ABOVE – Loughgiel’s Rian ‘Bubbles’ McMullan celebrates after scoring Loughgiel’s third goal in Sunday’s win over Dunloy at Pairc Mhuire, Cushendall
Bathshack Antrim Senior Hurling Championship – Semi-final
Loughgiel 3-21 Dunloy 2-23
For the second day in a row we saw a shock result in the Antrim Senior Hurling Championship semi-finals. On Saturday St John’s caused an upset when they dethroned the holders Cushendall and on Sunday Loughgiel Shamrocks produced what many people would rate as an even bigger upset when they beat hotly fancied Dunloy in an epic contest at Pairc Mhuire.
For twenty minutes of the game it all appeared to be going as predicted, and when the Cuchullains opened up an eight point lead after twenty one minutes the smart money would have been on them securing a final spot against St John’s in two weeks’ time. However Loughgiel dug deep when they were really up against it and rattled off five points in a row to close the gap to three, before Seaan Elliott fired over in injury time to give his team a four point cushion.
The restart was delayed because a member of the crowd needed medical treatment but once things got going the Shamrocks burst from the traps and hit 1-04 without reply in the first seven minutes to move a goal ahead. Dunloy finally got going and closed the gap to a single point, but a brilliant individual goal by James McNaughton started a run which saw them lead by eight points, a third goal brilliantly taken by Rian ‘Bubbles’ McMullan apparently in full control.
However Dunloy found another gear in the last ten minutes of normal time, and boosted by the return of Coby Cunning, one year after a cruciate knee injury, and a brilliant Keelan Molloy goal they drew level as the game went into injury time. With the allotted five minutes added time almost up James McNaughton edged them back ahead with a pointed free, but there was still time for Dunloy to hit the equaliser.
Extra time seemed almost certain at this stage but from the puc-out Rian McMullan won possession and split the posts to the load cheers of the Shamrocks fans. Those cheers were were silenced when Dunloy won a free seconds later to give Seaan Elliott the chance to tie things up again, but his shot from just outside the 65 tailed right off the target and the final whistle sounded seconds later to signal Shamrocks celebrations.
The opening quarter of the game was fantastic viewing as the scores came thick and fast as scores from Betty McKee and James McNaughton were answered by the brilliant Keelan Molloy. A pointed free by McNaughton had the Shamrocks 0-03 to 0-02 ahead on four minutes, but a brilliant goal Nigel Elliott gave Dunloy the lead for the first time a minute later. Rian McMullan and Roan McGarry came back with points for Loughgiel but they were answered by Molloy and Seaan Elliott to keep the game on a knife edge.
Dunloy got on top during the next ten minutes and with the wind behind them Kevin Molloy, Sean Elliott, Aodhan McGarry and Tom McFerran picked off scores and apparently put them in control, two pointed frees by James McNaughton were followed by two brilliant long range efforts inside a minute by half back Declan McCloskey gave their challenge a real shot in the arm. When Betty McKee sent over a magnificent point from a sideline ‘cut’ the gap was back to three, but another pointed free by Seaan Elliott with the last poc of the first half sent the Cuchullains in at the break with a four point cushion.
There were discussion among the pundits at half time about just how strong the win was but that was soon answered on the resumption when James McNaughton and Roan McGarry cut the deficit in half with two well taken points and when Dan McCloskey got in behind the Dunloy defence to fire home his team’s opening goal they were in front with just three minutes played. There was more to come from the men in red as Dan McCloskey added a point from a narrow angle and Bubbles McMullan followed with an excellent point.
The Elliott brothers Seaan and Nigel hit three of the next four scores to close the gap but the score of the game came a minute later when James McNaughton broke through the middle of the Dunloy defence and rifled a shot past Ryan Elliott to the back of the net. Seaan Elliott came back with a point but substitute Shan McGrath replied and when Bubbles McMullan showed extrodinary dexterity to somehow pull the ball to the Dunloy net the game appeared to be over as a contest.
However Dunloy certainly didn’t think that way and the introduction of substitute Conal ‘Coby’ Cunning, a year and a day after his terrible cruciate injury on the same ground, started to swing things back Dunloy’s way. It was as if he had never been away and three points in a five minute spell, one from Seaan Elliott and one from Keelan Molloy left just a goal between the sides. When Molloy got through for a goal to level matters in the last minute of normal time to tie up the scores few pundits could see them losing out, but Loughgiel never flinched and late points by the two men who were in line for man of the match, James McNaughton and Rian McMullan sent the Shamrocks through to their second final in three years, and their first against St John’s since 1989.
Loughgiel C McFadden; R McCormick, E Og McGarry, L Glackin; B McGarry 0-02, R McCloskey, Declan McCloskey 0-02; R McKee 0-02, D Patterson; R Fitzgerald, J McNaughton 1-07 (0-5f), R McMullan 1-04; R McGarry 0-02, P Boyle, Daniel McCloskey 1-01
Subs S McGrath 0-01 for Patterson (41), D McKinley for Boyle (58), C McCloskey for E Og McGarry (61)
Dunloy R Elliott; P Duffin, E McFerran, O Quinn; A Crawford, R McGarry, Kevin Molloy 0-1; N McKeague, A McGarry; N Elliott 1-1, Keelan Molloy 1-5, T McFerran 0-3; E O’Neill 0-1 (f), S Elliott 0-8 (0-6f), P Shiels 0-1
Subs C Cunning 0-3 for Shiels (46), D Smith for McKeague (37), C McMahon for Smith (52), O McCallin for O’Neill (55), L McFerran for T McFerran (58)
Referee K Parke (St Enda’s)
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