Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group 1
Loughgiel Shamrocks 6-26 Carey Faughs 1-13
It took them a little while to fine-tune their radar, and for most of the first half last year’s Intermediate champions Carey Faughs did very well, but once they hit their stride the Shamrocks were impressive as they ran up a big score at Fr Healy Park on Friday evening.
Right half back Ben McGarry had raised the first flag inside ten seconds and they had a good few chances to stretch that lead, but a combination of good defending by the Faughs and some wayward shooting meant the visitors stayed in touch during the first quarter, James ‘Rocket’ Black getting a couple of points which Conal McGlynn got one in reply to two by James McNaughton and Paul Boyle.
The Carey men resisted well during the first quarter but the gap began to open when corner forward Roan McGarry got in for the first goal on 16 minutes and when Jack McCloskey added the second one three minutes later the pattern of the game was established. Patrick Butler and Conor McBride kept the Carey scoreboard ticking but in the lead in to half time a flurry of points and a second goal by Roan McGarry put a lot of daylight between the teams, and the Shamrocks went in with a healthy 3-14 to 0-08 advantage.
Goal number four came early in the new half when Ben McGarry found the net and the ever dangerous Paul Boyle got number five not long afterwards when he cut in from the left and batted the ball home.
The main talking point of the second half was an incident that saw the Carey goalkeeper receive a red card, which spoiled what had been a good natured game up to that. Jack McCloskey was on the receiving end of a very nasty face injury and had to be taken to hospital, where it was established that his jaw was broken in three places. So dissapointing for a great young player who has battled back from injury so many times in his short career.
The resultant penalty was brilliantly saved by Carey’s substitute goalkeeper Jimmy Joe Burns, who turned McNaughton’s well struck shot around the post and he made a spectacular save minutes later to deny Paul Boyle what seemed a certain goal, though in this case Dan McCloskey, whose strong run had set up the Boyle chance, was on hand to finish to the net.
To their credit the Faughs kept battling away and substitute Conlith McKinley got in for a goal, while Conor McBride slotted over a few more points, but the game was well gone from them at this stage. The last time they lined out at Fr Healy Park was their Ulster Intermediate final win over Derry champions Swatragh last October. They knew facing the Shamrocks would be a different prospect and so it proved.
Though far from perfect the Loughgiel management will have liked what they seen from their side. Their shooting needs tidied up a little, which seems a strange thing to say when they hit 6-26, but they have a wealth of young talent at their disposal and none of the teams will look forward to facing them this season. Their next outing is against Rossa at a neutral venue in two weeks’ time, while Carey face the county champions Cushendall on the same day.
LOUGHGIEL
Cormac McFadden, Tiernan Coyle, Enda Og McGarry, Liam Glackin, Ben McGarry, Rory McCloskey, Declan McCloskey, Ryan McKee, Darragh Patterson, Rian McMullan, James McNaughton, Dan McCloskey, Roan McGarry, Paul Boyle, Jack McCloskey.
CAREY
Christopher Butler, Zach McCaughan, Sean McBride, Oisin Healy, Michael McVeigh, John McBride, Patrick Gillan, Patrick Butler, Conal McGlynn, James Black, Darren McGowan, Callum Cane, Shea Hunter, Fiachra McVeigh
Referee – Ray Mathews (Rossa)
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