JP Corry U21 ‘A’ Hurling Championship
Semi Final
Ballycastle 1-14 Glenariffe 0-13
Wednesday 29 July
Brendan McTaggart reports from Glenariffe
Given how close this tie was throughout, a goal was always going to be a massive score and that’s exactly what transpired. The clock ticked into the last minute of the hour when the brilliant Cadhan Crawford stood over a sideline cut some 30 yards from the Glenariffe goal. He sent the sliotar high into the danger area where substitute Anthony Mullan deflected the delivery into the back of the net.
A quite brilliant goal only matched by Mullan’s celebration afterwards and who could blame him? A goalkeeper by trade but struck down by injury earlier this week, Mullan showed he was the man for the occasion.
His major was the decisive score in a tense game of hurling that neither team could take a stranglehold off. At different times, both sides looked like they had settled and wrestled some form of momentum, only for the other to hit back almost instantly.
Crawford finished top scorer for the Town, 10 white flags in a majestic performance and unerring accuracy from frees, he belittled his tender years with a man of the match performance. This was a match where defences were on top though and Ballycastle’s Ardan Kelly shone at full back. He had plenty of support with Cathair Donnelly and Luke Connolly excelling – especially in the first half and while many might have worried when the influential Cian Baudant had to leave the field of play, his exit brought the entrance of one Anthony Mullan. Game keeper turned poacher.
The Oisin’s were disappointing on the day and never capitalised on a bright start. Oisin Gillan, following his quarter final heroics always looked lively while the work rate of Calum McIlwaine, Brogan O’Connor and Peadar McDonnell could never be questioned, it was the teams accuracy in front of the target that let them down.
Colla Ward was the pick of the players draped in green, white and gold, excelling at full back before pushing further up the pitch but in truth, this was a game that Ballycastle deservedly edged by the time referee Fiontan McCotter called for the full-time whistle.
With Glenariffe leading three points to one after the opening six minutes and playing with the style we have come to expect, it looked like they had found their footing in the contest early doors. Their running off the shoulder and use of the sliotar exemplary. McDonnell, Ronan Lia and Caodhan Graham with the scores, the first of two first half points the solitary response from Ballycastle.
Crawford reduced that deficit to the minimum with his first white flag of the contest, coming from a ’65 before the sides went tit-for-tat. Oisin Gillan and James Kearney firing over for the home side while Connolly and a brace from Crawford left the sides tied on five points apiece at the half way mark of the first half.
A super point from Oisin Gillan were he struck the sliotar off the hurl edged Glenariffe ahead once more before Crawford split the uprights again. His footwork outstanding and only matched with his stickwork to get his shot away in the 20th minute.
Incredibly though, Ballycastle wouldn’t register another score until injury time as their accuracy let them down. Glenariffe didn’t fare much better but did manage to retake the lead with points coming from Ronan Magee and O’Connor before Crawford’s third free and fifth white flag of the half to leave the sides tied on eight points apiece at half time.
Ballycastle started the second half with Crawford picking up from where he left off. Firing over the opening score after some excellent recycling work from Matthew Donnelly.
The Town had a couple of half chances of a major in those opening exchanges with Daragh Donnelly and Cormac Scanlon going close while Gavin McToal went agonisingly close with his pulled effort moments later.
A brace of Crawford white flags followed (one free) before Christopher Leech scored his first of two second half points to give the Oisin’s their opening score of the second half in the 41st minute. Showcasing his speed and power with a break from midfield before dissecting the posts.
With the game going into the final quarter, the atmosphere at the Waterfoot pitch seemed to ramp up another notch and when Matthew Donnelly fired over from close to the sideline in front of his management team, the Town fans roared before the umpire could reach for a white flag. It put three between the sides and it felt like a massive moment in the game. Another Crawford free followed soon after as Ballycastle took a four point lead for the first time in the game.
The Town wouldn’t register another score for fully ten minutes however as Glenariffe began to turn the screw in an attempt to get back into the game. Points followed from Leech, Gillan (free) and Charlie Dunne to reduce the Ballycastle lead to the minimum. Indeed, were it not for the reflexes of Ruairi McShane between the sticks, Dunne’s effort would have yielded three points but the Ballycastle ‘keeper deflected his goal bound effort over the bar.
Crawford and Gillan swapped white flags from frees to leave the minimum between the sides at the end of the hour but there was time for Mullan to produce his moment of magic. The perfect delivery was matched by a sweetly timed swing of Mullan’s hurl and the Glenariffe defence were done by a piece of genius.
The home side pushed in the little time that remained and Colla Ward brought a quite brilliant save from McShane in goals but Ballycastle held on to record the win and set up a final meeting with Cushendall in seven days time.
TEAMS
Ballycastle Starting XV: Ruairi McShane; Conor Mooney, Ardan Kelly, Oisin Donnelly; Cathair Donnelly, Cian Baudant, Luke Connolly; Matthew Donnelly, Niall McClean; Daragh Donnelly, Darragh Kelly, Cormac Scanlon; Gavin McToal, Cadhan Crawford, Oisin Coyles
- Subs: Anthony Mullan for C Baudant (41); Aidan Hamilton for O Donnelly (59)
- Scorers: C Crawford 0-10 (6fs, 1’65); A Mullan 1-00; L Connolly 0-2; M Donnelly 0-1; D Kelly 0-1
Glenariffe Starting XV: Ben Duncan; Charlie Dunne, Colla Ward, Cathair McNaughton; Ronan Magee, Calum McIlwaine, James Kearney; Oisin Mort, Patrick McIlwaine; Brogan O’Connor, Ronan Lia, Christopher Leech; Caodhan Graham, Peadar McDonnell, Oisin Gillan
- Subs: Conal Boyd for P McIlwaine (59)
- Scorers: O Gillan 0-4 (2fs); C Leech 0-2; C Dunne 0-1, R Magee 0-1, J Kearney 0-1, B O’Connor 0-1, R Lia 0-1, C Graham 0-1, P McDonnell 0-1
Referee: Fiontan McCotter (Sarsfields)
TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME, FOLLOW THE LINK BELOW….
https://myalbum.com/album/vZxcvkTbWFYHjg/?invite=8265230c-660d-4ebe-a0c8-7428031fe21f
