Under 16 A Hurling
Cushendall 3-21 Loughgiel – 2-19
PICS BY SEAN TROWLEN
In a thrilling encounter on Thursday evening, Ruairí Óg Cushendall secured their place in the McMullan Cup final following a stunning 3-21 to 2-19 victory over Loughgiel at Pairc Mhuire. The clash was an end-to-end battle from the outset, overseen by referee Shane McDonnell. Loughgiel struck first, with Cody McGarry finding the range just 40 seconds into the contest, but Cushendall responded almost immediately through Lorcán McNaughton. After early wides from both sides, Cushendall began to dictate the pace. Successive points from Ruairí Delargy, a second from Lorcán McNaughton, and Tiernan McKeegan pushed the home side into a 0-4 to 0-1 lead by the five-minute mark. Loughgiel quickly composed themselves, as Joe Casey notched a point before firing a crucial goal to put his team back in front following a point from Cushendall’s Connlaodh McNaughton. Connlaodh McNaughton and Harry Blaney then swung the momentum back in the hosts’ favour with two well-taken points. However, Loughgiel’s attack proved clinical as Cathair McCloskey slotted a point before Joe Casey rattled the net for his second goal of the half, giving the visitors a 2-3 to 0-7 lead. For the remainder of the first half, Loughgiel maintained their advantage. Points from McCloskey, Cody McGarry, Damian Laverty, and Ronan McGarry kept the scoreboard ticking over, successfully neutralizing the free-taking of Connlaodh McNaughton and a point from Tiernan McKeegan. As the half-time whistle blew, Loughgiel held a deserved 2-09 to 0-10 lead.
The second half opened with Cushendall showing renewed determination, instantly eating into the deficit with three quick-fire points in the opening two minutes from Connlaodh McNaughton, Tiernan McKeegan, and Lorcán McNaughton. Loughgiel halted the slide temporarily as Damian Laverty and Cody McGarry landed important points to keep their team ahead. A Connlaodh McNaughton free for Cushendall was swiftly cancelled out by points from Joe Casey and Aidan Barr-Laverty, giving Loughgiel a 2-14 to 0-14 lead heading towards the final quarter. However, the game turned on its head when Connlaodh McNaughton drove a free into the back of the Loughgiel net, followed shortly by another pointed free to close the gap to just two points. Cody McGarry stemmed the tide briefly with a free for Loughgiel, but Cushendall’s Rian Laverty found his range with a free of his own, sparking a relentless finish from the home side.
The closing ten minutes saw Cushendall take complete control. Damian Laverty added another point for Loughgiel, but it was immediately answered by a stunning goal from Connlaodh McNaughton, leveling the game at 2-16 apiece. Although Cody McGarry and Damian Laverty edged Loughgiel back in front with late points, Cushendall were not to be denied. Rian Laverty equalized with a free before Lorcán McNaughton added a point and then struck for Cushendall’s third goal in the 57th minute, effectively killing the game off. As Loughgiel desperately searched for a way back, Rian Laverty punished their indiscipline with two more converted frees, sandwiching a final point from the outstanding Connlaodh McNaughton. The final whistle sounded with Ruairí Óg completing a remarkable second-half comeback to run out 3-21 to 2-19 winners.
The win sets up a final place at Feis na nGleann next weekend in Dunloy, against the winners of tonight’s (Fri) other semi-final between Dunloy and Ballycastle
Ruairí Óg
- Sevie Trowlen, 2. Thomas McGarry, 3. Joseph O’Hara, 4. Riley Steer, 5. Rian Laverty, 6. Sean McAuley, 7. Shayne Dorrity, 8. Connlaodh McNaughton, 9. Cabhan Mc Keegan, 10. Ruairi Delargy, 11. Harry Blaney, 12. Tiernan McKeegan, 13. Lorcán McNaughton, 14. Jayden Kinney McNaughton, 15. Oliver Mooney.
Na Seamróga
- Ciaran Hennessy, 2. Rian Moloney, 3. Liam McKee, 4. Martin Maynes, 5. Kevin og McGarry, 6. Aaron Gillan, 7. Oisin McCloskey, 8. Cahir McErlean, 9. Aidan Barr-Laverty, 10. Ronan McGarry, 11. Cody McGarry, 12. Cahir McCloskey, 13. Damian (Dee) Laverty, 14. Joe Casey, 15. Oisin McFadden.
TO SEE MORE OF SEAN TROWLEN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/Lp7H7TrnQBrue7/?invite=a072e4fa-8c21-46f7-ada4-f28cbee46c21