beat Dunloy in the semi-final at Fr Healy Park. In a great game of hurling Dunloy started the stronger and held the upper hand for most of a tight first half. The Shamrocks edged ahead for the first time in first half injury time and dominated for the first twenty minutes of the second half to move ten clear. Dunloy were not done though and they came flying back in the last seven minutes, scoring three goals to get right back into contention. However, driven on by man of the match Ryan O’Boyle the home team held their ground to win in the end by five.
A great game of hurling between two very good teams, and the good is they will do it all over again tomorrow (Sunday) when they meet again in the league at Pearse Park ,Dunloy.
Duloy had the better of an intense opening period and led 0-4 to 0-02 after six minutes, but three in a row from Cian Higgins, Oisin Connolly and Ryan O’Boyle put Loughgiel ahead. Dunloy’s Oisin McCallin and Loughgiel’s Ryan O’Boyle exchanged points in the 22nd minute to keep the gap at two, but three in a row for the Cuchullains from Jay McAlonan, Daire Elliott and McCallin got their noses back in front entering first half injury time. However O’Boyle’s influence in the game was growing by the minute and the right half forward landed two excellent points, one from a free and the other from play, to give the home side a 0-09 to 0-08 lead at the interval.
A goal within two minutes of the restart from midfielder Domnhall McKay, and a point seconds later from substitute Caolan McCollum stretched the Loughgiel lead to three. Sean Ferguson and Oisin McCallin got two back for Dunloy in the 37th and 38th minutes but Loughgiel held the visitors scoreless for the next fifteen minutes, and added 1-04 themselves to take a firm grip on the game. Ryan O’Boyle started the run with a point and after Conon Johnston got his team’s second goal O’Boyle added three more to stretch the lead to ten by the 52nd minute.
It appeared to be all over bar the shouting but a brilliant Dunloy goal from an Oisin McCallin penalty gave them new hope. Loughgiel hit back right away with a Logan McConville point and a goal by Caolan McCollum, to nip the comeback in the bud, and though Dunloy came back with two more goals in the last five minutes, Loughgiel had things in hand as they secured a final place.
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