Antrim Hurling League Division 2

Shane O’Neill’s 2-16 St Gall’s 1-19

Report and pics by Pete Hyndman

Shane O’Neill’s Glenarm and visitors St Gall’s shared the points in Sunday’s Division 2 League game at Feystown in an exciting and well contested encounter. The home team appeared to be in deep trouble when they trailed by seven points at half time, but they fought back well in the second half to earn a share of the points.

Glenarm’s Darren Hamill hit the first score after two minutes from a free, a moment later the visitors’ Cormac Sheehan levelled the game. Another early free was punished again by Hamill before St Galls player Mark Napier slotted over a point.
In a eight minute purple patch for the visitors they hit Glenarm with 1-04 without a reply. Greg Mc Greevy struck a 90 yard point, with Napier hitting another free and Anthony Healy slotting over a fine score. Fergus Donnelly hit a white flag effort also before a neat move resulted in Mc Greevy breaking the Glenarm defence and driving the ball beyond the Glenarm keeper for a 1-06 to 0-02 lead.
Glenarm’s number one free taker Darren Hamill was called upon to rifle over 2 points to try and eat into the visitors lead.
A few minutes later the Milltown boys won the sliotar on 2 occasions round the middle of the pitch and added scores from Sheehan and Healy. Aaron Mackel working at corner back found space and he charged up the field and drove over a nice score.
The Feystown boys needed a lift and after stealing a ball Ben O Boyle found space to send a pile driver to the corner of Kurtis Mc Greevy’s net……GAME ON.

Unfortunately further points from Napier, Fergie Donnelly and Greg Mc Greevy cancelled out Glenarm’s green flag effort.
At the close of the first half Darren Hamill drove over another point.

HALF-TIME GLENARM 1-05 ST GALLS 1-12

After the short whistle both team emerged from the pavillion and Glenarm got stuck into reducing the 7 point deficit!!
Barely six seconds in and Aidan Scullion found the freedom of the pitch to charge forward and split the uprights. Darren Hamill also added to his tally when he scored a lovely long distance point which pleased the home support. He also pointed a 34th minute free. Not to be outdone by his team mate, Aidan Scullion floated over a 55 yard effort.
Tomas O Ciarain hit St Galls first score in the second half on 40 minutes.

After a couple of passages of play with both teams shooting aimlessly wides, Aidan Scullion lobbed in a sideline cut to the St Galls box and recently introduced sub Daniel “Magic” Black jumped up and flicked the ball into the Milltown boys goals, for Glenarms second major of this tight tussle.
Darren Hamill rose to the occasion and again with pin point accuracy hit a free over the Bog Meadows teams bar, which woke up the home support and applauded Hamill who levelled this epic battle.
After trailing for over 35 minutes play, the hosts took the lead as Niall Mc Garel gathered the ball and zipped a rasper over the bar. Dylan Mc Laughlin bounced off two St Galls markers and drilled over a score. Dan Black added to Glenarms tally and struck a point for a 3 point lead.

Between the 53rd and 57th minutes Mark Napier for the visitors found himself in loads of space and slotted over 2 points from play and also converted two frees to take a solitary point lead.
In the closing stages the scores came thick and fast with both teams trying to establish a winning score.
Niall Rodgers for the hosts lashed a point over to level this match before Napier pointed again. It was real tit for tat stuff now, as Hamill slotted a free. only for Gregory Mc Greevy to point going into injury time.
Straight from a quick poc-out from Michael Abram who found Dylan Mc Laughlin in space, he repelled a tackle and dispatched the sliotar with accuracy right over the black spot to earn a share of the spoils in this classic encounter.

Shane Uí Neills
Michael Abram, Sean Mc Dermott, Barry Hamill, Michael Fury, Conal Ward, John Scullion, Ryan Mc Loughlin, Dylan McLaughlin 0-02 , Aidan Scullion 0-02, Ben O Boyle 1-00, Niall Mc Garel 0-02, Liam O Neill, Paddy Mc Auley, Darren Hamill0-01 -08f, Rory Mulvenna.
Subs.
Niall Rogers 23 mins, 0-01, Dan Black 38 mins, 1-01, Ryan O Boyle, Liam Mulvenna, Aidan O Neill, Declan Mc Dermott.

St Galls
Kurtis Mc Greevy, Oran Mc Ilhatton, Ewan Rush, Eoghan Mc Curdy, Aaron Mackel, Joseph Mc Daniel, Patrick Friel, Jack Hopkins, Gregory Mc Greevy 1-04, Fergus Donnelly 0-02, Anthony Healy 0-02, Tomas O Ciarain 0-01, Cormac Sheehan 0-02, Niall Fallon, Mark Napier 0-05, 03 f.

REITEOÍR Fergus Mc Allister Ruairi Og.

TO SEE MORE OF PETE HYNDMAN PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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