Ulster Under 17 Hurling Championship final at Dunsilly

Antrim 4-14 Wicklow 1-15

Antrim claimed the Ulster Under 17 Hurling title after a thrilling 4-14 to 1-15 victory over Wicklow at Dunsilly. In a game of shifting momentums, Dominic McKinley’s side had to weather a fierce second-half fightback from the Garden County before unleashing a devastating goal blitz to secure the Danny McNaughton Cup.

Playing with a stiff breeze at their backs in the opening period, Antrim struggled to fully capitalize on their elemental advantage despite dictating much of the play. Instead, the Saffrons relied heavily on the dead-ball accuracy of Cody McGarry. The wing-back was in superb form from frees, providing the bulk of their early scores alongside efforts from Connlaodh McNaughton and Cahir McCloskey. This kept the scoreboard ticking over and ensured Antrim carried a 0-09 to 0-05 lead into the dressing rooms, with Wicklow’s Colin Lawrence keeping his side in touch with some accurate shooting of his own.

Upon the restart, the dynamic of the game completely changed. Wicklow stormed out of the blocks, with Lawrence and substitute Joe Keeshan hitting four unanswered points within six minutes to wipe out the deficit and draw level. Just as Wicklow looked like favourites to push on, Antrim showed tremendous character and flipped the script. In the eighth minute of the half, Cillian Cunning struck for Antrim’s first goal to halt Wicklow’s momentum. Three minutes later, Antrim captain Joe Casey added a second goal in somewhat fortunate circumstances, slipping as he struck the ball but managing to deceive Ross Weld in the Wicklow net.

The game opened up into a frantic final quarter as both sides traded points. Antrim struck a massive blow in the twenty-first minute of the half when Connlaodh McNaughton fetched a high catch and buried a superb third goal for the Saffrons. Wicklow refused to go away quietly, and a twenty-seventh-minute goal from Jim O’Brien brought them right back into the contest. However, Antrim had the final say deep into injury time. In the thirty-third minute, Ronan Elliott finished off a slick team move with Antrim’s fourth goal, extinguishing any lingering Wicklow hopes and sealing a memorable victory.

Antrim Scorers (4-14)

• Connlaodh McNaughton: 1-6 (0-3 from frees)
• Cody McGarry: 0-6 (0-6 from frees)
• Cillian Cunning: 1-0
• Joe Casey: 1-0
• Ronan Elliott: 1-0
• Cahir McCloskey: 0-1
• Jude Gamble: 0-1

Wicklow Scorers (1-13)

• Colin Lawrence: 0-10 (0-6 from frees)
• Jim O’Brien: 1-1
• Joe Keeshan: 0-2
• Taylor Ryan: 0-1

Antrim

Bainisteoir: Dominic McKinley

Starting 15:

1. Aidan Johnston
2. Matthew O’Neill
3. Oran Baudant
4. Cormac Bailey
5. Cody McGarry
6. Lorcan Murtagh
7. Lorcan Martin
8. Cahir McErlean
9. Gerard Delaney
10. Jude Gamble
11. Joe Casey (C)
12. Cahir McCloskey
13. Cillian Cunning
14. Connlaodh McNaughton
15. Ronan Elliott

Fir Ionaid (Substitutes): 16. Sean Vasille 17. Ruairi McIlhatton 18. Seán Cunningham 19. Cillain Carabine 20. Damian Laverty 21. Daire Rainey 22. Peadar Doherty 23. Conan Digney 24. Rian Laverty

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Wicklow

Bainisteoir: Liam Kavanagh

Starting 15:

1. Ross Weld
2. Niall Eglington
3. John Lynch
4. Kevin Murphy
5. Taylor Ryan
6. Sean Byrne
7. Oisin Fanning
8. Nicky Ryan
9. Tomas Darcy
10. Aodhán Heaney
11. Conor O’Toole
12. Daniel Duffy
13. Jim O’Brien
14. Bill Connors
15. Colin Lawrence

Fir Ionaid (Substitutes): 16. Robert Cowman 17. Joe Keeshan 18. Kalem Buckley 19. Zak Windsor 20. Sean Byrne 21. Peter Mooty Monaghan 22. James Dragusin 23. Dylan Rooney 24. Donnacha Clarke 25. Nathan Gough 26. DJ Williams 27. Rian Kennedy 28. Callum Jordan Dempsey 29. Paul Farrell

TO SEE MORE OF DYLAN’S PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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