Antrim Junior Hurling Championship
Glen Rovers Armoy 1-16 All Saints Ballymena 0 -13
Glen Rovers Armoy made it two wins from two in the Junior Hurling Championship when they beat All Saints Ballymena in their Round Robin 2 game at Fr Maginn Park, Glenravel on Sunday. The Armoy men are many people’s favourites to win the title this season, after going so close in the last two years, but it has to be said that they were made work for this win over a Ballymena side for whom corner forward Darrach Bradley was excellent, hitting ten of his side’s thirteen points.
Six points separated the teams at half time 1-09 to 0-06 and for a spell after half time they closed to within four, but Emmet O’Hara and Tarlach McBride were on hand for the Rovers when they were most needed and the had the better of the final quarter to win by six in the end.
Kieran McToal, Tarlach McBride and Conor Christie hit the first three points of the game inside the first three minutes before All Saints got on the scoreboard with a point from a Daniel Kelly 65. Emmet O’Hara put Armoy 0-04 to 0-01 ahead by the eleventh minute, but once Bradley got on the scoreboard he kept the Ballymena boys in touch with two excellent points, one from play and the other from a free on 17 minutes. A goal, driven low along the ground but Armoy full forward Colm Lorden and a point from Tarlach McBride pushed the Rovers eight clear, but Bradley had the last two scores of the half to leave six between them at the short whistle.
McBride pushed the gap out to seven with an early second half point but All Saints were hanging in there and two points from Bradley frees and on from play by Harry Connon got them back to within four. However Armoy were always able to keep the Ballymena men at arms’ length two in quick succession from O’Hara and McBride pushed the gap out to six again.
Bradley’s accuracy kept All Saints in touch going down the home stretch but Armoy always had a reply and two more by McBride, one from Trevor Linton and one by Conor Christie saw them comfortably through.
The win puts Armoy through to the knock-out stages and their final game in two weeks’ time against joint leaders Gort na Móna will decide who goes through as group winners.
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