McKeever Hotels Antrim Intermediate Hurling Championship

Cushendun 1-27 St Paul’s 1-16

Cushendun secured their second victory in a week at Lig an Airgid with a commanding win over St Paul’s in Round Two of the Intermediate Hurling Championship, played in Cushendun. The home side’s remarkable shooting accuracy was a major factor in the victory, particularly during a flawless first half where they did not register a single wide. Visitors St Paul’s fared well in the opening period and contributed to a competitive game, working hard to stay within touching distance and finding themselves only four points adrift at half time.

After the break, however, the dynamic shifted entirely as Cushendun turned up the intensity and eventually stretched the gap to eleven points before the final whistle. The catalyst for this second-half dominance was their free-taker Conlaoth ‘Loaf’ McNeill, whose lethal accuracy over the dead ball kept the scoreboard continuously ticking over. McNeill scored from every attempt in the first half and missed only one in the second, finishing the hour with a phenomenal 13 points from frees.

St Paul’s opening the scoring in the first minute through a James O’Donnell free. Cushendun responded emphatically just a minute later with a goal from Fiontan McQuillan. The hosts built on this early momentum with quick successive points from Callum Kilgore, Connor McHugh, and ‘Loaf’ McNeill free to open up a lead. However, St Paul’s fought back strongly between the sixth and eighth minutes, hitting 1-2 without reply, culminating in a Sean Munce goal to effectively level the contest. The remainder of the half turned into a tense shoot-out. Cushendun kept their noses in front through scores from Connor Bannon, Pearse McKeegan, and Harry Kilgore, while Caolán O’Duibhfinn kept St Paul’s firmly in touch with a reliable string of frees. However a late flurry of points just before the break from Kilgore, McNeill, McHugh, and Sean McKay ultimately gave Cushendun a 1-13 to 1-09 lead at half time.

During the second half, the dynamic shifted as Cushendun turned up the intensity and gradually pulled away. Caolán O’Duibhfinn briefly reduced the deficit for St Paul’s with a free in the opening minute, but McNeill immediately cancelled it out at the other end. Shane McQuillan added another point from play for the home side before McNeill hit two more frees to stretch the gap. St Paul’s battled hard to stay in the game, registering points through O’Donnell, Conall Finnegan, and O’Duibhfinn, but Cushendun’s response was relentless. Fiontan McQuillan and Callam Kilgore added points from play before McNeill hit a devastating purple patch, firing over five consecutive frees between the 20th and 24th minutes. Substitute Andrew Breslin also got his name on the scoresheet, and Connor McHugh fired over Cushendun’s final point in the 27th minute. Late scores from Caolan Crossan and O’Duibhfinn offered St Paul’s some consolation, but the gap was already too wide.

The result leaves the two sides on very different trajectories for the remainder of the group stages. The win puts Cushendun in a strong place to qualify for the knockout stages. Conversely, St Paul’s find themselves in trouble, remaining pointless after two games. They will have to be at their absolute best in the coming weeks to stay in the championship, though the fact that three teams qualify from the group this year gives them a fighting outside chance of progression.

Cushendun 1 John V Morgan, 2 Mark McSparran, 3 Archie McSparran, 4 Paddy Morgan, 5 Jack McKay, 6 Sean McKay, 7 Pearse McKeegan, 8 Callam Kilgore, 9 Shane McQuillan, 10 Connor McHugh, 11 Tomas Scally, 12 Harry Kilgore, 13 Connor Bannon, 14 Fiontan McQuillan, 15 Conlaoth McNeill.

St Paul’s 1 Chris Murray, 2 Tiarnan Auld, 3 Daire Stevenson, 4 Gerard Maguire, 5 Thomas Duff, 6 Stephen Rooney, 7 Declan Quinn, 8 Mark Munce, 9 Caoimhin Killyleagh, 10 Caolán O’Duibhfinn, 11 Conall Finnegan, 12 Sean Munce, 13 Lorcan Phillips, 14 Caolan Crossan, 15 James O’Donnell.

Referee- Declan McGarry (Loughgiel)

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