McKeever Hotels Intermediate Hurling Championship

Tir na nÓg 3-10 Con Magees 0-16

Last year’s Intermediate Hurling finalists Tír na nÓg went into this game firm favourites against newly promoted Glenravel having won the Junior Hurling crown last year but with almost twenty minutes gone the visitors were ahead 0-07 to 0-01 playing into a breeze. As with last year’s final in Loughgiel, wayward shooting by the Whitehill men saw them stuggling against a team plying their trade a division below them this season. In the end goals wins games and the home side bagged two a few minutes either side of half time and with four minutes of the game remaining an attempt for a point was held up in the wind and dropped fortuitously into the Glenravel net  and that is effectively what separated the teams in the end.

It took the home side fourteen minutes to register their first point by Tiarnan Bonnes but by then Conleth O’Loan, Declan Traynor and Declan McAuley had pointed for the visitors. Glenravel would add to that tally with four consecutive points in four minutes to put them six ahead. Cormac McKeown got two of them with Caolan Lennon and Callum Higgins providing the other two. Randalstown enjoyed a dominant spell as they tagged on three points from Kevin Sheeran, Ciaran Logan and their top scorer Eamon Óg McAllister. It looked like they would grab the game by the throat at that stage but Glenravel were winning the defensive battles with James Duffin, Rian Lennon and Nathan Unwin impervious in the battle. Another defender Michael McDonald provided the score of the half from long range and Cormac McKeown followed up to put Glenravel ahead by five with three minutes of the half left to play. It was at this point that Caleb Smith pounced for TNN’s first goal and that was quickly followed by a point from Tiarnan Bonnes to leave the minimum between the sides at the break with Glenravel just nudging it 0-09 to 1-05.

On the re-start Eamon Óg McAllister goaled to put the home team ahead for the first time but Cormac McKeown reduced the gap to the minimum. Tír na nÓg were then awarded a penalty for a clumsy tackle in the square but Glenravel’s keeper Chris Quinn saved brilliantly putting the ball out for a 65 which Eamion Óg converted to put two between them again. Conleth O’Loan again reduced the gap to a single point but Ciaran Logan replied for the home side in what had become a tit for tat affair on the scoreboard.  When Cormac McKeown and substitute Luke Loughlin pointed for Glenravel they headed into the final ten minutes with both sides level. Eamon Óg and Daniel McLarnon restored the home team advantage and then with four minutes remaining the fortuitous goal dropping into Glenravel’s net from Eamon Óg sealed the deal for the home side. The same player pointed just after to put six between the sides, a lead Glenravel had enjoyed half an hour earlier.  The Glensmen finished strongly with three further points from Ciaran McCann, Cormac McKeown and Declan McAuley but they couldn’t find that elusive goal to level the match so TNN ran out winners on a 3-10 to 0-16 scoreline.

Tír na nÓg

1. Matthew Dippnall
2. Caoimhin Duffin
3. Ciaran O’Neill
4. Connor McCamphill
5. Daniel Martin
6. Ciaran Logan
7. Eamon Óg McAllister
8. Tiarnan Bonnes
9. Kevin Sheerin
10. Sean McKinley
11. Caleb Smith
12. Daniel McLornan
13. Neil Shannon
14. Dara Martin
15. Conor O’Neill

• Eamon Óg McAllister (11): 2-2
• Tiarnan Bonnes (12): 0-4
• Caleb Smith (15): 1-0
• Ciaran Logan (10): 0-2
• Kevin Sheerin (13): 0-1
• Daniel McLornan (17): 0-1

Glenravel

1. Chris Quinn
2. Eoin McCusker
3. James Duffin
4. Brian O’Neill
5. Michael McDonnell
6. Rian Lennon
7. Nathan Unwin
8. Ronan McCormick
9. Calum Higgins
10. Fergus Donaghy
11. Caolan Lennon
12. Cormac McKeown
13. Conleth O’Loan
14. Declan Traynor
15. Declan McAuley

Scorers:

• Cormac McKeown: 0-6
• Declan McAuley: 0-2
• Conleth O’Loan: 0-2
• Michael McDonnell: 0-1
• Caolan Lennon: 0-1
• Calum Higgins: 0-1
• Declan Traynor: 0-1
• Luke Loughlin: 0-1
• Ciaran McCann: 0-1

TO SEE MORE OF DYLAN’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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