St. John’s maintained top spot in the ACHL Division 1 when they recorded a comprehensive win over visitors Ballycastle at Corrigan Park on Sunday afternoon.
The Johnnies raced into a three point lead by the third minute as they opened on the front foot and were five ahead by the 8th minute as the visitors struggled to contain their early onslaught.
It could have been worse but Ryan McGarry in the ‘Castle’ goals pulled off a smart save with ten minutes on the clock but by half time it was the Corrigan side who looked in a strong position when they led 0-13 to 0-7.
Aaron Bradley, Michael Dudley 0-2, Conor Johnston 0-2 and Shea Shannon were the early marksmen for St. John’s with Oran Kearney striking a long range reply for McQuillan’s.
Tiernan Smyth hit Ballycastle’s second of the day from a free and the corner-forward would account for the majority of his side’s scores over the hour as they battled to hang on to their opponents coat tails.
Conal Morgan, Conor Johnston, Aaron Bradley and Shea Shannon moved a sweet moving St. John’s further ahead with Smyth striking three further frees and Seamus McAuley on target from play as the visitors enjoyed their best period of the opening half.
St. John’s finished the half on the front foot however with Aaron Bradley 0-2 and Shea Shannon brought their total to 0-13 and another pointed free from Tiernan Smyth bringing the Ballycastle total to 0-7
HT 0-13 TO 0-7
The visitors needed a good start to the second half if they were to make inroads into the Johnnies lead and Tiernan Smyth added to his tally with a couple more pointed free but Conor Johnston replied with two at the other end to keep the gap at six.
Ciaran Butler and ace marksman Smyth closed the gap to four after 8 minutes but St. John’s were always able to respond and Shea Shannon pointed a free and followed with another from play.
The visitors were still fighting hard and looked to have brought themselves right back into contention when Neal McAuley appeared to get the final touch but their goal celebration was ruled out for a square-ball infringement.
The Whiterock men turned the screw after that as Conor Johnston 0-2, Michael Dudley, Shea Shannon and Domhnall Nugent added points and when a Castle defender deflected a shot to his own net in the 25th minute it was all over.
The sweet striking Tiernan Smyth replied with two more pointed frees and substitute Darragh Kelly added another from play with Aaron Bradley and Domhnall Nugent replying for the home side to see them comfortably home.
St. Johns: 1 Declan Cregan 2 Conor McEvoy, 3 Conal Morgan, 4 Aidan McMahon, 5 Matthew McCartin, 6 Stephen Tierney, 7 Darragh McGuinness, 8 Shea Shannon, 9 Andy McGowan, 10 Conor Johnston, 11 Domhnall Nugent, 12 Michael Dudley.13 Donall Carson, 14 Lorcan Heenan, 15 Aaron Bradley
Ballycastle: 1 Ryan McGarry, 2 Oran Kearney, 3 Dermott Donnelly, 4 Jack McGowan, 5 James McLister, 6 Eoin McAlonan, 7 Ryan McCook, 8 Cian Waldron, 9 Reuben McClean, 10 Criostai McAuley, 11 Ciaran Butler, 12 Seamus McAuley, 13 Orann Donnelly, 14 Neal; McAuley, 15 Tiernan Smith, 18 Darragh Kelly
Antrim caused an upset in Saturday’s Ulster under 16 camogie final when they dethroned hot favourites Derry. A month ago the girl’s from The Sperrins ran out six point winners against Antrim in the group stages but they could not deal with a slick Antrim side. Marie Laverty got Antrim off to a good start with a point inside the first thirty seconds. Ellen Cullen got Derry off the mark and they took the lead when Emma Quinn pointed. The lead would be short lived as Antrim answered back with scores from Marie Laverty and a free from Louise McBride. McBride converted two more frees to create daylight between the teams for the first time but again the pendulum swung. Emma Quinn converted two frees of her own to again leave the minimum between the sides. Amy McAlister was sent through on goal by Cliodhna Thompson, she struck for the net but had to be content with a point as the ball just cleared the crossbar. No quarter was being asked or given and as you would expect from such a good team Derry again responded.
Ulster Camogie Chairperson Karen McCormick presents the Under 16 Cup to Antirm captain Maeve McAlister after her team’s win over Derry at Randalstown
Emma Quinn finished a great team move to the net and the Derry number 14 converted a free to push her side two in front. Like a boxer on the ropes Antrim took the punches and came out swinging themselves. A long range free from Louise McBride fell among a group of players at the edge of the small square and ended up in the Derry net without anyone getting a touch. This goal really spurred the Antrim girls on and they dominated the closing eight minutes of the first half. Eva McNeill converted a free, then Cliodhna Thompson sent Eimear McCaughan clear and the Antrim full forward made no mistake, hitting the net from close range. Eva McNeill got her second point of the game and with time almost up Antrim were awarded a free on the 21 yard line. McNeill stood over the ball with everyone in attendance expecting her to tap it over the bar. But the Antrim centre forward had other ideas and she crashed a rocket to the roof of the Derry net to give Antrim a nine point lead at half time 3-8 to 1-5.
If Derry were going to mount a comeback they needed a good start to the second half but it was Antrim who got it. With three minutes gone Eimear McCaughan reacted quickest to a broken ball and she finished to the net from an acute angle to put Antrim twelve to the good. Derry hit a purple patch with a point from Mary Thérése McCoy and a goal from Hanna Downey to bring their arrears to eight. Sensing the danger Antrim pulled Eva McNeill deeper and she cut out several potential Derry attacks. Antrim went ten to the good with points from Marie Laverty and Aiofe Fitzsimmons. Derry responded with two of their own from Emma Quinn and Róisin McAtamney. Ellie McCartney got the final score for Derry with a point but it was Antrim who finished in style. Player of the match Marie Laverty fired over a point from play and Louise McBride rounded off proceedings with a pointed free. Final score Antrim 4-12 Derry 2-9.
There were great scenes at the final whistle. This was the first win over Derry for these Antrim girls, many of whom played under 14 and under 15 together over the past few years. Antrim were full value for their win. Mya McKinley made some great saves, Cora Pierce was superb in the full back line. Team captain Maeve McAlister was a rock at centre half back and with Erin McMullan and Erinmae Mitchell on the wings they provided a great springboard for attacks. Aiofe Fitzsimmons got through a mountain of work in midfield and up front Marie Laverty, Eva McNeill and Eimear McCaughan were a constant threat. For Derry Eimhear Conway and Aine Young defended well. Mary Thérése McCoy worked her socks off in the middle and up front Emma Quinn was always dangerous.
Marie Laverty receives the Player of the Match award from Karen McCormick
Second half substitute Sean Duffin played a major role in Tir na nÓg’s win over Carey Faughs in Sunday’s Division 2 Hurling League game in Ballyvoy, getting his team over the line by a single point, deep into added time. Carey led the game by three points at half time and appeared to have the upper hand for most of the game, but the half time introduction of Duffin (who had spent the last number of months in Australia) saw the visitors get themselves back into the game, and eventually over the line as he hit the last three points.
Carey’s Shea Hunter wins possession during the second half
In a low scoring first half both teams struggled to hit the target, but with Conor McBride hitting three from frees and new signing Eoin ‘Frein’ Laverty netting from a penalty they went in at the break with a 1-5 to 0-5 half time lead, full forward Kevin Sheerin getting three of the visitors points and Eamon Og McAllister the other two.
Sean Duffin’s introduction at half time saw him involved right away but his radar was off in the early stages as he missed a couple of long range frees. Eoin Lavry increased the Carey lead to four and with James Rocket Black playing as an extra half back the home team appeared to have a bit of control. However the scoring began to dry up for the home side and when Conor McBride had to retire through injury they found scores harder to come by.
A series of good scores from the visitors saw them close the gap, and when Declan Mallon drilled a ball to the Carey net on 47 minutes, the gap was down to a single point.
Carey got a favourable break when a high ball from centre back James McCouaig deceived the visitors’ goalkeeper and ended in the back of the net. The home team were four clear with 11 minutes of normal time to play, but Duffin, who had played for Tyrone the previous day, was starting to dominate his area and four of the last five points, the last of them coming seven minutes into injury time, to get the Randalstown men home by the narrowest of margins
James Black sends over a Carey point from a tight angle
Oisin Glenariffe and Naomh Comhghall, Antrim emerged as group winners in Saturday’s Feile B Group stage at Slemish Park Ballymena. In a great mornings football they overcame the challenge of host side, All Saints and St. Joseph’s Glenavy to join Davitt’s and Tir na nOg in next week’s finals.
Oisins Glenariffe who qualifed in Ballymena along with St Comgall’s St Comgall’sGlenavy All Saints
Brendan McTaggart reports from Corrigan Park, Belfast
What a turnaround. Antrim produced one of the great displays in recent times to defeat Wexford on Saturday afternoon. A huge win against the odds, the Saffrons produced the kind of hurling we know they have in their locker and were thoroughly deserving of their win at the end of the 70 plus minutes.
It wasn’t without drama, it rarely is with the Saffrons. This game had everything with a dubious penalty, dubious square ball decisions and a super saffron comeback in the second half that had the patrons in attendance at Corrigan Park purring.
Keelan Molloy made a big impact on his return to the Antrim colours
If last week was a hard watch from an Antrim perspective, no one wanted to leave Corrigan Park as those who attended basked in the glory of a quite magnificent display from Darren Gleeson’s men.
Plenty has been said in the media since the Kilkenny game and as captain Eoghan Campbell said afterwards, they were itching to get back out on the pitch to try and show that they are much better than that performance showed: “The preparation we’ve had, just didn’t show last week. Everything we wanted to do, we did the opposite. It was so flat.
“We were glad it was a six day turnaround, to get back out on the pitch. If it was two weeks, we might have overthought it. We had to park it and focus on Wexford.
“We know what we’re capable of up here. Get a few bodies right and implement our game on them. It was very evident that we did that out there today. We played how we wanted to play instead of being dictated to and that was the difference.
“There was no panicking. They got a couple of goals and there was still no panicking. We kept chipping away.”
Aodhan O’Brien celebrates after scoring and Antrim ‘goal’ but unfortunately the score was ruled out by match referee Colm Lyons for a ‘square’ infringement.
From the first whistle, Antrim looked to have more drive and were more than a match for the visitors who overall, relied heavily on the brilliance of Lee Chin. The Wexford ace finished with 2-11 but showed some outrageous skills and ability throughout. I’ve never witnessed a player hold a man off with one arm to create room and catch a dropping ball at his ankles before. Hello Mr Chin. He did it on more than one occasion as if to show the previous was no fluke.
The first goal came from the penalty spot, referee Colm Lyons spotting an infringement as the sliotar came back off the upright and awarding the visitors the penalty. Antrim were flummoxed and Chin sent the sliotar to the back of the net.
The Saffrons had the lead reduced to the minimum with the clock ticking into first half injury time when Chin was at it again. An outrageous catch before rampaging at the Antrim defence. There was certainly a questionable number of steps taken but what couldn’t be questioned was his finish. Like a tracer bullet to the bottom right hand corner of Ryan Elliott’s goals from the more acute of angles.
A three point half time deficit was harsh on Antrim. The first half was a very even affair but as Campbell also said, they just had to stick to their game plan: “We just kept chipping away and knew that we’d get another goal chance. We threatened two or three in the first half and once it came, we just opened up. Boys started throwing them over, Keelan (Molloy), big Gerard Walsh only back and was fantastic.
“We showed serious grit and that’s what was needed today. We needed the boys to dig in and fight for each other and for the Antrim jersey.
“We got the ball in a bit quicker than last week. We probably played about with it too much when we shouldn’t have been. We knew that if we got ball into the forwards quicker then they’d do damage.”
Wexford had stretched into a seven point lead after just eight second half minutes and any Antrim fan in attendance would have been forgiven for having that sinking feeling but the ‘grit’ Campbell talked about came to the fore. A run of five unanswered scores with Conal Cunning’s frees and the brilliance of James McNaughton, Seaan Elliott and Keelan Molloy on show, they were within touching distance of Keith Rossiter’s men.
Wexford fired over a couple of quick fire scores, Chin and Conor McDonald finding their range before Antrim thought they had their first goal. Molloy’s long ball was fired towards substitute Aodhan O’Brien on the edge of the square. The Rossa man celebrated but referee Colm Lyons was blowing his whistle like he was on a Saturday night rave. After consulting with his umpires, the goal was disallowed.
That sinking feeling was turning into the feeling of another one of those days.
Seaan Elliott fires in Antrim’s first goal – Pic by Bert Trowlen
“We knew there was goals”, said Campbell: “we just needed one of them to drop for us. “The one that was the square ball looked to be fairly dubious from where I was but we got one soon after.
“We just kept chipping away and knew that we’d get another goal chance. We threatened two or three in the first half and once it came, we just opened up. Boys started throwing them over, Keelan (Molloy), big Gerard Walsh only back and was fantastic.”
In the final 10 minutes, Antrim outscored Wexford 2-2 to 0-2. A hat tip to the conditioning of the players and maybe the trip to Portugal wasn’t the big waste of money some had touted in the days since the Kilkenny game.
Antrim’s first major came from just downright belligerence and a sheer unwillingness to give in to Wexford pressure by James McNaughton. Winning ball from ruck, McNaughton broke and took on the Wexford defence. He had the presence of mind to pick out Niall McKenna in space and he buried to the back of Mark Fanning’s net.
The second came just three minutes later and McNaughton turned provider yet again. Taring his way through the Wexford defence, he lured the challenges one way before finding Seaan Elliott in space. The Dunloy man wasn’t making any mistake with a super strike to take his tally to 1-3 for the afternoon in what was quite possibly his best display in an Antrim shirt.
Wexford and Chin just wouldn’t go away however and the sides were tied in the last minute of the 70. Antrim looked to manoeuvre the sliotar with a side-line ball awarded. Close to the ’45 and under the west terrace at Corrigan, Gerard Walsh can’t have hit many sweeter than what he produced two minutes into injury time. He’s a quiet, unassuming genius of the game and he afforded a fist pump in celebration as he went back to his position and Corrigan erupted.
Cunning’s seventh free of the contest finished the scoring and as full time was called, the cheers of euphoria rang around the west Belfast venue. Those in purple and gold sank to their knees, those bedecked in Saffron were greeted like heroes.
Antrim’s Conal Bohill picks a high ball out of the air
Matches like these in recent past, Antrim have had the unfortunate knack of coming out in the wrong side off. This felt like a massive moment for hurling in the county. Last week was torturous, this was momentous. This was coming and the Antrim captain told us, they want more: “We stuck to the game plan. We edged ahaead and they came back at us but we worked the ball and stuck to what we wanted to do. We didn’t just lump the ball up there. It shows our own ability and it was fantastic to show that out there today.
“It’s only one win in Leinster at the end of the day, we still have a hard road to go now in two weeks time.
“Wexford and Dublin games were probably the two that we are targeting but we’ll rest now and recover. We want to put in another performance in Parnell Park in two weeks’ time.”
Antrim’s Conor Boyd goes highest to block the ball away
