Carey came out on top of this exciting and hard-fought game, played in sweltering temperatures. James Black got Carey up and running with an early point, but by the first half water break Creggan had built up a 0-6 to 0-2 lead. Conor McCann their ‘ace marksman’ with 3 points while Thomas McCann, Small and Rice accounted for the other scores with ‘Doug’ McAuley picking up the second Carey point from a free.
A Conleth McKinley point was followed by a Conor McCann point, but the score which settled the Faughs arrived with 23 minutes gone. A long delivery was flicked to the Creggan net by Shea Hunter after a scramble in the square. Creggan’s cause was not helped when they had a man sideline with a straight red card and his absence was to prove a real burden as the game progressed. Kevin Small increased the Creggan lead to four points but the vistors closed the gap with points from Conor McBride and ‘Doug’ McAuley to trail by just two at the short whistle. 0-10 to 1-5.
Carey started the second half on the offensive and two ‘Doug’ McAuley points within three minutes left it all square. Carey were now getting the upper hand all over the pitch and a Conor McBride point gave them a lead which they were never to lose. A point from James Black and a goal from ‘Doug’ McAuley mid-way through the half gave them a 4-point cushion. Creggan were struggling to find the target and managed just three points during the second half, all of them from Conor McCann frees.
Andersonstown Social Club Intermediate Hurling Championship
St Brigid’s Cloughmills 2-13 Glen Rovers Armoy 2-10
Cloughmills won their opening game in the Intermediate Hurling Championship when they beat North Antrim rivals Armoy at Cloughmills on Sunday. For most of the first half it appeared that the home team were going to cruise to victory when they opened up a 1-5 to 0-1 lead after 23 minutes, but an Eamon McCaughan goal lifted the Armoy men and they closed to within three by half time.
The Glen Rovers men got it back to within one point early in the second half but during the third quarter it was ‘nip and tuck’ but a Mickey Devlin goal from a penalty just after the second half water break proved the decisive score.
Cloughmills Eoin Dobbin in action during Sunday’s win over Armoy
The Biddies dominated the early stages with points from Mickey Devlin and Stephen Smyth before Johnny McErlain opened the Armoy account on 12 minutes. Two points from Liam Kearns frees, one from play from Mickey Devlin, plus a goal from corner forward Eoin Dobbin opened a seven point gap for the home team, but a point from Johnny McErlain and a goal from centre forward Eamon McCaughan helped Armoy close to within three at the break. 1-7 to 1-4
Johnny McErlain fires a free through a crowded Clougmills goalmouth for a late consolation goal
When Johnny McErlain and Rocky Dillon grabbed points in the first two minutes of the second half it was ‘game-on’ and though Cloughmills eased the pressure with points from Liam Kearns and Mickey Devlin, Armoy kept in touch with points from Emmet O’Hara and McErlain. The decisive score came on 48 minutes when Cloughmills were awarded a twenty metre free and Mickey Devlin fired it to the back of the Armoy net. When substitute Jimmy Doherty added two fine points from play and Aaron Smiley hit a monster point from inside his own half the Biddies were home and dry, but Armoy kept battling to the last and big Johnny fired a free through a crowded Cloughmills goalmouth for a goal the gap was down to a three at the final whistle.
CLOUGHMILLS
Chris McKiernan, Geoffrey Og Laverty, John McGuckian, Sean McKendry, Aaron Smiley, Michael Morrison, Steven Martin, Conor Laverty, Marty Dobbin, Steven Smyth, Ruairi Laverty, Mickey Develin, Eoin Dobbin, Joseph Smyth, Liam Kearns.
Subs – James Doherty
ARMOY
Conor Devlin, Shane Devlin, John Dillon, Joe McBride, Liam Dillon, Thomas Burns, Callum Coyles, PJ McBride, Arthur Devlin, Emmet O’Hara, Eamon McCaughan, Conor Christie, Liam O’Hara, Johnny McErlain, Trevor Linton.
Refereee – Tarlach Conway
Cloughmills corner back Oggie Laverty in action during his team’s win over Armoy
Bathshack Antrim Senior Hurling Championship Group 2
Naomh Eánna 0-12 St Galls 2-17
St Galls pulled away late on to score a deserving victory at Hightown on day 1 of this year’s Bathshack sponsored Antrim senior hurling championship. The scoreline suggests that this may have been all one-way traffic but the result hung in the balance until a late scoring burst of 1-3 sealed the points for the West Belfast side. It was a frustrating senior debut for the Glengormley outfit. St Galls dominated the puck out from both keepers while their forward division were only able to contribute 0-4 from play.
St Galls on the other hand had match winners in every sector from Sean Burke in defence to CJ McGourty in attack, while in the middle third Niall O’Neill, Jackson McGreevy and Kieran McGourty would also have been contenders for man of the match. On the edge of the square Conor Burke looked threating every time he secured possession and but for a stunning point blank save in first half injury time from Naomh Eánna netminder Martin Curran, would’ve walked away from this game with a hattrick.
Afterwards St Galls manager Chris Dornan was full of praise for his side. “I think we were the better team over all. They had a wee purple patch first five, ten minutes, but I thought we really battled well and we had the match winners.” One player who was singled out for special praise was 1st half replacement Marcus Donnelly. Donnelly, who Dornan described as “brilliant” came into the game in bizarre circumstances after Karl Stewart tangled with Mark Donaghy going for the games first ball. The St Galls stalwart fell awkwardly and had to be withdrawn with an ankle injury, but Donnelly came in and made his intentions clear that he wants to be in the starting 15 the next day out against Loughgiel.
Naomh Eánna started well and when Daniel Lowry knocked over a point on the ten-minute mark, the homeside lead 0-3 to 0-1, but when CJ McGourty converted a ‘65’ just before the water break, the sides were level at 0-4. But there were warning signs before the first break as both McGourty and Donnelly both got in behind the Naomh Eánna defence only for some last-ditch tackling preventing gilt edged goal chances.
On 24 minutes Sean Burke did find himself in such a position and his low shot to the net gave Curran no chance. Burke was put in the clear by a clever reverse pass from CJ McGourty which took out two home defenders. This gave the visitors a three-point advantage but Naomh Eánna responded well with scores from Cormac Ross and Cormac Jennings to go in at half time all square. Naomh Eánna 0-10 St Galls 1-07.
The second half belonged to the visitors as CJ McGourty added three points in the opening eight minutes, with brother Kieran assisting on the third after intercepting a Naomh Eánna puck out. St Galls dominated the midfield battle where Jackson McGreevy in particular shone. Darrach Cooper replied for Naomh Eánna as the home team tried to force their way back into the contest but three more McGourty frees gave St Galls a five-point cushion as the game slipped away from the hosts.
As the game ticked into injury time St Galls found another gear and went for the kill. Firstly, CJ McGourty brought his haul for the day to 0-10, and after proving provider for Mark Napier, Kieran McGourty capped an excellent performance with a score of his own before Burke got in behind the home defence to poke the ball under the advancing Curran.
Teams:
Naomh Eánna: Martin Curran, Manus Mullan, Niall O’Connor, Ruairi Diamond, Mark Donaghy, Cormac Ross (0-3 3f), Edward O’Connor, Joe Maskey (0-1), Eoin Conlon (0-2), Jason Higgins, Ruairi Donaghy (0-1), Cormac Jennings (0-3 2f), Daniel Lowry (0-1), Darrach Cooper (0-1), Killian Jennings.
Replacements: Oliver Breen for Jason Higgins HT, Aidan McGowan for Cormac Ross 51 minutes, Phillip Curran for Oliver Breen 54 minutes & Michael McGivern for Ruairi Diamond 58 minutes.
St Galls: Kurtis McGreevy, Liam McCluskey, Sean Burke, Jack Hopkins, Niall O’Neill, Aodhan Gallagher, Ryan Irvine, Anthony Healy, Jackson McGreevy (0-2), Karl Stewart, Kieran McGourty (0-1), Patrick Friel (0-2 1f), CJ McGourty (0-10, 7f, 1 ‘65’), Conor Burke (2-0), Mark Napier (0-2).
Replacements: Marcus Donnelly for Karl Stewart 1 minute & Gregory McGreevy for Anthony Healy 47 minutes.
Con Magees, Glenravel emerged victorious in this Casement Social Club, Junior Hurling Championship played in glorious conditions on the Glen Road, West Belfast. Referree Rob Lappin had to consult his umpires on more than one occasion for “off the ball” incidents which saw both teams reduced to thirteen aside by the time the game ended in what was a hard fought but fiery affair. The lead had changed hands a few times before the first red card for the locals with effectively ten minutes remaining on the clock changed the ebb and flow in favour of the visitors who would go on to win by a margin that may have flattered their endeavours. Glenravel had eight different scorers over the hour, twice as many as their opponents and it was that breadth of talent that in the end won the day for the Glensmen.
Niall Donnelly put Con Magees ahead on three minutes but two minutes later Philip Maguire equalised from a free. The big number eleven would end the game with eight points to his name, all from placed balls. Those of a slightly older generation will remember Philip’s father, Danny Maguire who served St Teresa’s so well over the years. The Maguire clan, originally from Garrison, Fermanagh moved to Belfast many years ago and have been synonymous with the Glen Road outfit for a very long time. Padge O’Neill and Sean McKay would trade scores with Niall McGettigan and Sean Maguire to leave honours even on sixteen minutes. Glenravel then went on the rampage and scored five unanswered points, two each from Sean McKay and Niall Donnelly with Jonathan Fyfe providing the other score to leave Con Magees ahead 0-08 to 0-03 with seven minutes of the half remaining. It was now the turn of the home side to take control and four points in succession from Sean Maguire, Philip Maguire (0-02) and Pierce O’Rawe brought the score to 0-08 to 0-07 in favour of Glenravel. As the half time whistle blew there was general agreement on the terraces between home and away supporters that the score was 0-08 to 0-87 but the referree had the teams level at 0-08 each so we go with his score. Unfortunately this reporter doesn’t know who scored St Teresa’s eighth point.
Sean McKay restored Glenravel’s lead after twenty seconds of the re-start but Philip Maguire’s unerring accuracy from frees levelled the game again. A minute later, St Teresa’s registered the first “major” of the game through Sean Maguire and the Belfast lads were ahead by three. The next ten minutes however belonged to Glenravel when indiscipline in the home team defence led to a series of frees which Niall Donnelly (0-02) and Sean McKay (0-01) were happy to convert. Conleth O’Loan added to that spree with a nice score from a tight angle to leave Glenravel back in the lead by a single point. St Teresa’s were reduced to fourteen with twenty minutes gone in the second half and through they would level with a free from Maguire shortly after, Glenravel enjoyed greater freedom with the extra man. Shane Woulahan grabbed a high ball on the edge of the square, pivoted and rifled a shot which went marginally north of the bar instead of south – keeper Conor McCann wouldn’t have seen it either way! Three minutes later, Seam McKay goaled with a clever “over the shoulder” flick and Con Magees were back ahead by four. The next five minutes would deliver tit for tat scores from both teams. Philip Maguire with two frees and Sean Maguire from play would draw responses from Sean McKay and Eoin McCusker to leave one goal between the teams three minutes into injury time. As tensions rose in the final few minutes Referree Lappin had to dismiss two more players, one from each side. At times like these you need experience and cool heads and Niall Donnelly provided both when he netted a screamer seven minutes into injury time to all but put the game to bed, Glenravel now leading by six points. Declan Traynor added one for the visitors and a few seconds later it was fitting indeed that Philip Maguire should register St Teresa’s last and his eighth point from a free but it was too little too late. Declan Traynor again pointed for Glenravel with eleven extra minutes played to put them seven points clear and beyond catching.
St Teresa’s: Conor McCann, Philip Glennon, Gerard O’Rawe, Aodhan Dugan, Ciaran Rouse, Conor O’Rawe, James Magornan, Pierce O’Rawe (0-01), Colm McGoldrick, Christopher Turley, Philip Maguire (0-08 all frees), Niall Mccann, Niall McGettigan (0-01), Kevin Burns, Sean Maguire (1-04)
Glenravel: Chris McCann, Michael McQuillan, Shan lee kerr, Michael McDonald, Eoin McCusker (0-01), James Duffin, Rian lennon, Sean McKay (1-06, 0-02f), Brian O’Neill, Niall Donnelly (1-05, 0-03f), Shane Woulahan (0-01), Padge O’Neill, Declan Traynor (0-02), Conleth O’Loan (0-01), Jonathan Fyfe (0-01)
Subs: Stephe Acheson for Brian O’neill, Odhran McAleenan for Jonathon Fyfe.
Conor ‘Bullhead’ McKeever was the man in form as St. Mary’s Rasharkin out scored a battling All Saints Ballymena at Dreen today. McKeever was instrumental in nearly everything good the former Intermediate side did but they were pushed all the way by last year’s Junior B finalists.
McKeever opened the scoring for the Dreen side with a point in the third minute but All Saints replied through Damian Gillan to move 0-2 to 0-1 ahead with eight minutes on the clock.
Thomas ‘Tucker’ McMullan put the home side in front with a goal in the 7th minute and McKeever for Rasharkin and Gillan for the Ballymena side exchanged further points before Gillan sent a ‘65’ between the uprights in the 14th minute to leave the visitors just one behind and things were not quite going to plan for the hot favourites.
At this stage the game was turning into a shootout between Conor McKeever for the home side and Saint’s Damian Gillan with ‘Bullhead’ hitting another three for Rasharkin and Gillan replying with two for the visitors and Gary Miskella getting another to leave the half time score 1-6 to 0-7 in favour of the home side.
Gillan closed the gap to one with a point on the restart with McKeever replying for Rasharkin and when Ciaran Neeson fired home an All Saints goal in the 36th minute an upset suddenly looked on the cards.
Again the Rasharkin talisman, McKeever hit back with a point in the 39th minute with the excellent Gillan responding once more for the visitors in the 43d minute and at this stage it still looked anybody’s game.
It was the Dreen men who finished strongly however with Conor McKeever hitting three unanswered points and points from Thomas McMullan, James Scally and Donagh Quigg put them in control.
Conor McKeever put the issue beyond doubt as he fired to the net with time almost up with Ciaran Neeson and Damian Gillan responding with Consolation points for the gallant losers
St Mary’s Rasharkin
1. Aidan Darragh
2. Liam Tunney
3. Daniel Doherty
4. Aidan McKeever
5. James Scally (0-1)
6. Conor Hasson
7. Tiernan O’Boyle
8. Emmet McFerran
9. Conor Doherty
10. Donagh Quigg (0-1)
11. Declan McKay
12. Conor McKeever (1-12)
13. Daniel Hasson
14. Thomas McMullan (1-1)
15. Shane Hasson
Rashrkin Scorers: Conor “BullHead” McKeever (1-12) min) Thomas “Tucker” McMullan (1-1) James Scally (0-1) Donagh Quigg (0-1)
SUBS: 30mins Colm Kennedy for Conor Doherty 37mins Conor Donaghy for Daniel Hasson
56mins Kealan Darragh for Declan McKay
62mins Paul Reilly for Thomas McMullan
ALL Saints Ballymena 1.Ciaran Cassley 2. PJ OKane 3. Padhraig Magill 4. Declan McKee 5. Terence Diamond 6. Luke O’Rawe 7. Sean O’Rawe 8. Vincert Esler 9. Cormac Magill 10. Kieran O’Boyle 11. Damian Gillan 12. Ciaran Neeson 13. Rory McAllistar 14. Gary Miskella 15. Kevin Brady
