Minor Hurling League Division 1

Ruairí Óg, Cushendall 5-12 Oisín Magee Gaels 1-12

Venue: Páirc Mhuire, Cushendall

PICS BY SEAN TROWLEN

A breathtaking four-goal haul from star man Conlaodh McNaughton powered Ruairí Óg, Cushendall to a convincing victory over Oisín Magee Gaels in this Minor Hurling League Division 1 clash at Páirc Mhuire.

Despite the commanding final scoreline, this was a game of two distinct halves. The visiting combination side of Glenariffe Oisin and Glenravel Con Magees utilized a strong breeze to their advantage in the opening period, causing real problems for the home defence before Cushendall clicked into a different gear.

Both sides traded early wides as they settled into the contest before Nicholas McLaughlin opened the scoring for Cushendall with a free in the fourth minute. However, backed by the wind, the Gaels quickly found their rhythm. Oisín Gillan leveled the game with a fine point before rattling the back of the net just two minutes later to give the visitors a 1-01 to 0-01 lead.

Canice McIntosh stretched their advantage with a well-taken score, but Cushendall struck back at the 16-minute mark when Conlaodh McNaughton fired home his first goal of the day.

Oisín Magees continued to press, with McIntosh deadly from placed balls, keeping his side ahead 1-04 to 1-02 as the half drew to a close. But the momentum shifted dramatically in the final minutes before the whistle. McNaughton struck for his second goal at the 28-minute mark, instantly followed by a McLaughlin free and a point from McNaughton himself. That late 1-02 blitz turned a deficit into a 2-04 to 1-04 lead for Ruairí Óg at the interval.

If the visitors were hoping to reset at halftime, their hopes were dashed within 60 seconds of the restart. McNaughton burst through to complete his hat-trick in the very first minute, effectively breaking Oisín Magees’ resistance. Jake Laffan quickly added a point to extend the gap to seven.

To their credit, the visitors kept fighting. Oisín Gillan, Conol Boyd, and Canice McIntosh all raised white flags to keep the scoreboard ticking, but they simply had no answer for McNaughton. The Ruairí Óg talisman knocked over two quick points before securing his fourth goal of the game in the 38th minute, pushing the score out to 4-07 to 1-07.

From there, the home side comfortably dictated the terms of engagement. Nicholas McLaughlin and Jake Laffan kept the umpires busy with well-taken points, while Oisín Gillan battled hard at the other end to grab a couple of consolation scores, including a free.

The game grew slightly more physical in the final ten minutes, resulting in yellow cards for a few players. However, Ruairí Óg had the final say when Jayden Kinney McNaughton found the net in the 55th minute to cap off a brilliant second-half team performance.

• Star Man: Conlaodh McNaughton (Ruairí Óg) – An unplayable 4-04 from play.
• Turning Point: Cushendall’s 1-02 scoring burst in the final two minutes of the first half, which wrestled the lead away from Oisín/Magee just as they looked to be heading into the break on top.
• Key Scorers (Ruairí Óg): Conlaodh McNaughton (4-04), Nicholas McLaughlin (0-05), Jake Laffan (0-03), Jayden (1-00).
• Key Scorers (Oisín/Magee): Oisín Gillan (1-04), Canice McIntosh (0-05), Conol Boyd (0-01).

Ruairí Óg

 1. Shane Coulter, 2. Charlie McAlister, 3. Paddy Morgan, 4. Cormac Burke, 5. Sean McAuley, 6. Conor McCann, 7. Callum Quinn, 8. Rian Laverty, 9. Shane McQuillan, 10. Jayden Kinney McNaughton, 11. Nicholas McLaughlin, 12. Conall Óg Trainor, 13. Jake Laffan, 14. Connlaodh McNaughton, and 15. Cahir McCambridge.

Oisin Magee Gaels 1. Benjamin Duncan, 4. Charlie Dunne, 5. Carter Kerr-McKillop, 6. Ronan Magee, 7. Niall Montgomery, 8. Dara Ward, 9. Odhran Kerr, 10. Niall McKeown, 11. Cadhan Graham, 12. Conall Boyd, 13. Dara Higgins

TO SEE MORE OF SEAN TROWLEN’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/ZXu7K2AESszTTK/?invite=b6198c7d-5d42-4648-a8b7-4c92dcde956c

In the other games in Division 1 of the Minor League Dunloy beat Ballycastle 3-12 to 2-13 in Ballycastle, Loughgiel beat Rossa by 4-14 to 1-14 at Rossa Park, St Paul’s beat St John’s 0-23 to 1-15 at Corrigan Park while Sarsfields beat Gort na Mona beat Sarsfields by 4-11 to 2-26 in a real thriller at Enright Park.

If you are involved with your club’s minor team and would like coverage of their games get someone to do a match report and send it to john.mcilwaine@yahoo.co.uk