Antrim U14A Hurling Championship
Ruairí Óg 2-17 Loughgiel 1-06
Despite it being a busy Championship Saturday for both Cushendall and Loughgiel, a good crowd gathered at Páirc Mhuire for the 4pm throw-in, for this Under 14 semi-final, where Ruairí Óg produced a strong all-round performance to secure a convincing victory over Loughgiel.
Cushendall started brightly, with Ruairí McQuillan opening the scoring inside the first 30 seconds. Further points from Oscar Bradley, Lorcan McNaughton and Ruairí Delargy helped the home side establish an early lead.
Loughgiel continued to battle and a goal from Danny McMullan kept them within reach, but Ruairí Óg went into the break leading 0-11 to 1-03.
The Cushendall defence was strong throughout, with corner-backs Eoin Elliott and Finn McKeown both producing excellent performances. Sevie Trowlen also impressed, particularly with a strong second-half display.
Brothers Conor and Ruairí Delargy formed a very effective midfield partnership. They worked hard, won plenty of possession and contributed four points between them. They were made to work for everything by Noah McAuley and Danny McMullan, who enjoyed a good battle with the Delargy duo around the middle of the field.
Up front, Lorcan McNaughton, Oscar Bradley and Ruairí McQuillan all showed well. Francis Kinney-McNaughton struck two second-half goals, while Bradley finished with six points as Cushendall pulled clear to complete a strong team performance.
Loughgiel continued to work hard throughout. Brendan Murtagh covered plenty of ground during the first half before dropping deeper as the game progressed. Iarla Gillan at number 11 and Daire Kearney at number six were among their best performers. Ruairí Hennessy also put in a hard-working display, while Danny McMullan claimed his side’s goal.
The victory sees Cushendall progress to next Saturday’s U14 Championship final, where they will face Dunloy. Dunloy will go into the decider as favourites after recording a semi-final win over Ballycastle, but Ruairí Óg will take plenty of confidence from this strong performance as they prepare for the final.
Ruairí Óg scorers: Francis Kinney-McNaughton 2-00; Oscar Bradley 0-06; Lorcan McNaughton 0-04; Ruairí Delargy 0-03; Ruairí McQuillan 0-03; Conor Delargy 0-01.
Loughgiel scorers: Danny McMullan 1-00; Iarla Gillan 0-03; Daire Kearney, Ruairí Hennessy and Brendan Murtagh 0-01 each.
Ruairí Óg team
1 Pádraig Harris
2 Eoin Elliott
3 Odhrán McLaughlin
4 Finn McKeown
5 Conor O’Kane
6 Sevie Trowlen
7 Riley Steer
8 Ruairí Delargy
9 Conor Delargy
10 Oscar Bradley
11 Lorcan McNaughton
12 Ruairí McQuillan
13 Sean McKillop
14 Francis Kinney-McNaughton
15 Zac O’Brien
Subs
16 Pól O’Kane
17 Caolan Lynn
18 Keegan Mort
19 Hugh Óg McNeill
20 Eoghan McIlwaine
21 Louis Hughes.
Loughgiel team
1 Keegan Connolly
2 Conor Irvine
3 Kevin Gillan
4 Oisín McCaughan
5 Olly McConville
6 Daire Kearney
7 Matthew Barr-Laverty
8 Danny McMullan
9 Noah McAuley
11 Iarla Gillan
12 Ruairí Hennessy
13 Tom Quinn
14 Brendan Murtagh
Subs
16 Cormac Finlay
17 Archie McGarry
18 Rian McAuley
19 Lucca McCollum
20 Harry Gillan
21 Iollan McMahon
