Category / Division 2

by thesaffrongael

Bredagh Overpower Cloughmills in Clinical Display

Featured Image: Ben Christie who gave a masterclass for Bredagh

 (ACHL) Division 2

St. Brigid’s Cloughmills: 0-12 (12)

Bredagh: 1-22 (25)

Bredagh kick-started their league campaign in style on Sunday, producing a dominant display to brush aside St. Brigid’s Cloughmills. In a meeting between two sides hungry for points at the bottom of the table, the Belfast men’s superior firepower and clinical finishing saw them run out 1-22 to 0-12 winners.

Bredagh signalled their intent from the first whistle, racing into a 0-04 to 0-01 lead within the opening five minutes. They remained on top for the vast majority of the half, spearheaded by an exceptional performance from number 14 Ben Christie. Christie was the standout performer in the opening period, slotting over 0-05 and proving a constant thorn in the Cloughmills defence.

Mickey Devlin who was St. Brigid’s outstanding performer

While Bredagh dictated the tempo, Cloughmills stayed within touching distance thanks to the accuracy of Michael Devlin, who notched four points in the opening period. Further scores from Ruairi Laverty, James O’Boyle, and Conor Laverty kept the home side in the hunt, trailing by just three at the interval.

Half-Time Score: Bredagh 0-10, Cloughmills 0-07.

The second period saw Bredagh find another gear to completely pull away. Ben Christie continued his scoring master-class, adding a further 1-06 to his tally. The game’s only goal arrived in the 25th minute of the half, when Christie was set up by Sean McCollum to effectively end the contest.

Bredagh’s clinical edge was bolstered by scores from Tim Rankin (0-04), John Dougan (0-02), and  Luke Doran (0-04). 13 Frankie Ferguson (0-01) also chipped in to round out a comprehensive team performance. Cloughmills found it much harder to break through a disciplined Bredagh rear guard, anchored by Ian Galway in goal. Michael Devlin, Ruairi Laverty, Geoffery Og Laverty, James O’Boyle and Stephen Smyth provided the only second-half resistance for the “Biddies.” Who were missing a number of regulars but need to get some points on bosard sooner rather than later

Geoffery Og Laverty on the attack for Cloughmills

An Bhreadach CLG (Bredagh):
1 Ian Galway, 2 Odhran Morgan-Little, 3 Michael Woods, 4 Eoin Browne, 5 Sean Doyle, 6 Patrick McGarry, 7 Liam Hogan, 8 Tim Rankin, 9 Cormac Hughes, 10 John Dougan, 11 Eoin Kennedy, 12 Sean McCollum, 13 Frankie Ferguson, 14 Ben Christie, 15 Luke Doran, 16 Aaron Maguire, 17 Fintan McCollum, 18 Evin Maguire, 19 Mel Lavery, 20 Adam Rankin, 21 Conor O’Neill.

Naomh Bríd (St. Brigid’s Cloughmills):
1 Corey Blair, 2 Jack McDowall, 3 Sean McKendry, 4 Aaron McGuckian, 5 Johnny Duffin, 6 Ruairi Laverty, 9 Dara Watterson, 10 Ryan Mcfarline, 11 Michael Devlin, 12 Conor Laverty, 13 Stephen Smyth, 14 Shemus Duffin, 15 James O’Boyle, 16 Cathaoir McFerran, 17 James Doherty, 18 Dean Boyle, 19 Con chaber Mac Enri, 20 Michael Reid, 21 Ryan Watson, 22 Kevin O’Boyle, 27 Reece Watt.

Referee: Ciaran McCloskey (Loughgiel)

TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/N75w9LdUy7f6QL

by thesaffrongael

St. Paul’s hang on to take the points

ACHL Division 2

Creggan 3-14 St. Paul’s 2-18

In ideal conditions, St Pauls travelled to Staffordstown to face Kickham’s in a helter-skelter game that was played at break neck speed.  Both teams battled continuously for 60 minutes, but it was the City side’s Caolan O Duibhfinn ,injury time free, that edged them a point ahead and secured the points.

 The visitors’ Sean Munce had a white flag raised within the first minute and his colleague Seamus MacDomhnall pointed seconds later.  Creggan responded on the 3rd & 4th minute with a point a piece for Morgan Nelson and Ruairi McCann to level proceedings before Nelson scored again to edge his side ahead for the first time.

O’Duibhfinn won the puck out and soloed from the centre of the park before firing to the Creggan’s net from close range. Three more pointed frees from play for the visitors, Sean Og MacHabhraim, Conal MacAnChrosan and Conal O Fionnagain, had the visitors 5 points ahead and Sean Og MacHabhraim and Seamus MacDomhnall stretched the lead to 7 and the gap increased between the sides. 

Thomas McCann and Sam Maguire for the home side narrowed the gap again to 5 with 17 minutes on the clock.  With Creggan struggling for possession, the City side were impressing all over the field with 4 more points from play for Sean Og Machabhraim, Lorcan MacPhilib, Caolan O Duibhfinn and Conal O Fionnagain. 

Their management must have been impressed with 7 different players notching up scores.  Creggan’s Ronan McGuckian and Lee Johnston narrowed the gaps slightly, but when Seamus MacDomhnall found the net in the 26th minute, things were not looking good for the home side.  When Referee, John O’Connor, blew the whistle for Half Time, many of the Creggan supporters would have felt that this was one that was already out of reach. 

HALF TIME SCORE:  CREGGAN 0.7 v ST PAULS 2.12

 As proceedings got underway for the 2nd half, the Creggan management had made a reshuffle and within one minute of the restart Creggan’s, Kevin Rice, had raised the green flag to signal his side’s intention to finally get into the game.  Rice added the next point on the 39th minute followed by a goal on the 41st minute to narrow the gap to 4 points. 

The home sides, Morgan Nelson, reduced the deficit further to 3, pointing from a goal scoring effort that just nipped over the bar.  The visitors had no answer for this and struggled all over the field.  It wasn’t until the 42nd minute that Sean Og MacHabhraim got his side’s 1st score from play for the second half. 

Creggan kept up the pressure with 2 points from Ruairi McCann and a converted free from Morgan Nelson, levelling the sides and the home team had the momentum.  Nelson got his side’s 3rd goal of the game on the 46th minute to put them 3 points up and it was looking good for the Staffordstown Road side.

The visitors responded however with 3 points on the trot from Caolan O Duibhfinn to level the proceedings once again.  With minutes left on the clock, Nelson put the home side ahead once again from a converted free with St Pauls replying again, from a Caolan O Duibhfinn free. 

Teddy McKeown edged Creggan ahead once more on the 61st minute as the game moved into injury time  but Caolan O Duibhfinn replied from another free to tie the contest once more and it looked like ending all square.

As the game moved 3 minutes into injury time, O’Duibhfinn was once again called upon to step up and take a 30 metre free to edge his side one ahead and as we approached the final whistle, Creggan were handed a lifeline but Morgan Nelson’s free from 40 metres out in the dying seconds which sailed agonisingly wide of the post. 

Referee, John O’Connor, concluded proceedings to what was an extremely exciting contest, a game of 2 halves where St Pauls dominated the 1st Half while Creggan will feel they did enough in the second to get something from the game.

 CREGGAN: Conor McCann, Conor McLarnon, Aidan McIlwee, Peadar McGuckian, Sennan O’Boyle, Kealan McCann, Teddy McKeown (0.01), Sam Maguire (0.01), Ronan McGuckian (0.01), Lee Johnston (0.01), Daniel Dornan, Morgan Nelson (1.05) Thomas McCann (0.01), Sean McAuley, Kevin Rice (2.01), Ruairi McCann (0.03).

 ST PAULS: Criostoir O Muiri, Paul MagAoidh, Marcas Munce, Tiernan Auld, Caoimhin Killyleagh, Lorcan MacPhilib (0.02), Thomas O Duibh, Conal O Fionnagain (0.02), Deaglan O Coinne, Sean Munce (0.01), Sean Og MacLabhraim (0.03), Caolan O Duibhfinn (1.06), Shea MacConboirne, Caolan Mac An Chrosan (0.01), Seamus Mac Domhanall (1.02), Deaglan Chapman, Odhran O Donnghaile, Cian Mac Cana, Aaron O Ciara, Padhraic Mac Dhaibheid.

REFEREE:  John O’Connor

by thesaffrongael

Carryduff’s late snatch and grab seals victory over Cushundun

Antrim Hurling League – Division 2

Cushendun 3-14 Carryduff 3-15

Carryduff produced a dramatic late comeback to inflict the first defeat of the season on hitherto unbeaten Cushendun Emmets in a thrilling Antrim Hurling League Division 2 clash at the Riggs, winning by a single point, 3-15 to 3-14. Two late goals from the Down visitors turned the game entirely on its head, leaving Ballycran as the sole remaining unbeaten side in the division.

The visitors bolted out of the gates, racing into a four-point lead within the first five minutes. Donal Rooney opened his impressive tally from a free, quickly followed by points from David Morrissey, Oran Teague, and James Laverty. Cushendun finally settled in the seventh minute when Loaf McNeill converted a 65, but Rooney kept the scoreboard ticking over for Carryduff. The turning point of the first half came in the seventeenth minute when Dominic Sharkey found the back of the net for the Emmets, dragging them right back into the contest. A flurry of scores from Loaf put Cushendun ahead, but Carryduff responded instantly with a twenty-fifth-minute goal from Ciaran O’Callaghan. However, a late major just before the whistle from Leo Morgan ensured Cushendun went into the dressing room with a narrow advantage, leading 2-06 to 1-08 at the break.

The second half began as a tight, point-for-point affair. Rooney continued his dead-eye accuracy for Carryduff, while Connor McHugh, Sharkey, and Loaf kept Cushendun’s noses in front. In the eighth minute of the half, Cushendun seemed to take a definitive grip on the tie when Colm McKeggan fired in their third goal of the day, extending their lead to 3-09 to 1-11. Carryduff’s Rooney duo, Donal and Eoin, slotted points to stay in touch, but as the half wore on, the Emmets appeared comfortable. Scores from Pierce Bannon, McHugh, and Connor Bannon had the home side looking well on their way to maintaining their flawless league record.

Trailing as the game entered its dying stages, Carryduff engineered a spectacular smash-and-grab. With five minutes of normal time remaining, Darragh Goodwin rattled the Cushendun net, breathing sudden life into the visitors, and Sean O’Callaghan quickly added a point to close the gap further. Though McHugh pointed to momentarily stem the tide, disaster struck for the Emmets a minute later. Lorcan McCaughey capitalized on the shifting momentum, burying Carryduff’s third goal to incredibly put the Down men two points clear with time evaporating. Cushendun threw everything forward in a desperate search for a late match-winner, and deep into injury time, they carved out a golden opportunity to snatch the victory. However, Conor McHugh’s well-struck shot flew agonizingly over the crossbar, and the final whistle blew on a sensational one-point victory for Carryduff.

TO SEE MORE OF MICKEY MORGAN’S PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/xfnLmfziABxquD/?invite=a9eb2876-94ba-41ce-ae91-5654129b3f15

by thesaffrongael

Creggan secure the points in Staffordstown

ACHL Division 2

Kickham’s Creggan 0-17 Ballycastle 2nd’s 0-13

Report: JoeRice

 The Loughshore lads welcomed MacUilin’s on a bright Sunday afternoon.  Many of the home side supporters would have seldom seen black & amber jerseys lined out on their field.  Nevertheless, Ballycastle’s Second Team were here looking for their first win of the League Competition. 

First to score was Conall McGee pointing from play in the 2nd minute and from the initial stages Ballycastle dominated by winning most of the turnovers, but they failed to convert these into scores.

Slowly the home side steadied themselves and their first score came from Morgan Nelson on the 7th minute, adding a further 2 converted frees on the 8th and the 11th minute.  The visitors responded with 3 on target frees, one from James Blackwell and 2 from Feargal McKiernan on the 12th, 14th and 16th minute respectively.  With 16 minutes on the clock, MacUilin’s were in front. 

Creggan drew level with a fine point from play from Sean Duffin, but this was cancelled out as Gavin McToal edged the visitors’ ahead on the 23rd minute.  It was level again on the 26th minute when Rory McCann scored his 1st of 4 points of the contest before  Cormac Dallas put the visitors 2 in front with 2 superb frees from distance.   

The sides were level once again as Morgan Nelson and Teddy McKeown added to the home side’s tally.  The final 2 scores from the 1st half were from Rory McCann, Creggan, and one from Feargal McKiernan, MacUilin’s, to leave it all square at half time on 8 points apiece. Referee, Chris Brown, got proceedings underway in the 2nd half in a good natured encounter where he had little use for his notebook.  Creggan started the 2nd half better while MacUilin’s struggled for scores being guilty of several wides. 

Creggan’s marksman, Morgan Nelson, converted 3 frees and when his teammate, Sean Duffin, added a point from play it gave the home side a 4 point cushion.  It was 11 minutes into the 2nd half before Feargal McKiernan got MacUilin’s 1st point, however, at this stage they were struggling to close the gap. 

The home side’s confidence grew when Morgan Nelson and Rory McCann added 2 further points to lead by 4 with 15 minutes remaining on the clock.  Ballycastle’s Feargal McKiernan got his 4th point of the game to leave just one score between them, but Creggan surged ahead with Mick Maguire, Rory McCann & Keelan McCann securing 3 unanswered points without reply. 

As we headed towards the last 5 minutes plus extra time, Ballycastle threw everything at the Lough shore lads looking for the goals that never came, but they did add 3 further points from Callum Campbell, Luke Connolly and James Bakewell to narrow the gap, however, they had just run out of time. 

The last score of the game was from Morgan Nelson’s ‘65’ to give the home side a 4 point cushion and their 1st win of the campaign.

Creggan: No.1 Conor McCann, No.2 Paedar McGuckian, No.3 Dillan Hamfey, No.4 Sennan O’Boyle, No.5 Aidan McIlwee, No.6 Keelan McCann(0.01), No.7 Aidan McKeown(0.01), No.8 Sam Maguire, No.9 Daniel Dornan, No.10 Lee Johnston, No.11 Mick Maguire, No.12 Sean Duffin (0.02), No.13 Ronan McGuckian, No.14 Morgan Nelson (0.07), No.15 Sean McAuley(0.01), No.21 Thomas McCann, No.30 Rory McCann(0.04).

Ballycastle: No.1 Anthony Mullan, No.2 Conor Mooney, No.3 James Bakewell(0.04),No.4 Oisin McAuley, No.5 Oisin Donnelly, No.6 Cormac Donnelly, No.7 Jack McGowan, No.8 Conal Magee, No.9 Luke Connolly(0.01), No.10 Tadhg Donnelly, No.11 Callum Campbell(0.01), No.12 Feargal McKiernan(0.03), No.13 Cormac Dallas(0.02), No.14 Dermot Donnelly, No.15 Gavin McToal(0.01), No.17 Eoin Boylan, No.18. Niall McGarry, No.19 Rory McShane, No.20 Thomas McIlroy.

Referee: Chris Brown

TO SEE MORE OF CLAIRE FAWLS PHOTOS FROM THIS GAME (PLUS THE HALF TIME GAMES) CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/fmRKmYbbBgxUKY/?invite=b8443064-f5ba-42fe-a83b-7987ae5437bf

by thesaffrongael

McAlister leads Carryduff to victory

ACHL Division 2

Carryduff 3-16 Ahoghill 2-12

A strong second half performance by Carryduff, led by the excellent Conor McAllister saw them overcome the challenge of Cloney Gaels in the ACHL Division 2 in Carryduff on Sunday. The hosts got off to a bright start with McAllister pointing in the first minute and following with a goal with 2 minutes gone.

Cloney responded with a point from Ronan Graham and a goal from Dan O’Neill but the Down men were moving the ball with precision and looked dangerous every time they attacked.

Conor McAllister brought his side’s total to 1-2 with another point before mid-fielder Donal Og Rooney weighed in with three of his own and one from the elusive McAllister and another from Eoin Rooney had the hosts 1-6 to 1-2 ahead by the 14th minute, the visitors second point coming from Donal Graham.

Two more from Donal Graham and Colla McDonnell for the visitors had the gap down to two by the 20th minute and that was how it remained at the break with James Lavery, James Woods and Lavery again on target for Carryduff and a Colla McDonnell double and one from Dan O’Neill leaving it 1-10 to 1-8 at the short whistle.

Carryduff got the second half off to a blistering start as Donal Og Rooney converted a ‘65’ in the opening minute and then a shot from McAllister deflected off an Ahoghill stick and finished in the net and the Down men were 6 ahead with only three minutes of the new half gone.

Cloney Gaels looked rattled but they came back with points from James O’Connell and a Colla McDonnell free but Carryduff were slowly getting on top. They replied through the excellent Conor McAllister with two on the bounce and another from substitute Tom Hickson put further distance between the sides.

A pointed free from Colla McDonnell and another from play by Eamon Brady hinted at a comeback from the Cloney Gaels but it would prove to be their final score with 14 minutes remaining.

Indeed it was Carryduff who ensured that there would be no way back going down the finishing straight with the excellent McAllister firing home his side’s third goal and Donal Og Rooney putting the icing on a fine personal performance with a point from distance.

Carryduff:

1 Conor McLornan

2 Fearghal Casey

3 Conor Cassidy

4 Ciaran Goodwin

5 David Morrissey

6 Darragh Goodwin

7 Cillian Ennis

8 James Woods

9 Donal Og Rooney

10 Michael Conway

11 Sean O’Callaghan

12 James Lavery

13 Lorcan McCaughey

14 Conor McAlister

15 Eoin Rooney