JP Corry Under 21 Hurling Championship
Ballycastle 5-19 Rossa 1-13
Pics by David Humphreys Photography
Ballycastle MacUilin secured their place in the semi-finals of the Antrim Under 21 Hurling Championship with a commanding 5-19 to 1-13 victory over O’Donovan Rossa at Pairc MacUilin. Ballycastle exploded out of the blocks from the throw-in, with Conor Donnelly opening the scoring for The Town with a well-taken point. Moments later, the energetic Darragh Kelly burst through the Rossa defence and fired a low shot into the net, giving Ballycastle a dream start. Corey Walsh responded for Rossa, getting the visitors on the board with their opening point. However, Ballycastle’s momentum was uninterrupted. Cousins Conor and Daragh Donnelly added excellent scores, extending the home side’s lead to 1-03 to 0-01 just six minutes into the contest. The pressure continued to mount on the Rossa backline, culminating in a brilliant strike from Matthew Donnelly, who drilled the ball into the corner of the net for Ballycastle’s second goal.
Ballycastle’s dominance was reflected across the pitch as Darragh Kelly utilized his pace to add another point from play, and half-back Oisin Donnelly showcased great transition play, racing forward from defence to slot over a fine point. Daragh Donnelly hit a long-range effort, followed closely by another point from Conor Donnelly. Rossa fought hard to stay in touch before the break, hitting back with a pair of points from Liam McEnhill. The visitors relied on frees from their dead-ball specialist the as McEnhill, who handled these duties, kept the scoreboard ticking over. However scores from Darragh Kelly, Daragh Donnelly, Conor Donnelly, and Cathair Donnelly ensured Ballycastle went into the dressing rooms with a commanding 2-11 to 0-06 lead.
On the restart Ballycastle picked up exactly where they left off in the first half. Conor Donnelly kept the scoreboard ticking with a beautifully struck point from a 65, which was quickly followed by a devastating blow to Rossa’s comeback hopes, as Darragh Kelly found the back of the net for his second goal of the evening. Conor Donnelly then hit a purple patch, rattling off a quick 1-1 to effectively put the game to bed. Darragh Kelly continued to torment the Rossa rearguard, adding two more points either side of a solitary Rossa response. To their credit, Rossa kept fighting until the end, and they were rewarded when Joseph Mulholland breached the Ballycastle defence for a well-deserved goal, bringing a brief spark to the visiting side.
Both teams traded scores as the half progressed, with Cathair Donnelly and Darragh Kelly keeping MacUilin comfortably ahead. Heading into the closing stages, another Darragh Kelly point preceded a clinical finish from Cormac Scanlan, who capitalised on a breaking ball and pulled it to the net to make it 5-18 to 1-13. Fittingly, it was Conor Donnelly who had the final say, splitting the posts with a point from play before the referee’s whistle confirmed a comprehensive 5-19 to 1-13 victory for Ballycastle to set up a semi-final meeting with Glenariffe next Wednesday evening.
Ballycastle: 1 Aidan Hamilton, 2 Tiernan Nagurski, 3 Cian Baudant, 4 Oisin Coyles, 5 Oisin Donnelly, 6 Orann Donnelly, 7 Cathair Donnelly, 8 Niall McClean, 9 Ardan Kelly, 10 Cormac Scanlan, 11 Daragh Donnelly, 12 Darragh Kelly, 13 Ben Woodhouse, 14 Conor Donnelly, 15 Matthew Donnelly.
Rossa: 1 Dara Boylan, 2 Setanta McDonald, 3 Fiachra Mcdonald, 4 Ben Crawford, 5 Fionntan McKenna, 6 Joseph Mulholland, 8 Corey Walsh, 9 Daire Morgan, 10 Niall May, 11 Liam Mcenhill, 12 Christopher Robb, 13 Colm Boyle, 14 Iarlaith Rogan, 15 Adam McCahey.
Referee – Paddy Tumelty (Lamh Dhearg)
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