North Antrim Minor Hurling – Darragh Cup
Loughgiel Shamrocks 2-22 Ballycastle McQuillan’s 0-10
Last year’s beaten finalists Loughgiel Shamrocks delivered a commanding performance to defeat Ballycastle McQuillan’s by 2-22 to 0-10 in the Darragh Cup Minor Hurling preliminary round, played in excellent conditions at Fr Healy Park, Loughgiel on Friday evening. The Shamrocks dictated the tempo for the vast majority of the contest, driven by standout performances from Joe Deery, Liam McGarry, and Cian Higgins. Ballycastle struggled for consistency early on and looked out of sorts in the opening half, ultimately leaving themselves with too steep a mountain to climb against a sharp home outfit.
Loughgiel opened the game brightly with a string of early scores to put the visitors on the back foot. Ballycastle eventually settled into the contest and managed to reduce the deficit to a single point by the 12th minute. However, the Shamrocks responded emphatically when Joe Deery found the net for their first goal. Cian Higgins compounded Ballycastle’s troubles by striking for another goal in the 17th minute, though Ballycastle goalkeeper Ruairi McShane did exceptionally well to pull off a strong save shortly after to prevent a third. Loughgiel kept the pressure firmly applied, with Deery pointing a free in the 18th minute and Higgins following up with another score to stretch their lead to 1-7 to 0-4. Deery added another free on 20 minutes, and Liam McGarry struck a fine point from play right before the whistle, sending Loughgiel into the half-time break with a comfortable 1-9 to 0-4 advantage.
The second half began with Ballycastle attempting to mount a comeback as Peter Laverty pointed an early free. Loughgiel, however, easily absorbed the pressure and quickly reasserted their dominance. Dylan O’Boyle registered a point on 37 minutes, and Deery converted another free shortly after to make it 1-11 to 0-5. Ballycastle showed a glimpse of resistance when Liam McGee scored from play, followed immediately by another point from Laverty. Any lingering hopes of a Ballycastle revival were swiftly extinguished by the hosts. McGarry answered with a free and Caolan McCollum fired over an excellent point in the to keep the scoreboard moving.
As the game entered its closing stages, substitute Joe Casey struck a crucial blow, raising a green flag in the 58th minute to effectively kill the tie and push the lead out further. The Shamrocks kept their foot on the pedal until the very end. McGarry tapped over a free in the 59th minute, which was quickly followed by a beautifully worked team point. Higgins then showcased his striking ability with a massive long-range point, and McGarry converted yet another free on 64 minutes. While Laverty managed one final late consolation free for Ballycastle, Higgins fittingly had the last word, clipping over a final point to cap off a comprehensive victory for Loughgiel.
Loughgiel: 1 Cody McGarry, 2 JJ McGarry, 3 Eunan Johnston, 4 Padraig McNulty, 5 Liam Smyth, 6 Domhnall McKay, 7 Corin McCullough, 8 Liam McGarry, 9 Joe McFadden, 10 Joe Deery, 11 Logan McConville, 12 Conor McCann, 13 Caolan McCollum, 14 Dylan OBoyle, 15 Cian Higgins.
Ballycastle: 1 Ruairi McShane, 2 Cillian O’Connor, 3 Oran Baudant, 4 Peter Campbell, 5 Ruairi Laverty, 6 Oisin Donnelly, 7 Ronan McBride, 8 Peter Laverty, 9 Cormac Scanlon, 10 Sean McHenry, 11 Luke Connolly, 12 Cormac McGhee, 13 Ben Woodhouse, 14 Liam McGee, 15 Patrick McCaughan.
Referee – Deaglan Carey (Con Magees)
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