Antrim Junior Hurling Championship

Glenravel  3-21     St Brigids 1-19

Though these two teams battled in different leagues this season there was little to separate them in this close encounter at Fr Maginn Park in this JHC Group 1 game. St Brigid’s certainly displayed why they were worthy winners of Division 4 and have certainly nothing to fear in the division higher next season if they can keep this bunch of lads together. The visitors were the sharper team in a first half which they virtually led throughout with some fine first touch hurling and individual displays. None more so than corner forward James Kelly who notched up thirteen points across the hour from a mixture of frees and open play. Kelly was unerring from placed balls returning a 100% record to really punish the home side’s indiscretion. But Glenravel had greater strength in depth and really put the visitors to the sword in the second half to come away with both points. Was great to see recently married Declan Traynor take to the pitch in the second half. Married on Friday with celebrations continuing to Saturday evening Declan made himself available for the game. Luckily his wife Erin plays for the Club also so she is well aware of what GAA dedication is all about. The wedding events were attended by all the Glenravel players which might also explain a fairly lethargic opening period from them. We wish Declan and Erin many happy years together.

James Kelly got St Brigid’s off to the best possible start with two pointed frees in the first two minutes but that was cancelled out when Conleth O’Loan danced his way through the blue and white defence before delivering the sliothar to the net to nudge his team ahead. But the visitors were dominating possession and they rattled over four points without reply. Kelly providing three of them and Niall Duffy the other. That sparked a Con Magees revival as Sean McKay, Conleth O’Loan and Fergus Donaghy brought the home side back to parity. Up stepped Kelly once more with a pointed free and 65followed by a good point from Phelim Lennon with Glenravel’s only response coming once again from Fergus Donaghy, so with one quarter gone St Brigids led by two points 0-09 to 1-04. Over the following five minutes Conleth, Sean and Fergus would exchange points with Donnacha McGurk and Phelim Lennon (2) to maintain the two point gap. Glenravel enjoyed a short purple patch when in two minutes Sean McKay, Conor Duffin and Cormac McKeown put Glenravel back ahead by a single point  but with twenty three minutes gone Oisin McDonnell found the net for St Brigids and that was added to by points from Donnacha McGurk and Kelly . Glenravel responded through Fergus Donaghy and Conleth O’Loan (2) which left the home side trailing by a single point when referee Mark O’Neill called time on the first half.

We’ll never know what was said in the Glenravel changing room at half time but they came out a different side second half. Finlay Walker, on his first appearance of the season,  had the ball in the net after throw in and Conleth followed up with a point to put the home side ahead by three points, a lead they wouldn’t relinquish to the end of the game. A Sean McKay point was followed by two scores for James Kelly to reduce the gap to two but then a rasper of a shot from Conleth O’Loan  gave St Brigids keeper Brian McGurk no chance and put the home side ahead by five points. St Brigids battled on bravely and their top scorer James Kelly put over four more points as Glenravel tried to stay ahead with scores from Finlay Walker and Cormac McKeown (2) to leave Glenravel ahead by four points with as many minutes remaining. In this closing minutes though Finlay Walker (2), Nathan Unwin and Sean McKay all scored to put some gloss on the final score with Glenravel victorious 3-21 to 1-19.