Darragh Cup – North Antrim Under 17 Hurling
Cuchullains Dunloy 2-24 Ruairí Óg Cushendall 1-16
A breathtaking scoring display from Jay McAlonan, coupled with a dominant second-half surge, saw Cuchullains Dunloy overturn an early deficit to book their place in the Darragh Cup final with a 2-24 to 1-16 victory over Ruairí Óg Cushendall at Pearse Park.
If the final scoreline suggests a comfortable evening for the young Cuchullains, the opening exchanges told a very different story. Cushendall exploded out of the blocks, playing some great hurling in the first ten minutes to race into a 0-07 to no-score lead. Nicholas McLaughlin was absolutely flawless from placed balls, while Oliver Mooney, Cahir McCambridge, and Jake Laffan all raised early white flags from play to leave Dunloy shell-shocked.
It took twelve minutes for Dunloy to finally get off the mark, courtesy of a ’65 from their talisman, Jay McAlonan. That score settled the home side, and they began to claw their way back into the contest. They relied heavily on McAlonan’s dead-ball accuracy to keep them in touch, while Anthony Og Cochrane chipped in with two fine points from play. Cushendall kept the scoreboard ticking over nicely, largely through the unerring free-taking of McLaughlin, who hit eight points in the first period alone to send the Ruairí Óg lads into the dressing room with a deserved 0-12 to 0-09 half-time lead.
Whatever was said in the Dunloy huddle at the break certainly did the trick. They emerged for the second half with renewed intensity and methodically set about dismantling the Cushendall advantage.
McAlonan picked up right where he left off, striking a flurry of frees and a ’65, alongside a great point from play, to draw the sides level by the 42nd minute. The momentum had entirely swung. A pivotal moment came when substitute Eanna McGuckian was introduced for Ollie McClements. McGuckian made an immediate, massive impact, and after Dunloy had edged into a four-point lead, he struck for the game’s opening goal in the 48th minute to make it 1-18 to 0-15.
To their credit, Cushendall refused to throw in the towel. After another McAlonan free and a point from McGuckian stretched the Dunloy lead, Donncha Laverty found the back of the net for Ruairí Óg on 56 minutes, breathing brief life into a potential comeback at 1-21 to 1-16.
However, Dunloy finished incredibly strong to put the result beyond any doubt. Substitutes Odhran Boyle and the impressive James McGarry added their names to the scoresheet before McAlonan capped off an unbelievable personal tally of 1-16 by raising a green flag deep into injury time. Even Dunloy goalkeeper Damian McMahon got in on the act, stepping up to slot a final free right at the death to seal a commanding 2-24 to 1-16 win.
Dunloy now march on to the Darragh Cup final, with old rivals Loughgiel.
MATCH STATS
Cuchullains Dunloy:
- Damian McMahon (0-01, 1f)
- Seamus McMullan
- Joseph Doherty
- Ronan Black
- Ruairi Blaney
- Eunan Curry
- Jack McQuillan
- Aaron Doherty
- Ollie McClements
- John Ferguson
- James McGarry (0-01)
- PJ Molloy
- Jay McAlonan (1-16, 12f, 2 ’65s)
- Anthony Og Cochrane (0-02) Subs used/Scorers: Eanna McGuckian (1-01), Odhran Boyle (0-01), Padraic O’Neill/Padai O’Kane (0-01), Unidentified No. 10 (0-01).
Ruairí Óg Cushendall:
- Shane Coulter
- Sean McAuley
- Paddy Morgan
- Charlie McAlister
- Rian Laverty
- Conor McCann
- Callum Quinn
- Nicholas McLaughlin (0-11, 9f)
- Shane McQuillan
- Jayden Kinney McNaughton
- Donncha Laverty (1-00)
- Jake Laffan (0-01)
- Oliver Mooney (0-02)
- Connlaodh McNaughton (0-01)
- Cahir McCambridge (0-01)
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