County League Division One
Cushendall 4-22 | St. John’s 1-16
The last time these two sides met, St. John’s caused a massive upset in the Antrim Senior Hurling semi-final, sending Ruairí Óg packing before marching on to capture the county title. Cushendall clearly had a long memory of that afternoon, as they delivered a ruthless and clinical performance to beat the reigning champions.
Right from the throw-in, Cushendall showed superior accuracy and a hunger. Scott Walsh opened their account inside ten seconds, setting the tempo for a blistering Ruairí Óg attack. St. John’s responded quickly with an Oisin MacManus free to level it up, but it wasn’t long before the Cushendall forwards began to find their rhythm. Thomas McLaughlin, Darach Bradley, and Edward McQuillan all raised white flags in quick succession to establish an early foothold.
St. John’s battled hard to stay in touch during the opening quarter, largely relying on the dead-ball accuracy of MacManus and a massive free from inside his own half by goalkeeper Domhnall Nugent. Further points from James Wilson, Donall Carson, and a long-range effort from Aaron Bradley kept the Belfast men ticking over.
However, Cushendall’s attacking unit was operating on another level. Joseph McLaughlin fired over a pair of fine scores, while Fiontan Bradley proved absolutely deadly, punishing any St. John’s indiscretions with a string of flawless frees and adding from play. Just as the half drew to a close, Ruairí Óg struck a decisive blow when Callagh Mooney found the back of the net, sending Cushendall into the break with a commanding 2-12 to 0-9 lead.
If St. John’s were hoping for a second-half reprieve, they didn’t get one. Mooney picked up exactly where he left off with a point straight from the restart. While Oisin MacManus continued his reliable work on the frees for the visitors, the Cushendall onslaught was relentless.
The game was effectively put to bed when Thomas McLaughlin carved through the St. John’s defence for a superb individual goal. From there, Cushendall began to showcase their shooting range. Ryan McCambridge took control around the middle third, effortlessly splitting the posts with three majestic long-range efforts within five minutes. Not to be outdone, Francis McCurry brought the crowd to life with an unbelievable strike from deep inside his own half.
St. John’s showed resilience despite the mounting deficit. Ruairi Galbraith managed a great individual point, and Adrian Downey added his name to the scoresheet, but they simply couldn’t match the intensity and precision of the home side. Fiontan Bradley added further gloss to the Cushendall tally by blasting a free to the net on the 48-minute mark.
Late scores from Darach Bradley and Thomas McLaughlin capped off a magnificent display of shooting. Cushendall were exceptional from distance and clinical in front of goal, laying down a serious marker for the rest of the season with a 4-22 to 1-16 victory.
Cushendall: 1. Conor McAlister, 2. Conor McCann, 3. Liam Gillan, 4. Francis McCurry, 5. Scott Walsh, 6. Ryan McCambridge, 7. Austin Birt, 8. Callagh Mooney, 9. Charlie McAuley, 10. Edward McQuillan, 11. Joseph McLaughlin, 12. Darach Bradley, 13. Oisin Woodhouse, 14. Thomas McLaughlin, 15. Fiontan Bradley.
St. John’s: 1. Domhnall Nugent, 2. Michael Darragh, 3. Conall Morgan, 4. Lorcan McCallin, 5. Ryan McNulty, 6. Enda McGurk, 7. Ronan Donnelly, 8. Caoimhin Hanna, 9. Aaron Bradley, 10. James Wilson, 11. Shea Shannon, 12. Oisin Donnelly, 13. Donall Carson, 14. Oisin MacManus, 15. Ruairi Galbraith.
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