Reserve Hurling Cup – Semi-final
Ballycastle 2-27 Cushendall 1-25 (aet)
A lot of games are referred to as a game of two halves, but this highly entertaining semi-final was more a tale of two pitches when Ballycastle and Cushendall battled it out for a place in the final of the Reserve Hurling Cup. The two sides finished level on the main pitch at Pairc MacUilín when two late points from the home side brought them level deep into injury time. However with the light fading fast it was clear there was no way extra time could be played, so both sides agreed to move down to the second pitch where the floodlights were already on for the Ballycastle v Portglenone Championship Camogie game was just finishing. Just as in normal time Ballycastle had the wind in the first half (10 minutes each way) and built up a lead by half time. Then just as happened in normal time Cushendall came roaring back in the second period, but this time Ballycastle were able to hold onto their lead and three unanswered points at the end, two from Lorcan Donnelly and one from Diarmaid McShane sealed a five point win.
Senan Black gave Cushendall the lead at the start of normal time but Ballycastle came back with a goal from James McLister and a point from Gavin McToal. With the strong breeze behind them the home team pushed on and by the end of the opening quarter they opened a 2-04 to 0-06 lead, the second goal coming from Diarmaid McShane.
Joseph McNaughton was keeping Cushendall in contention with a series of excellent points from frees but Croistai McAuley was keeping the scoreboard ticking for the Town with some well taken points, and with Callum Campbell chipping in with two from play they went in at half time with a 2-09 to 0-08 lead.
Two more from McAuley frees at the start of the second half increased the Ballycastle lead to ten points, but once Christy McNaughton got Cushendall’s first point of the new half on 37 minutes things began to change. Six points on the trot from Joe McNaughton (3), Ciaran Neeson (2) and Christy McNaughton cut the gap back to three points by the 48th minute, but the home side hit back with two of their own through Conor Donnelly and Reuben McClean push the gap back out to five with just seven minutes left to play.
However the momentum was swinging with the visitors and a Joe McNaughton point was followed by a goal from the ever dangerous Christy McNaughton to leave just a point between the sides Joe McNaughton brought the Ruairis level a minute later and when he added further points in the 58th and 60th minutes it looked like he had sealed the win.
However Ballycastle found a lifeline when Lorcan Donnelly, who had taken over the free taking duties, sent one over from close range before Diarmaid McShane swung over the equaliser in the dying seconds.
To be fair there was no time wasted among those in charge and the decision was taken right away to move to the bottom pitch under the lights where Ballycastle again had the wind in the opening half and they put it to good use, scoring six points in the first ten minute period, five of them from Lorcan Donnelly and one from Reuben McClean, while Joe McNaughton got the single Cushendall point as Ballycastle led by 2-22 to 1-21 at the interval.
The visitors started the second half impressively with four quick points, two more from Joe McNaughton and one each from Ciaran Neeson and Dominic Delargy to leave just two between the sides. However Ballycastle bounced back in the near the end and Lorcan Donnelly hit four points and Diarmaid McShane one, in reply to just one from Cushendall’s Ciaran Neeson, to win by five.
Two brilliant saves in that extra time period are worthy of mention, the first by Cushendall keeper Eoin ‘Bouncy’ Gillan who denied Criostai McAuley at the end of the first period with an unbelievable save and the second early in the second by Castle keeper Eamon Elliott who threw himself at a goal-bound shot by Christy McNaughton and got hit square on the faceguard to deflect it wide for a ‘65’.
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