Antrim Hurling League – Division 1
St Enda’s 3-18 (27) | Glenariffe Oisins 0-25 (25)
St Enda’s breathed life into their Division 1 survival hopes with a hard-fought, two-point victory over Glenariffe Oisins at Waterfoot. In this first fixture since the league split, the stakes could not have been higher. With only one win to their name prior to throw-in, defeat would have left St Enda’s with a mountain to climb.
Instead, their ability to find the back of the net proved the difference in a high-scoring shoot-out. The win moves St Enda’s level on four points with Ballygalget, throwing the relegation battle wide open. While a victory would have put the Oisins in a commanding position to secure safety, they remain nervously looking over their shoulders, sitting just two points above the bottom two.
The match opened at a frantic pace. Seanie McIntosh got the hosts on the board immediately with a point from play in the opening minute, but St Enda’s quickly settled. Cormac Jennings, who would prove lethal all afternoon, responded with a free and a point from play to give the visitors an early edge.
The first half settled into a rhythm of trading scores. Glenariffe relied heavily on the dead-ball accuracy of Alex O’Boyle, who flawlessly punished St Enda’s indiscipline, while Michael O’Boyle and Calum McIlwaine chipped in with fine scores from play. By the 25th minute, Alex O’Boyle’s fifth free of the half had the Oisins firmly in contention.
However, the turning point of the half arrived in the 26th minute. Following a sustained period of St Enda’s pressure, Luke O’Connor broke through the Oisins’ defensive line to rifle home the game’s first goal. Despite a late free from Alex O’Boyle to narrow the gap, St Enda’s took a narrow two-point advantage into the dressing room.
Half-time: St Enda’s 1-11 | Glenariffe Oisins 0-12
Glenariffe came out firing after the restart. Back-to-back points from Oliver Kearney and another Alex O’Boyle free briefly swung the momentum back to the home side. But St Enda’s response was ruthless.
In the 7th minute of the half, Luke O’Connor struck again, bagging his second goal from play to silence the Waterfoot crowd and restore the visitors’ cushion. St Enda’s capitalized on the shock, with Ruairi Donnaghy and Cian O’Connor quickly adding points from play to stretch the lead.
The Oisins refused to lie down. Alex O’Boyle orchestrated a mid-half revival, slotting over four frees in an eight-minute spell, complemented by scores from Michael O’Boyle and McIlwaine. As the game entered the final ten minutes, the tension was palpable.
The decisive blow landed in the 22nd minute. A foul in the square awarded St Enda’s a penalty, and Cormac Jennings stepped up to bury it past the keeper, bringing his personal tally to an immense 1-8 for the day.
Glenariffe pushed hard in the closing stages. Canice McIntosh and Colla Ward found the target from play, and Alex O’Boyle tapped over his 13th free of the match. However, late insurance points from St Enda’s Eoin Conlon, Christopher Roberts, and Jennings ensured the Glengormley men held on for a vital lifeline in their season.
St Enda’s: Cormac Jennings (1-8: 1-0 pen, 0-4f, 0-1 ’65’, 0-3 ), Luke O’Connor (2-5: 2-2, 0-3f).
Glenariffe Oisins: Alex O’Boyle (0-13: 0-13f), Michael O’Boyle (0-3), Canice McIntosh (0-3 ), Callum McIlwaine 0-02, Michael Kearney 0-02