Intermediate Hurling Championship Final preview
Oisin Glenariffe v Carey Faughs
Loughgiel-Saturday 2-00pm
With the storm forecast for Sunday casting a shadow over the senior hurling final between Cushendall and Dunloy in Ballycastle, Saturday’s Intermediate decider in Loughgiel should be played in more pleasant conditions.
The calm before the storm might be wishful thinking however as North Antrim rivals, Carey Faughs and Oisin’s Glenariffe go head to head in a final that is likely to dray a big crowd to Healey Park.
These sides are no strangers to each other and have met numerous times in league and championship over the years but we have to go back to 2000 for their last meeting in a championship decider.
Oisin’s won that one in Armoy but it’s been a while since the Waterfoot men have had their name inscribed on the Intermediate Cup.
Carey have had more recent success in the competition with a win over Creggan at Dunsilly in 2021 and gained promotion from division 2 the same year before returning to Division 2 the following year.
It’s been a mixed season for both sides with Cathaoir an Ri enjoying a great season in Division 2 of the ACHL where they finished top with 10 wins and 2 draws while Oisin’s finished mid-table with 7 wins from 14 starts.
Both sides were drawn together in Group 1 in the Intermediate Championship and were favourites to advance from the group and eventually that was how it panned out but not before a few hiccups.
Glenariffe, under the guidance of former Cloney Gaels manager, Hugh Dobbin and his assistant Shea O’Hagan have shown marked improvement as the season has progressed and have racked up some impressive scores in the championship.
They defeated St. Gall’s 5-18 to 1-21 at Milltown on day one and registered a 4-18 to 1-11 victory over a Shane O’Neill’s side who finished second to Carey in the league, on day two.
Meanwhile, Saturday’s opponents, Carey Faughs got their championship campaign up and running with a five point win over the Glenarm men in Ballyvoy before suffering a surprise defeat to St. Brigid’s Cloughmills on day two.
The week leading up to the game had been shattered by the untimely death of 6 year old Joe Hegarty, the team mascot and many felt that the tragic death of the young man had affected the home side’s performance.
It left Carey in a precarious position when they travelled to Belfast to play St. Gall’s on day 3 and early in the second half the Ballyvoy men looked in danger of heading out of the championship.
The home side looked to be heading for their first Group 1 win when they led the Ballyvoy side by 2-10 1-9, six minutes into the second half following a goal from the penalty spot from Ryan Ervine.
However St Gall’s lost two men to red cards, the second a double yellow, and the game began to turn in favour of the ‘Faughs’.
Immediately after Ervine’s success from the spot, Mark Napier had added a point to move St. Gall’s five ahead but Callum Cane’s second goal of the evening midway through the second period swung the momentum in favour of the Carey men.
They went on to win by five points but still needed something from their meeting with Oisin’s in Waterfoot on the final day of the group stages if they were to qualify for the knockout stages.
Carey held off a late rally from the Oisins to book their place in the semi-final against Tir na nOg. The Faughs came into the game knowing that anything less than a win wouldn’t be good enough and for most of the game it looked like they were going canter over the winning line, such was their superiority.
However the Oisins, who started without four of their first choice players who were rested because of the forthcoming Minor final, brought two of those players on at half time, and the other two midway through the second half, and suddenly the tide began to turn.
Trailing by six at half time, Oisins hit the first three points of the second half and when substitute Orrin O’Connor finished to the net and O’Boyle and Kearney followed with points there was only two between the sides.
Carey regrouped to hold on for the win and secure their place in the semi-final against Cloney Gaels while Oisins had already qualified prior to this game and faced Tir na nOg in their semi-final.
Glenariffe ran out winners against the Whitehill side at Slemish Park in Ballymena with second half goals from Oliver Kearney and Orrin O’Connor paving the way for a 2-14 to 0-14 victory.
The other semi-final in Glenravel provided a high scoring spectacle of hurling as Carey Faughs fought back from seven points down at one stage in the opening half to beat Cloney Gaels by 3-23 to 2-24 after extra time in an absorbing battle at Fr Maginn Park, Glenravel.
The Faughs outscored the Ahoghill men by 0-06 to 0-03 in the first half of extra time to lead by 2-23 to 1-21 with three points from Conor McBride, two from Calum Cane and one from Michael McVeigh.
A Tom McGlone point for Cloney Gaels cut the gap back early in the second period, but Conor McBride struck a telling blow for the Faughs when he fired in his second goal of the game.
By virtue of that win in Waterfoot, Carey Faughs will probably start Saturday’s final as slight favourites but they will face a free scoring Glenariffe side who have got better and better as the season has progressed and will have their full complement of championship winning minors available for selection.
Colum Cunning from Dunloy is the man in charge of Saturday’s final and the calm before the storm might not last too long as these two well matched sides battle for supremacy.
