Antrim Senior Hurling League Division 1 at Corrigan Park
St John’s 1-18 Ballycastle 1-18
St John’s and Ballycastle played out a hard fought draw in the Antrim Senior Hurling League at Corrigan Park, in a match defined by wild momentum swings and injury-time heroics.
After squandering a seven-point first-half lead, St John’s needed an Oisin McManus ’65 in the dying seconds to salvage a point, but only after Ballycastle goalkeeper Eamonn Elliott produced a magnificent penalty save to deny the hosts a late victory.
The Corrigan Park men came out of the blocks firing, dictating the early pace to register the game’s first four points. Ronan “Rambo” McCarry finally got the Town on the scoreboard, but St John’s immediately replied. With Conor Johnston pulling the strings from the ’40’—on his way to an impressive 0-5 from play—and Oisin McManus keeping the scoreboard ticking over, St John’s pushed into a commanding 0-7 to 0-1 lead.
Trailing 0-8 to 0-2 after twenty minutes, Ballycastle desperately needed a foothold. Croisti McAuley stepped up to point a crucial free, which was quickly followed by a fine score from play by Niall McKenna. The Johnnies added another point to briefly stem the tide, but the momentum was shifting.
Niall McClean and another score from Rambo McCarry cut the gap to 0-9 to 0-6, before the game flipped on its head. Niall McKenna found space and blasted the sliotar to the St John’s net to bring the sides level. Riding the wave of the comeback, points from a McAuley and a Seamus McAuley free ensured Ballycastle took a narrow 1-8 to 0-10 lead into the dressing room at half-time.
The second half began as a tit-for-tat affair. St John’s levelled the match immediately upon the restart. Croisti McAuley edged Ballycastle back in front, but the Belfast men responded once more to lock the game at 12 points apiece (1-09 to 0-12).
St John’s then found another gear. A vital goal from Oisin Donnelly catapulted the home side into a four-point lead, making it 1-14 to 1-10.
Ballycastle, however, refused to lie down. Neal McAuley pulled a point back and McKenna added another to reduce the deficit to two. As the game entered the melting pot, St John’s held a slender 1-17 to 1-15 advantage, but Seamus McAuley stepped up to fire over two crucial points, restoring parity once again.
Deep into injury time, Conor Boyd looked to have completed a stunning turnaround for Ballycastle when he slotted over a point to give the visitors a 1-18 to 1-17 lead.
But the drama was far from over. In the dying moments, St John’s were awarded a penalty and a golden opportunity to snatch the win. Eamonn Elliott became the hero for Ballycastle, pulling off a spectacular save to Shea Shannon’s shot around the post. However, from the resultant ’65’, Oisin McManus held his nerve and split the posts, ensuring the sides shared the spoils at the final whistle.
St John’s Scorers:
- Oisin McManus (0-6)
- Conor Johnston (0-5)
- Oisin Donnelly (1-1)
- Shea Shannon (0-2)
- Ryan McNulty (0-2)
- Donal Carson (0-1)
- Ruairi Galbraith (0-1)