Antrim Hurling League – Division 1
Venue: Páirc MacUílín, Ballycastle
Final Score: Ballycastle 1-16 | St. John’s 1-15
Ballycastle withstood a late rally by visitors St John’s to securea hard-fought 1-16 to 1-15 victory over the county champions in a tightly contested All County Hurling League Division One clash, to record their second consecutive win of the campaign.
The game began with high energy as Ballycastle’s Niall McClean opened the scoring. St. John’s were quick to respond, with their sharpshooter Oisin MacManus immediately leveling the game. The early stages were a tight affair, with Ballycastle’s Seamus McAuley trading points with the St. John’s attack to keep the sides deadlocked at 0-2 apiece.
Ballycastle began to find their rhythm as McAuley capitalized on a series of frees to build a lead. The pivotal moment of the first half came following a strong, flowing team move that culminated in a crucial goal from Tiernan Smyth. Smyth quickly followed up with a point from play, putting St. John’s on the back foot.
However, the county champions showed their resilience. MacManus kept St. John’s well within striking distance, punishing Ballycastle’s indiscretions with multiple successful frees, cutting the deficit to a single point at various stages. However late first-half points from Conor Donnelly and Niall McAuley gave Ballycastle some breathing room, sending them into the halftime break with a 1-9 to 0-9 advantage.
Ballycastle started the second half exactly as they finished the first. Seamus McAuley fired over two quick points to set the tone, and another well-worked move allowed Tiernan Smyth to add to his tally. When Niall McAuley raised another white flag, Ballycastle had stretched their lead to six points (1-13 to 0-10) and looked firmly in control.
St. John’s, however, refused to lie down. Oisin MacManus continued his masterclass from dead balls, methodically chipping away at the Ballycastle lead. In response, Diarmaid McShane and the ever-reliable Seamus McAuley landed crucial scores to keep the hosts ahead as the game entered its twilight.
The momentum violently swung back to the visitors in the 31st minute when St. John’s were awarded and converted a vital penalty goal, Shea Shannon stepping up to the mark to fire home, and when McManus followed it with yet another free, suddenly bringing the deficit down to the bare minimum.
Despite intense late pressure from the champions, the Ballycastle defense held firm in the dying moments. The final whistle sounded to the relief of the home crowd, sealing a dramatic one-point victory for Mac Uilín CLG and making it two wins from two starts.
Teams
| # | Ballycastle McQuillans | St. John’s |
| 1 | Eamonn Elliott | Simon Doherty |
| 2 | Oran Kearney | Michael Dudley |
| 3 | Eoin McAlonan | Ciaran Johnston |
| 4 | Conal Colgan | Sean Boyle |
| 5 | Ardan Kelly | Ronan Donnelly |
| 6 | Conor Boal | Enda McGurk |
| 7 | Cathair Donnelly | Lorcan McCallin |
| 8 | Niall McClean | Sean Wilson |
| 9 | Reuben McClean | Caomhan Mooney |
| 10 | Darragh Kelly | Michael Bradley |
| 11 | Seamus McAuley | Shea Shannon |
| 12 | Niall McAuley | Oisin MacManus |
| 13 | Conor Donnelly | Donall Carson |
| 14 | Tiernan Smyth | Aaron Bradley |
| 15 | Diarmaid McShane | Ruairi Galbraith |
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