McAuley Cup – Senior Hurling
Cushendall 4-19 Dunloy 3-12
Ruairí Óg Cushendall have once again collected the McAuley Cup after a commanding 4-19 to 3-12 victory over Cúchullains Dunloy in the traditional pre-season tournament hosted by the Armoy Club. While both sides came into the fixture understrength due to senior and under-20 county commitments, Dunloy felt the absences more acutely. Cushendall capitalized on this, along with a strong first-half breeze, to build an unassailable 15-point lead by half-time, laying the foundation for their victory before weathering a spirited Dunloy comeback in the second half.
Cushendall burst out of the blocks with the wind at their backs, establishing dominance from the first whistle. Nicholas McLaughlin opened the scoring from play just over two minutes in, sparking a relentless wave of Ruairí Óg attacks. Joseph McNaughton quickly established himself as a sharpshooter, converting from both a ’65 and multiple frees to keep the scoreboard ticking. The story of the first half, however, was Cushendall’s full-forward Sean McAfee. He was in devastating form, terrorizing the Dunloy full-back line to net a brilliant first-half hat-trick. His goals in the 8th, 17th, and 23rd minutes effectively put the game to bed before the interval. Dunloy struggled to gain a foothold against the breeze, though their brightest spark, Ciarán Elliott, managed to breach the Cushendall defense for a 19th-minute goal and followed it up quickly with a point. Despite Elliott’s efforts, Cushendall went into the dressing rooms with a commanding 3-10 to 1-1 advantage.
To their credit, Dunloy emerged for the second half determined to restore some pride. With the elements now in their favor, they immediately launched a comeback effort, rattling off four consecutive points in the opening three minutes, including well-taken scores from Elliott and Jack Martin. Just as Dunloy looked to be building momentum, Cushendall’s Fergus McCambridge stepped up. McCambridge traded points with Dunloy’s Aodhan McGarry before breaking Dunloy hearts with a crucial goal in the 40th minute, restoring a massive lead for his side and halting the Dunloy surge.
The final twenty minutes devolved into an open, high-scoring shootout. Dunloy continued to fight hard, finding the back of the net twice more and picking up steady points through frees. However, Cushendall’s experienced heads managed the game exceptionally well. McNaughton remained flawless from dead balls to finish with a massive personal tally of nine points, McCambridge added 1-3 from play, and late points from Padraig McKillop and McLaughlin ensured the gap remained comfortable. Ciarán Elliott finished an impressive shift as Dunloy’s top scorer with 1-4, but the early deficit was simply too large to overcome as Cushendall comfortably claimed the silverware.
Cúchullains Dun Lathaí (Dunloy)
- Paul Doherty
- Sean Óg Blaney
- Oran Quinn
- Daire McMullan
- Padraig McGilligan
- Jack Martin
- Aodhan McGarry
- Francis McMullan
- Ciaran Elliott
- Conor Mort
- Karl O’Kane
- Aidan Richmond
- Cathair McCloskey
- Charlie Cunning
- Emmett McKendry
- Joseph Magee
- Jack McKeever
- Caolan McFerran
- Daithi Cree
- Paudraig McColgan
Ruairí Óg (Cushendall)
- Conor McAlister
- Aodhán Campbell
- Martin Burke
- Michael Quinn
- Austin Birt
- Stephen Walsh
- Alex McCambridge
- Padraig McKillop
- Darach Bradley
- Edward McQuillan
- Joseph McNaughton
- Fergus McCambridge
- Nicholas McLaughlin
- Sean McAfee
- Ciaran Neeson
- Ruairi Sharpe
- Ryan McAuley
- Fintan McKillop
- Neil McManus
- Killian McNaughton
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