Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship
Quarter Final
Cushendall 2-23 Ballycastle 4-13
Saturday 27 September
Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy
Cushendall sealed their place in the last four of the senior hurling championship on Sunday evening but they were pushed to the pin of their collar by a gutsy Ballycastle side.
Four points was the difference between the sides at the end of an hour of enthralling championship hurling that saw the best of both sides. Cushendall looked sharp with Callagh Mooney putting in a monumental shift from the middle of the park, tagging over five points in a top performance while Joseph McLaughlin’s uncanny knack for scoring goals on big occasions continues. He found the onion bag in either half for the Ruairi’s with his second goal in particular coming at a vital time in the game for his side.
The Town’s never-say-die spirit saw them come back from the brink, three goals in as many minutes saw them rattle the Ruairi’s. Tiarnan Smyth with goals in either half while Niall McKenna and Cadhan Crawford also raised green flags.
Cushendall needed someone to grab the game by the scruff of the neck, Neil McManus stood tall. He played as a sweeper to fill the gap in front of Martin Burke and look to get under the high ball Ballycastle were sending into the danger area. McManus proving yet again he is a managers dream. At some point he will be donated to science for cloning. A fascinating subplot to the whole game and one not many would have seen coming, was Neil McManus marking Conor Boyd on the edge of the Cushendall square.
The Ruairi’s were reduced to 14 men with four minutes of the hour remaining, Ryan McCambridge seeing his cameo cut short for a second yellow card. It added to the drama of a nail biting ending. Ballycastle threw everything bar the kitchen sink at the Ruairi’s but Cushendall withstood the barrage of amber and black that came their way.
Cushendall made a bright start to the game, leading four points to one after seven minutes. Scores from Mooney, Ed McQuillan and a brace of white flags from Joseph McLaughlin got their scoreboard ticking. A free from Conor Boyd was the solitary response from the Town.
Ballycastle showed their intent and a sign of things to come through Smyth’s first major in the eighth minute. Boyd sending a long free into the heart of the Ruairi’s defence where Niall McClean broke the sliotar into Smyth’s path and he squeezed the ball over the line.
Seamus McAuley pointed from distance before Smyth added another to give Ballycastle a two point lead by the 12th minute. The Ruairi’s responded by firing over four points in as many minutes. Mooney, Joe McNaughton, Fred McCurry and Ed McQuillan with the scores.
Niall McKenna cut the Cushendall lead, scoring from wide on the right before Joseph McLaughlin scored the Ruairi’s first goal. Playing a one-two with Ed McQuillan, ‘Pep’ showed great footwork to evade the Ballycastle challenges before hammering the sliotar to the back of Eamon Elliott’s goal.
Points followed from Scott Walsh and a brace from Pep McLaughlin gave Cushendall a seven point lead with a little over eight minutes of the half remaining.
The Town landed scores from Cadhan Crawford and substitute Ronan McCarry with Fergus McCambridge the sole response from Cushendall to leave the half time score 1-12 to 1-6 in Cushendall’s favour.
The second half started identically to the first, Callagh Mooney breaking free from the restart and splitting the posts with barely 20 seconds on the clock. McManus added his name to the list of Cushendall scorers with a brace of points to put Cushendall in the driving seat and a nine point lead.
‘Rambo’ McCarry split the uprights for Ballycastle’s first score of the half in the fifth minute before the Town hit their first of three goals in the space of three frenetic minutes.
Conor Boyd sending the sliotar deep into the danger area where Smyth was holding off Fred McCurry. The Town forward managed to get the sliotar and get his shot away while on his knees. A brilliant finish from Smyth as the Town sensed an opening.
Their third goal came from Cadhan Crawford and again, coming from a long Conor Boyd free. Taking the free early and landing it in around the house, the Cushendall defence didn’t deal with the danger and Crawford pounced to pull home to leave two between the sides.
Ed McQuillan pointed to give Cushendall some form of respite but Ballycastle’s fourth major came with the next attack. Niall McKenna getting on the end of a break by Conor Donnelly and sending the sliotar high to the back of Conor McAlister’s net. A remarkable period of the game that saw Ballycastle rattle the Ruairi’s and bring the sides level.
Cushendall’s response was both instant and brilliant. Joseph McLaughlin finding the back of the Ballycastle net after great work from McQuillan and Fergus McCambridge in the build up. Pep would follow up with another free to give the Ruairi’s a four point lead only for Ballycastle to respond once again. Points from Seamus McAuley, Smyth and Rambo McCarry bringing Ballycastle to within one point of Cushendall with a quarter of the game remaining.
Cushendall seemed to weather the Ballycastle storm and with McManus dropping deeper, they looked to deal with the aerial bombardment that came their way.
They fired over another four unanswered points through substitute Ryan McCambridge, Callagh Mooney, Pep McLaughlin and Scott Walsh before Conor Boyd fired over his second point of the afternoon.
With four between the sides going into the final five minutes, the game had another twist with Ryan McCambridge seeing red for a second yellow. Darragh Kelly cut the Cushendall lead to three but as the Town’s need for another major grew, they found the Ruairi Og’s defence had tightened. The aerial bombardment continued but Pep McLaughlin and Callagh Mooney fired over points either side of a ’65 from Cadhan Crawford, ending the scoring.
A dramatic ending to what felt like an old school, championship game of hurling. Cushendall book their place in the semi finals and a meeting with Loughgiel and while Ballycastle bow out, they do so in the knowledge that they’re on the brink of an awakening.
TEAMS
Cushendall Starting XV: Conor McAlister; Conor McCann, Martin Burke, Fred McCurry; Scott Walsh, Austin Birt, Charlie McAuley; Neil McManus, Callagh Mooney; Thomas McLaughlin, Ed McQuillan, Joseph McNaughton; Fergus McCambridge, Eoghan Campbell, Joseph McLaughlin
- Subs: Ryan McCambridge for E Campbell (40); Oisin Woodhouse for J McNaughton (42); Sean McAfee for F McCambridge (52); Liam Gillan for F McCurry (56)
- Scorers: J McLaughlin 2-7 (5f); C Mooney 0-5; E McQuillan 0-3; S Walsh 0-2; N McManus 0-2; F McCurry 0-1; J McNaughton 0-1; F McCambridge 0-1; R McCambridge 0-1
Ballycastle Starting XV: Eamon Elloitt; Oran Kearney, Conal Colgan, Cathaoir Donnelly; Darragh Donnelly, Conor Boyd, Eoin McAlonan; Ronan Laverty, Jack McGowan; Niall McClean, Seamus McAuley, Tiarnan Smyth; Conor Donnelly, Niall McKenna, Cadhan Crawford
- Subs: Ronan McCarry for J McGowan (27); Ardan Kelly for R Laverty (33); Neal McAuley for N McClean (42); Darragh Kelly for E McAlonan (51)
- Scorers: T Smyth 2-2; C Crawford 1-2 (1f, 1’65); N McKenna 1-1; R McCarry 0-3; S McAuley 0-2; C Boyd 0-2 (1f); D Kelly 0-1
Referee: Kevin Parke (Naomh Éanna)
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