Antrim Hurling League – Division 1
Ballycastle 3-33 Ballygalget 1-10
Ballycastle McQuillans’ formidable start to the Senior Division 1 Hurling League campaign shows no signs of slowing down. They laid the groundwork for their fifth consecutive victory with a devastating opening 20-minute spell against Ballygalget, effectively putting the game to bed before the first quarter had fully concluded.
The Ards Peninsula men, making the long journey up to North Antrim to compete in the county leagues, were simply blown away by the hosts’ early intensity, pace, and clinical finishing.
Right from the throw-in, MacUilín signalled their intent. Diarmaid McShane opened the scoring with a well-taken point, which was quickly followed by a trademark free from the ever-reliable Seamy McAuley. The relentless early pressure paid massive dividends shortly after when Cadhan Crawford rattled the back of the net, giving the home side a 1-02 to 0-00 lead before Ballygalget could settle into the rhythm of the game.
The Ards men eventually managed to get on the board with a point, but it did little to stem the Black and Amber tide. McShane struck for Ballycastle’s second goal of the half to instantly kill off any building momentum from the visitors.
With the forwards clicking perfectly, the scores began to flow from all angles. Reuben McClean and Niall McClean both got their names on the scoresheet, raising white flags from play. Interspersed with another McAuley free, Ballycastle surged to a 2-06 to 0-01 advantage, the Ballygalget point coming from Cathal Coulter.
Even when Ballygalget managed back-to-back points through Michael Dorrian and Oisin Coulter to bring their tally to three, the McQuillans’ response was ruthless. A quick flurry of points from the dangerous attacking trio of McAuley, McShane, and Crawford stretched the lead even further to 2-10 to 0-03.
As the clock ticked toward the 20-minute mark, McAuley remained heavily involved, popping over two more points to keep the scoreboard ticking over. At 2-12 to 0-04 with just 20 minutes played, Ballycastle had built a14-point cushion. As half time approached the home side added four more points to their tally through Ronan McCarry, Seamus McAuley, Cadhán Crawford and Cathair Donnelly, while the visitors came back with a few of their own through Owen McDermot and Cathal Coulter (2) to leave the half time score Ballycaste 2-16 to 0-08
If Ballygalget harboured any hopes of a second-half fightback, they were immediately extinguished as right from the throw-in, Ballycastle went on the offensive, and “Rambo” McCarry made an instant impact by raising a green flag. This third goal for MacUilín pushed the scoreline out to 3-16 to 0-08 and effectively ended the match as a contest. With the result secured, Ballycastle’s forwards put on a shooting clinic, picking off points from all over the park. Cadhan Crawford and Diarmaid McShane kept their personal tallies ticking over with well-struck scores.
The relentless pressure yielded scores from both established marksmen and new contributors. Seamy McAuley continued his exceptional form with a pair of points from play, while Niall McClean and Ardan Kelly also split the posts.
As the half progressed, Conor Boyd injected further energy into the attack, floating over a fine point from play. Reuben McClean swiftly followed suit, pushing the scoreboard to a staggering 3-24 to 0-09.
To their credit, the Ards men kept battling despite the massive deficit. Their persistence finally paid off when their full-forward Daniel Tonery managed to breach the Ballycastle defence and fire home a goal, bringing their tally to 1-09
Ballycastle, however, had the final say in this segment of the game. Connor Donnelly got his name on the scoresheet with a point, and Conor Boyd capped off an excellent cameo by pointing for the second time. Overall another good win for the Town, though they will be well aware there are much tougher contests to come in the near future. However it is fair to say that five wins from five would have been above anyone’s expectations.
Ballycastle will face Down opposition again next time out when they travel to Portaferry next Friday evening, with a 7-45 throw-in.
Mac Uílín CLG: 1 Eamonn Elliott, 2 Oran Kearney, 3 Cian Baudant, 4 Conal Colgan, 5 Ardan Kelly, 6 Conor Boyd, 7 Eoin McAlonan, 8 Ronan Laverty, 9 Cathair Donnelly, 10 Reuben McClean, 11 Seamus McAuley, 12 Ronan McCarry, 13 Diarmaid McShane, 14 Cadhan Crawford, 15 Niall McClean.
Baile Mhic Uileagóid: 1 Eoin Clarke, 2 Michael Toner, 3 Conall Fay, 4 Conaire Monan, 5 Cian Clarke, 6 Ciaran Watson, 7 Caolan Coulter, 8 Eoin Pucci, 9 Cathal Coulter, 10 Owen McDermott, 11 Oisin Coulter, 12 Michael Dorrian, 13 Eoin Dorrian, 14 Daniel Toner, 15 Matthew Dorrian.