Antrim Junior Hurling Championship quarter-final
Lamh Dhearg 4-27 St Brigid’s 0-11
Pics by Bert Trowlen
Lámh Dhearg secured a dominant victory over St Brigid’s in their Antrim Junior Hurling Championship quarter-final clash at Hannahstown, cruising to a comprehensive 4-27 to 0-11 win. The defining feature of the game was an extraordinary individual performance from left half-forward Adam Murray, who amassed 1-15, 1-06 of that total coming from play While the hosts boasted nine different scorers on the day to showcase their impressive attacking depth, the visitors struggled to mount a cohesive threat, relying heavily on the placed-ball accuracy of James Kelly to keep their side of the scoreboard ticking.
From the opening whistle, the Hannahstown men seized control and pinned St Brigid’s back. Despite the valiant efforts of visiting goalkeeper Matthew Madden, who pulled off several crucial blocks to deny Gerard Smyth early on, the relentless pressure eventually told. Murray was ruthless in his execution, heavily punishing any defensive indiscipline and tallying nine points in the opening 22 minutes to build a commanding lead. The first major blow was struck just before the interval when Jack Trainor pounced on a loose ball following a rebound off Madden, burying it into the empty net to leave the Biddies with a mountain to climb at the break.
The second half offered no reprieve for the south Belfast side. St Brigid’s continued to concede frees, which Murray gleefully converted to completely extinguish any faint hopes of a comeback. Midway through the half, Trainor grabbed his second goal of the afternoon in similar fashion to his first, reacting quickest to another parried save. The final nail in the coffin arrived via a devastating sixty-second blitz. Murray finished off a slick team move with a strike into the top corner, and immediately from the restart, Niall McGarry intercepted a stray puck-out to drive a fourth goal home.
Late scores from Callum Lappin, Michael Herron, and Donal Martin capped off a flawless afternoon for Lámh Dhearg. The victory sends them into a highly anticipated semi-final derby showdown with Gort na Móna brimming with momentum.
Lamh Dhearg – P Herron; C Camlin, P Mervyn, C McConville; C Boyd 0-1, N McGarry 1-1, S Gibson; J Trainor 2-0, O Waldron; A Murray 1-15 (9F), M Herron 0-2, M Finnegan 0-1; C Lappin 0-1, G Smyth 0-5, D Martin 0-1
St Brigid’s – M Madden; O Leggett, J McGuckian, J Massingham; R O’Loughlin, T Brolly, D Sidebottom; J McCarney, M Kerr; J Kelly 0-7 (6F), C Leonard, D Prenter 0-2; F McCann, J Bready 0-1, O McDonnell
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