Leinster Under 20 Hurling Championship – Tier 2

Westmeath v Antrim at Cussack Park, Mullingar

Antrim Under-20s step into the unknown tomorrow (Saturday) when they take on Westmeath in the Leinster Championship in Cussack Park, Mullingar. (Throw-in 2pm).

When we spoke to team manager Michael McShane he sounded upbeat about things, saying that training has been going really well since beating Down in the Ulster final three weeks ago. The four senior players in the panel, Sean McKay, Cormac McKeown, Aodhan McGarry and Joseph McLaughlin were away last weekend with the senior squad at their warm-weather training camp in Portugal, returned a few days ago and trained with the rest of the squad last night.

Michael and his management team will not name the starting 15 until they arrive at Cussack Park as there are a couple of players with slight niggles and they want to asses them in the morning to be sure they are good to go. However the Ballycastle man assures us that the spirit in the camp is very good. They have worked very hard for a few months now and are really looking forward to the challenge of playing in Tier 2 in Leinster.

Their group in the second tier contains Westmeath and Meath and McShane stressed that nothing short of a win on Saturday will suffice. One team of the three advances to Tier 1 and that is something the management team have set their sights on since the campaign started. They have seen Westmeath in action on a couple of occasions and have been impressed with what they saw.

“I have got to see the opposition in action in a couple of games. They are a very big, strong team and they play a very distinctive running game. We know that any time you go into Mullingar to play Westmeath you are going to be up against it.” Like ourselves their aim is to get into Tier 1 and to do that they need to win tomorrow. McShane added “ To be honest whoever loses tomorrow will be more or less out of it.”

The way the group works sees whoever loses out tomorrow facing Meath next weekend, while the winners of tomorrow’s game face the same opposition the following weekend on April 12^th.

Summing up McShane added “We are all very excited about this game, which should have a real championship feel about it, We are really looking forward to it and hopefully we get the win.”

The Saffrons have qualified for this stage of the competition by winning the Ulster title which saw them beat Derry and Down in the round robin section, and them beat Down in the final in Ballycastle. Down provided stiff opposition in that final and at half time there was only four points between the sides. However they pulled away in the second half and were comfortable enough winners in the end.

McShane and his team have had a wide selection to pick from, especially with St Killian’s winning last season’s Paddy Buggy Cup (All Ireland Colleges B Championship) and Cross & Passion doing the same this year. There is deep pool of talent available and they have been given their chance during a series of challenge games, plus their Ulster campaign.

We would expect to see a team along the lines of the one that beat Down in the Ulster final. Cormac McKeown did not start that day because he selected to start on the senior team the following day against Laois in the National Hurling League Division 1 B game at Corrigan Park. However he did get a run out during the second half of the Down game and looks certain to start tomorrow.

The team who beat Down in that Ulster final was

Antrim: Eoghan Richmond; Ciarán McAllister, Liam Glackin, Malachi McGibbon; Charlie McAuley, Ben O’Kane, Niall Magee; Sean McKay, Calum McIlwaine; Aodhan McGarry, Oran Donnelly, Thomas McLaughlin; Callagh Mooney, Joseph McLaughlin, Fiontan Bradley

Subs: Sean Óg Blaney for C McAllister (28); Cormac McKeown for O Donnelly (38); Orrin O’Connor for J McLaughlin (58); Austin Birt for L Glackin (58)

Scorers: F Bradley 0-10 (5fs); A McGarry 1-1 (1f); J McLaughlin 0-3; S McKay 0-2; O Donnelly 0-2; C Mooney 0-2; O O’Connor 0-2; N Magee 0-1; C McIlwaine 0-1; C McKeown 0-1

THE WESTMEATH LINE-OUT

Tomorrow is the biggest game most of these young men have faced. The stakes are high and it promises to be a great contest. Get yourself down to Mullingar to cheer them on.

For those not able to travel the game is being streamed live on Clubber

Main pic – Man of the match James McNaughton celebrates after scoring the first of Antrim’s four goals

Allianz Hurling League Division 1B 

Antrim 4-22 Laois 0-21

Antrim hurlers are almost sure of maintaining their Division 1B status for next season after beating Laois convincingly in their last league game of the season on Sunday at Corrigan Park. Leading by 2-15 to 0-08 at half time it was clear that if the Saffrons could keep out the goals in the second half they were would be pretty sure of victory, and while the Leinster men did show a marked improvement in the second half, they could make no inroads into Antrim’s lead and the thirteen points that separated the sides at the interval, was still there when match referee Michael Kennedy sounded the full time whistle. It has to be said that much of credit for that goes to the Saffrons goalkeeper Ryan Elliott who made a series of excellent saves throughout the game, with a couple of them during the final quarter right out of the top drawer.

Elliott’s performance had him in contention for the man of the match award, but that honour has to go to full forward James McNaughton who scored 2-11 over the seventy minutes, both goals taken expertly from play in a great all round display.

The win does not guarantee Division 1 safety as both Laois and Carlow have two games left to play. The O’Moore county have a home fixture against Carlow next week and if they were to win that they would still be in contention if they also beat Dublin the following week, a game that is also in O’Moore Park.

However a defeat in Sunday’s game would have left Antrim with no chance of survival and so it was vital that they came through. There were two very nerve-wracking moments for the Saffron fans in the opening minutes when Laois corner forward Tomás Keyes twice came within inches of an early goal, the first one hitting the side netting and the other fizzing past the far post, both of them from a narrow angle.

Gerard Walsh had given Antrim and early lead and when James McNaughton added two more and Conor Johnston one, daylight began to appear. The first goal came on 12 minutes when James McNaughton cut through the middle and just when it appeared he was about to lay off a pass, he produced a burst of speed that took him clear of is marker before firing the ball past Cathal Dunne in the Laois goals.

The home side kept the scoreboard ticking over and the gap widened before goal number two arrived, centre back Eoghan Campbell breaking forward before finding Conor Johnston in front of goal and the Johnnies sharp-shooter flicked the ball home one handed to the net, and when Ryan McCambridge and debutant Cormac McKeown added points the gap was out to 2-25 to 0-08 at the interval.

Keeping the goals out in the second half was undoubtedly the Saffrons aim and though they were not as dominant as they had been in the first 35 minutes they were still in control. Of course they did have Ryan Elliott to thank for that on more than one occasion and as the game entered the final quarter the play became a little scrappy.

Antrim had a good few chances to add to their own goal tally but good moves just kept breaking down at the last minute. However their persistence paid off eventually and James McNaughton grabbed his second with a finish as stylish as the first and Keelan Molloy put the icing on the cake with a sweet finish to wrap it all up.

That is league season wrapped up for Saffrons but they will have an anxious wait over the next two weeks to see if they have done enough to survive in 1B for next season.

Antrim scorers: J McNaughton 2-11 (0-9f), C Johnston 1-2, G Walsh 0-3, K Molloy 1-1, R McCambridge 0-2, C McKeown 0-1, J Maskey 0-1, E Campbell 0-1

Laois scores: A Dunphy 0-9 (0-5f, 0-2 65s),  P Purcell 0-2, P Delaney 0-2 (2f), C Dwyer 0-1, F C Fennell 0-1, M Keyes 0-1, D Dooley 0-1, M Keyes 0-1, M Dowling 0-1, C Byrne 0-1, J Lennon 0-1

ANTRIM: Ryan Elliott; Eoin McFerran, Paddy Burke, Stephen Rooney; Joe Maskey (0-01), Eoghan Campbell (0-01), Conor Boyd; Conall Bohill, Gerard Walsh (0-03); Ryan McCambridge (0-02), Keelan Molloy (1-01), Nigel Elliott; Cormac McKeown (0-01), James McNaughtonn (2-11, 0-09 frees), Conor Johnston (1-02).

Subs: Scott Walsh for R McCambridge (50), Seaan Elliott for G Walsh (55), Eoin O’Neill for C McKeown (55), Fred McCurry for N Elliott (70), Aodhán McGarry for C Johnston (70).

LAOIS: Cathal Dunne; Padraic Dunne, Lee Cleere, Padraig Delaney (0-02, 2f); Fiachra C Fennell (0-01), Donnchadh Hartnett, Jordan Walshe; Aidan Corby, David Dooley (0-01); Aaron Dunphy 90-09, 5f, 2 65s), Cha Dwyer (0-01), Willie Dunphy; Jer Quinlan (0-01), Paddy Purcell (0-02) Tomás Keyes (0-01). 

Subs: John Lennon (0-01) for A Corby (29), Cormac Byrne (0-01) for C Dwyer (33), Mark Dowling (0-01) for P Purcell (50), James Duggan for W Dunphy (57), Cody Comerford for J Walshe (69).

REFEREE: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)

TO SEE MORE PICS FROM TODAY’S GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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Ulster U20 Hurling Cup Final

Antrim 1-25 Down 1-13

Saturday 8 March

Brendan McTaggart reports from Ballycastle

A strong second half performance from Antrim was enough to ensure they claimed the u20 Ulster Cup in Ballycastle on Saturday afternoon.  12 points was the difference at the end of the hour but after an indifferent first half where they held a four point lead, it was a much more controlled performance from the Saffrons as they restricted Down to just two points from open play in that second half.

It was the trio of Ruairi Og’s in the full forward line did the majority of the damage on the scoreboard, Joseph McLaughlin, Callagh Mooney and Fiontan Bradley sharing 15 points between them while Bradley who got my nod for Man of The Match.

Assuming the free taking responsibilities, Bradley was flawless and struck five points from open play.  He gave the Down full back line a torrid time for the full hour while Mooney was also a major thorn in the Mourne Men’s side.

Out of the 1-25 registered, to hit 1-19 from open play is an impressive return and when you factor in the ten different scorers, it all makes for good reading for the Saffrons.  When they analyse this one, they will have concerns about the second quarter of the first half where they allowed Down to eek their way back into the game after Antrim had built a seven point lead but they still had enough about them to lay a solid foundation for their second half.

Defensively, Liam Glackin and Ben O’Kane were excellent at the heart of the defence while Niall Magee and Charlie McAuley also shone.  The middle third was largely dominated by those in Saffron, Sean McKay and Calum McIlwaine working well together while the work rate of those in half forward line was a massive factor in the Saffrons pulling clear in the second half.

With the wind swirling on the north coast, it was difficult to read whether it favoured anyone in the first half.  Antrim did settle much quicker that Down with two points from McIlwaine and Joseph McLaughlin inside the opening three minutes.  Luke McCabe opened Down’s account in the sixth minute before Antrim had the first sight of a major.  Bradley it was who stole in behind the Down defence but his shot was well saved by Cian Clarke.  He did manage convert the resulting ’65 to open Antrim’s two point lead once again but Down replied with a major at the other end of the pitch.

Sean McCarthy leaving his midfield berth and playing a return pass with Sean O’Neill before finding the back of Eoghan Richmond’s net.

Antrim’s response to going behind was perfect.  Points followed from Bradley and Oran Donnelly (two) to restore Antrim’s lead before Aodhan McGarry scored Antrim’s goal in the 15^th minute.  With Callagh Mooney creating the chance from nothing, McGarry timed his run to take the sliotar and fire home to open a five point lead.

Further scores followed from Bradley and McKay to make it 1-5 without reply in a little over six minutes as the Saffrons took control.

The Mourne Men began to find their way back into the game however with Cathal Coleman, Liam Blaney and Sean O’Neill prominent.  In the ten minutes after McKay’s point, Antrim registered just one more white flag, that a free from Bradley in 20^th minute while the visitors began to eat into the Antrim lead.  Points from Coleman (two frees), O’Neill, Blaney and Rogers reduced the deficit to three while it took some last gasp defending from Ben O’Kane to deny McCabe what looked like a certain goal in that same period.

A brace of frees from McGarry and Bradley restored a sense of control before Coleman’s third of the half and first from play left it 1-11 to 1-7 at half time.

Down started the second half in the ascendancy and had another glimpse of the Antrim goal with Coleman going close but the Antrim deficit was halved just four minutes into that second half.  Coleman’s third from placed ball was quickly followed by the impressive Blaney’s second of the game.

Antrim responded with points from Jospeph McLaughlin and Mooney (two) and while Coleman added to his tally from another ’65, Antrim were beginning to take a stranglehold of the game. 

Another four unanswered points came from Joseph McLaughlin, a brace from Bradley (one free) and a tidy score from Niall Magee put Antrim eight clear with a little over 10 minutes of the match remaining.

Down rarely looked like they would eat into that Antrim lead as the Saffrons defence remained strong, conceding just one point from open play in the last 10 minutes – that coming from Blaney and while Coleman added a brace of frees, Antrim were much more fluent in attack.

Scores came from Cormac McKeown, McKay a brace from substitute Orrin O’Connor while Bradley scored three in the closing stages – one from placed ball while the other two were contenders for score of the match.  Wide on either flank and under pressure, he had no right to score them from that angle but still managed to raise the white flag.

Antrim progress to the Leinster Championship Tier 2 round robin where they will face Meath and Westmeath with the first match on 29 March.

TEAMS

Antrim: Eoghan Richmond; Ciarán McAllister, Liam Glackin, Malachi McGibbon; Charlie McAuley, Ben O’Kane, Niall Magee; Sean McKay, Calum McIlwaine; Aodhan McGarry, Oran Donnelly, Thomas McLaughlin; Callagh Mooney, Joseph McLaughlin, Fiontan Bradley

Subs: Sean Óg Blaney for C McAllister (28); Cormac McKeown for O Donnelly (38); Orrin O’Connor for J McLaughlin (58); Austin Birt for L Glackin (58)

Scorers: F Bradley 0-10 (5fs); A McGarry 1-1 (1f); J McLaughlin 0-3; S McKay 0-2; O Donnelly 0-2; C Mooney 0-2; O O’Connor 0-2; N Magee 0-1; C McIlwaine 0-1; C McKeown 0-1

Down: Cian Clarke; Dominic McGrath, Ben Taggart, Eoin Browne; Manus Gilmore, Patrick McGarry, Daniel Cunningham; Sean McCarthy, Sean McCollum; Luke McCabe, Cathal Coleman, Noah Rogers; Liam Blaney, Sean O’Neill, John Duggan

Subs: David Morrissey for L McCabe (16); Conor O’Neill for M Gilmore (HT); Shea Pucci for D McGrath (47); Rossa Byres for D Cunningham (56); Calum O’Neill for N Rogers (58)

Scorers: C Coleman 0-7 (4fs 2’65s); S McCarthy 1-00; L Blaney 0-3; L McCabe 0-1; N Rogers 0-1; S O’Neill 0-1

Referee: Ruan McKinstry (Armagh)

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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Allianz Hurling League – Division 1B

Antrim 2-18 Carlow 1-21

Sunday 2 March

Brendan McTaggart reports from Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow

It was the late, late show for Antrim on Sunday afternoon but Gerard Walsh’s 75^th minute wonder strike ensured the Saffrons fate in Division 1B remains in their own hands. 

Standing over the sliotar and a wall of colour in front of him, 35 yards from goal, it was all or nothing for Antrim and Walsh, somehow, managed to find the back of the Carlow net. 

Was it a deserved ending?  Absolutely.  Antrim showed the fight and desire Davy Fitzgerald had called for after recent defeats and but for seven or eight minutes at the end of the first half, they performed more like the Antrim team we have come accustomed to in recent times. 

Goal chances came and left before finally finding a way through.  On another day, Conor Johnston would be walking off with three goals beside his name.  As it was, he hit the bottom of the upright, was felled in the build up to Keelan Molloy’s goal and had a fresh air strike with the goal at his mercy.  James McNaughton finished with eight points, six from placed ball and uncharacteristically missed a couple of frees along with a penalty.  That being said, McNaughton’s overall contribution was outstanding.  His ability to evade challenges and create chances was second to none in an Antrim shirt.

When Fitzgerald and his team analyse this one, they’ll realise that it’s a chance missed.  But looking at the positives, and there are plenty to come from this 70 plus minutes, have they come across a winning formula?  Plenty has been said in relation to systems and styles being implanted so far.  I’ve been one of those who have questioned it.  In that second 35 minutes on Sunday afternoon, Antrim really turned the screw.  Trailing by seven points six minutes into the second half, they reduced the home side to four points from play and seven overall while hitting 2-8 themselves despite missing a plethora of further chances.

What was the difference?  There were different personnel but positionally, Antrim were much more tuned in to what was being asked of them.  They put pressure on the Carlow puck outs and upped the intensity in the middle third.  Winning clean ball with Conall Bohill excelling, Ryan McCambridge superb in second phase ball while Gerard Walsh was in his element in the advanced position.

From our own restarts, there was an initial reluctance to go long.  Short puck outs were then being driven from the full back and latterly the half back lines in an attempt to bypass the middle third but the variation kept Carlow from getting to grips with Ryan Elliott’s puck outs. 

The only really worrying aspect of this game was the closing period of the first half.  The sides were tied on seven points each in the 27^th minute when Carlow got the opening goal of the game.  It was Chris Nolan who was on the end of the move that involved Marty Kavanagh in the buildup and despite a less than favourable angle, he managed to beat Elliott with a drilled effort.

A further four points followed with James Doyle at his brilliant best with Antrim’s solitary response coming from a Keelan Molloy point with the last action of the half.

It was a harsh ending to the half for Antrim and a further reminder that if you take your eye off the ball at this level, you’ll get punished.  In a first half where they showed plenty of determination and defensively for long periods, had the match of a talented Carlow attack but they were struggling for any kind of momentum in attack.  Whether that be the delivery of ball or touches being missed, it just wasn’t clicking in that first half for the Saffrons.  Four points in the opening eight minutes was followed by the same tally in the time that remained in the first half.  That being said, the work rate and determination was there.  They needed to convert the chances they were creating to start making the home side think differently.

A quick fire brace from Conor Johnston soon after the restart got Antrim off to a bright start and while Carlow were taking scores and keeping the score board ticking, the Saffrons were looking much more threatening in attack.  The introduction of Cormac McKeown certainly having an impact.

A run of five points in seven minutes with just one white flag coming the way of Carlow helped to reduce the deficit to three points and 25 minutes of the match remaining.  It could have been better for the Saffrons but Conor Johnston’s brilliant effort somehow found the bottom of the right hand upright with Brian Tracey beaten between the sticks.

McKeown reduced that deficit to two shortly after before Kavanagh converted his second free of the half in the 59^th minute.

With all the momentum, Antrim’s slick passing created a massive goal scoring opportunity for McNaughton.  He was felled by Paul Doyle who was black carded for his troubles and McNaughton stood 20 yards from goal to take the penalty.  He struck the sliotar well but Brian Tracey was equal to his strike and his rebounded effort went to the wrong side of the post.

With six minutes remaining, midfielder Ciaran Whelan put four between the sides and it felt like it was an insurance point for the home side.  Antrim came once again and another slick move, they carved open the Carlow defence and Johnston was on the end of a half chance.  He went to strike unorthodoxly but was swarmed out by a retreating Carlow defence only for Molloy to fire the rebound to the back of the net.

Antrim were well on top with any Carlow attacks fleeting in the closing stages.  They did manage to open a three point lead once again in the second minute of injury time but commeth the hour, commeth the man.  Antrim had one last chance, if you could even call it that when Gerard Walsh stood over a free 35 yards from goal.  Walsh drilled low and the sliotar evaded everyone to nestle in the bottom corner of the net with what was the last action of the game.

A fantastic end to what was a gripping second half of hurling.  Antrim look ahead now to the visit of Laois in seven days time in a winner takes all contest.  If ever there was a time to produce the goods, this was it.  The Saffrons go into that game on the back of what was their best performance of the year and while it may have been points shared at Cullen Park, this felt like a shift in mentality and momentum by the final whistle.

Onto the next one.

TEAMS

Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Eoin McFerran, Paddy Burke, Stephen Rooney; Joe Maskey, Eoghan Campbell, Conall Bohill; Niall O’Connor, Gerard Walsh; Ryan McCambridge, Keelan Molloy, Nigel Elliott; Eoin O’Neill, James McNaughton, Conor Johnston

Subs: Cormac McKeown for E O’Neill (32); Joseph McLaughlin for R McCambridge (64)

Scorers: J McNaughton 0-8 (6fs); K Molloy 1-1; G Walsh 1-00 (1-00f); C Johnston 0-2; E Campbell 0-2; E McFerran 0-1; C Bohill 0-1; R McCambridge 0-1; N Elliott 0-1; C McKeown 0-1

Carlow: Brian Tracey; Paidi O’Shea, Dion Wall, Paul Doyle; Fiachra Fitzpatrick, Kevin McDonald, Jack McCullagh; Evan Kealy, Ciaran Whelan; Jon Nolan, Martin Kavanagh, John Doyle; Conor Kehoe, Chris Nolan, James Doyle

Subs: Paddy Boland for J Nolan (54); Ted Joyce for J Doyle (59); Donagh Murphy for C Kehoe (64)

Scorers: M Kavanagh 0-7 (5fs 1’65); C Nolan 1-3; J Doyle 0-3; F Fitzpatrick 0-2; C Whelan 0-2; J Nolan 0-2; C Kehoe 0-1; T Joyce 0-1

Referee: Chris Mooney (Dublin)

To see more of Brendan’s pics from the Antrim v Carlow game please clink on the link below

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