Antrim Hurling League Division 2
Cloughmills 2-10 Cushendun 1-20
Report and pics by Micky Morgan
Going into this Division 2 Antrim Hurling League fixture at Fr Leonard Park, most pundits were anticipating a rather one-sided contest between table-topping Cushendun Emmet’s and a struggling St Brigid’s Cloughmills side. However, the game overseen by referee Fiontan McCotter proved to be anything but straightforward for the league leaders. It ultimately took a strong finish to both halves for the visitors to secure the points and avoid a major upset on the road.
The home side started brightly, defying expectations when James O’Boyle opened the scoring in the second minute. Cushendun quickly settled with points from Conlaoth ‘Loaf’ McNeill and Connor McHugh, but Cloughmills struck a major blow in the ninth minute when James Doherty fired to the net. The Emmet’s response was immediate, with Colm McKeegan raising a green flag of his own just a minute later to swing the momentum back. The visitors then began to dictate the pace, tagging on points through Loaf, Shane McQuillan, McKeegan, and Pierce Bannon to build a solid lead. Cloughmills remained fiercely competitive, however, and a brilliant sideline cut from Michael Devlin was soon followed by a Stephen Smith goal in the 25th minute to keep the hosts right in the mix. True to the pattern of the game, Cushendun rallied just before the break. A flurry of late first-half scores from McHugh, Loaf McNeill, and Callam Kilgore ensured the Emmet’s took a 1-11 to 2-05 lead into the dressing rooms.
The second half continued in a similarly tense vein. Connor McHugh extended the Emmet’s lead straight from the restart, though Michael Devlin quickly replied with a free for the hosts. The sides essentially went score for score through the middle third of the half. Loaf was highly dependable from placed balls for the visitors, while McHugh continued to consistently trouble the home defense. Cloughmills simply refused to lie down, keeping the scoreboard ticking over with a spirited point from Dara Waterson and a quickfire brace from Conor Laverty. When Devlin slotted another free in the 28th minute, it left the score at 1-17 to 2-10, meaning just four points separated the sides as normal time elapsed.
With the game hanging in the balance and an upset still a distinct possibility heading into injury time, Cushendun drew on their league-leading pedigree to finally put the contest to bed. Conor ‘Smiley’ McHugh stepped up when his team needed him most, taking complete control of the dying minutes. He fired over three crucial points in the 31st, 33rd, and 35th minutes—the final one coming from a free—to finally break Cloughmills’ resistance. Those late interventions secured a hard-fought 1-20 to 2-10 victory for the Emmet’s, leaving them with a seven-point winning margin that perhaps didn’t fully reflect just how hard they had to work for it.
Cushendun (Total: 1-20)
- Connor McHugh: 0-09 (1 free)
- Conlaoth McNeill: 0-07 (5 frees)
- Colm McKeegan: 1-01
- Shane McQuillan: 0-01
- Pierce Bannon: 0-01
- Callam Kilgore: 0-01
St Brigid’s Cloughmills (Total: 2-10)
- Michael Devlin: 0-04 (2 frees, 1 sideline cut)
- James Doherty: 1-01
- Stephen Smith: 1-00
- Conor Laverty: 0-02
- James O’Boyle: 0-01
- Ryan McFarlane: 0-01
- Dara Waterson: 0-01
- TO SEE MORE OF MICKY MORGAN’S PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
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