ACHL Division 2:

Cushendun 1-22 Randalstown 1-08

Venue: Cushendun

Referee: Paddy Tumelty

Cushendun made it two wins from two in their Antrim Hurling League Division 2 campaign with a dominant 1-22 to 1-08 victory over Tir na nÓg Randalstown on home turf. After weathering an early storm against the breeze, the hosts took total control in the second quarter and dictated a largely one-sided second half to run out comfortable winners.

Randalstown played with the advantage of the breeze in the opening half and were first on the scoreboard through a Tiarnan Bonnes free in the 3rd minute. Cushendun quickly responded with a free from Conlaoth “Loaf” McNeill and a score from play by Fiontan McQuillan to edge ahead, before Emmet Murray leveled proceedings in the 8th minute.

The visitors briefly seized the momentum on the 14-minute mark with a spectacular individual goal. Sean Duffin picked up the ball 40 yards out, evaded three Cushendun tackles on a driving run, and coolly placed the sliotar into J.V. Morgan’s right-hand corner to make it 1-02 to 0-02.

However, Cushendun’s response was immediate and emphatic. Callam Kilgore and Pierce Bannon hit quick-fire points to steady the ship, leaving the sides effectively level as the game entered the second quarter.

The turning point arrived in the 22nd minute. After Randalstown goalkeeper Kevin Sheerin produced a brilliant diving save to deny a Callam Kilgore strike, Fiontan McQuillan was perfectly positioned to tap the rebound into the net from close range. Further points from Connor McHugh and McNeill helped the hosts build a 1-08 to 1-04 lead by the interval. Given they would have the wind at their backs for the final 30 minutes, Cushendun were firmly in the driving seat.

Conlaoth McNeill put on an exhibition of shooting, landing seven points in the second period alone—including a string of accurate frees—to continually keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Randalstown’s best chance to spark a revival came in the 13th minute when Declan Mallon found himself one-on-one with J.V. Morgan, but the Cushendun stopper produced a crucial save with his feet to deny the goal.

From there, the home side cut loose. Connor McHugh and Fiontan McQuillan kept the pressure on, while Callam Kilgore, Shane McQuillan, and Thomas Scally all added their names to the scoresheet as the half wore on. Randalstown battled hard but could only muster four points in the second half—two from Bonnes and one each from Emmet Murray and Caoimhin Duffin.

Ultimately, Cushendun’s second-quarter surge and relentless second-half accuracy proved far too much for the visitors, sealing a comprehensive 14-point victory to maintain their perfect start to the season.

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Scorers:

Cushendun: *

Conlaoth “Loaf” McNeill: 0-09

• Fiontan McQuillan: 1-03
• Callam Kilgore: 0-03
• Connor McHugh: 0-04
• Pierce Bannon: 0-01
• Shane McQuillan: 0-01
• Thomas Scally: 0-01

Tir na nÓg Randalstown:

• Sean Duffin: 1-00
• Tiarnan Bonnes: 0-04 (frees)
• Emmet Murray: 0-02
• Connor McCamphill: 0-01
• Caoimhin Duffin: 0-01 (free)

ACHL Division 2

St. Mary’s Ahoghill 4-24 St. Brigid’s Cloughmills 2-16

A clash of colours at Cloney on Sunday failed to disrupt the clash of the ash as Cloney Gaels overcame the challenge of St. Brigid’s Cloughmills in a high scoring and thoroughly entertaining game of hurling.

Referee Darren McKeown was quite happy to let the game go ahead as both sides took the field in very similar strips and the St. Gall’s official did a good job of identifying the players as the game got underway.

Playing with a strong wind in their favour it was the Ahoghill side who made the early running and points from Dan O’Neill 0-2, Ronan Graham 0-2 and Colla McDonnell in response to one from a Michael Devlin free had them 0-5 to 0-1 ahead after 12 minutes.

A great point from distance from Bernard Graham saw Stephen Smyth reply from an equally impressive effort but Ahoghill were enjoying the better of the exchanges and Dan O’Neill and Eoin Graham extended their lead before Rian Dobbin replied with the ‘Biddies’ third of the afternoon.

The Ahoghill pressure was beginning to tell however as Colla McDonnell fired to the net in the 19^th minute and points from Bernard Graham, McDonnell and O’Neill moved them 11 ahead.

Michael Devlin struck another good free into the wind for the visitors and then replied to two more from Dan O’Neill to keep his side’s challenge just about alive.

Cloney’s final score of the half came from the lively Dan O’Neill but two in reply from Kevin O’Boyle and Eoin Dobbin left it 1-15 to 0-8 ahead at the break and given the strength of the breeze, it didn’t look an insurmountable lead.

St. Brigid’s needed a good start to the second half if they were to claw back the Cloney lead but it was the Ahoghill side who made a blistering start to the second half with PJ O’Connell finishing to the net after 30 seconds.

Seamus Duffin replied with a point at the other end but Cloney Gaels continued to look dangerous and Christopher McKernan in the St. Brigid’s goals brought off a great save to deny Dan O’Neill.

The visitors were doing everything in their power to get themselves going and Eoin Dobbin struck a fine point from distance but it brought another decisive response from the Cloney side as PJ O’Connell finished to the net from close range.

O’Connell was making his first start for Ahoghill in more than a year and while he might not be as fast as he once was, he certainly hasn’t lost his instinctive poaching qualities as he got his second and his team’s third goal and it looked as good as over with 13 minutes remaining.

To their credit St. Brigid’s continued to battle with Stephen Smyth pointing and then getting in for a goal as they began to enjoy a wee bit of success.

A second goal by James O’Boyle had the gap back to seven but the ‘Gaels’ continued to find their range with Patrick Graham, PJ O’Connell and Eoin Graham splitting the posts.

Substitute Rian McFarlane and the sweet striking Mickey Devlin add points for the ‘Biddies’ but O’Connell completed his hat-trick for the home side with time almost up and his return to the Cloney side will provide them with a massive boost as the season progresses.

Ahoghill: 1 Aiden Graham, 2 Shea Neeson, 3 James Magee, 4 Harry O’Donnell, 5 Fionnbar O’Neill, 6 Diarmaid Graham, 7 Bernard Graham, 18 Eamonn Brady, 9 Ryan McPeake, 10 Patrick Graham, 11 Patrick Dougan, 12 Eoin Graham, 17 PJ O’Connell, 13 Colla McDonnell, 14 Ronan Graham, 15 Dan O’Neill.

Subs: Jack McFall

Cloughmills: 1 Christopher McKernan, 2 Jack McDowall, 3 Sean McKendry, 4 Aaron McGuckian, 5 Johnny Duffin, 6 James Doherty, 7 Dara Watterson, 8 Geoffery Og Laverty, 9 Eoin Dobbin, 10 Michael Devlin, 11 Kevin O’Boyle, 12 Rian Dobbin, 13 James O’Boyle, 14 Seamus Duffin, 15 Stephen Smyth

Subs: Rian McFarlane, Ryan Watson, Corey Blair

Referee: Darren McKeown (St. Gall’s)

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Antrim Hurling League – Division 2

St Gall’s 0-11 Cushendun 1-11

A decisive second-half goal from defender Thomas Scally proved to be the difference as Cushendun Emmets claimed a hard-fought three-point victory over St Gall’s in their Antrim Hurling League Division Two opener on Sunday afternoon. Played at a blustery Bog Meadows, the opening game of the new club season was heavily dictated by a fierce spring wind that hampered both sides’ scoring abilities, turning the contest into a gritty, physical battle.

The hosts had the wind at their backs in the opening period. Despite initially struggling to adapt to the ferocious gusts, the Milltown men eventually settled and took control of the scoreboard. Tomás O’Ciarain was the man to break the deadlock. Evading heavy traffic in the midfield, the forward utilized the wind perfectly to fire over two terrific scores in quick succession, granting St Gall’s an early advantage. The hosts had chances to extend their lead, but Mark Napier pulled a few tight-angle efforts narrowly wide before finding his rhythm to convert two carbon-copy frees.

It took Cushendun time to find their footing. After a few early wides, sharpshooter Connlaoth ‘Loaf’ McNeill opened their account, drilling a powerful free directly into the teeth of the wind. McNeill would be the Glensmen’s talisman in the first half, keeping them well in touch with his dead-ball accuracy. As tempers occasionally flared in the tough conditions, McNeill added two more crucial scores before the break, leaving St Gall’s with a slender one-point lead at half-time.

With the wind now in their favour, the North Antrim men emerged for the second half with renewed intensity. They immediately leveled the tie when Archie McSparran won a battle out on the wing and fired over an excellent point off the shoulder. Moments later came the turning point of the match. St Gall’s failed to secure the resulting puck-out from goalkeeper Sean McAreavey, turning the ball over to a surging Cushendun attack. The Emmets quickly capitalized on the numerical advantage; after a scramble in the St Gall’s defense, the loose ball fell to Thomas Scally, who ruthlessly drilled it low into the net to flip the scoreboard and put the visitors in front.

Rather than folding, St Gall’s showed immense spirit to roar back into the contest. Fergus Donnelly gathered possession and used his short-stick brilliantly to power over a vital point, followed shortly by an effort from Ewan Rush that leveled the game once more. However, Cushendun’s depth and experience shone through in the closing stages. A flurry of late scores from Dominic Sharkey, substitute Colm McKeegan, and Pierce Bannon re-established a three-point cushion for the Emmets.

There was still time for late heroics. Deep into injury time, St Gall’s were awarded a close-range free. Mark Napier stepped up and unleashed a goal-bound rocket, but Cushendun’s Donal O’Hara threw his body on the line to deflect the effort away, sealing the opening-day victory for the Glensmen. While the points head back to the North Coast, St Gall’s will take massive encouragement from a resilient performance that pushed the visitors right to the final whistle.

St Gall’s

Sean McAreavey, Gregory McGreevy, Dan Churchill, Eoghan McCurdy, Gaireach Adams, Paddy Friel, Michael Marlow, Jack Hopkins and Ewan Rush, Oran McIlhatton, Jackson McGreevy, Fergus Donnelly Mark Napier, Tomás O’Ciarain, Ronan Crossan. Subs – Tom McGhee, Emmet Loughran, and Michael McMullan.

Cushendun

John V Morgan, Thomas Scally, Mark McSparran, Paddy Morgan, Andrew Breslin, Donal O’Hara, Jack McKay, Matthew McCartan and Calum Kilgore, Conor McHugh, Archie McSparran, Dominic Sharkey, Conor Barron, Connlaoth McNeill, Pierce Bannon

Subs Colm McKeegan, who scored a point, Conrad McDonnell, Liam Magee, and Sean Hamilton.

Referee – Fiontan McCotter

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Antrim Hurling League – Division 2

St Pauls 1.15 Carey 3.18

The Carey Faughs management team of Hugh Dobbin and Shay O’Hagan got their league campaign off to a great start when the travelled to Shaw’s Road on Sunday and beat St Paul’s in Division 2 of the Antrim Hurling League.

In blustery conditions, the home team played with wind assistance in the first half and they raced into a early six point lead , but a Carey side missing a few regulars soon settled down and two Conor McBride goals , with a further 2 points from the same player and additional points from Cahair Brogan, Conal McGlynn and Paddy Gillan saw the north Antrim men go in level at the break on 2.6 to 0.12.

With the elements on their backs the second half belonged to the Faughs, and points from Eoin McKinley, Fiachra McVeigh, and Paddy Butler with a further goal and six points from man of the match McBride to give the Faughs a great start under their new management.

The Faughs next outing is in two weeks’ time when they play Naomh Gall’s at home in Ballyvoy while St Paul’s make the short journey to Bredagh.

ACHL Division 2

Tir na nOg 1-15 Cloney Gaels 1-13

Tir na nOg rode the gale-force storm that blew into their face in the second half to secure an opening day win in division 2 of the ACHL when they withstood the challenge of Cloney Gaels in the proverbial game of two halves.

Despite playing into the elements in the opening half it was the Ahoghill side who opened first through a Colla McDonnell free in the 4^th minute but the home side slowly settled and Emmet Murray and Kevin McCann edged them ahead for the first time with 6 minutes on the clock.

Cloney Gaels were back on terms when Fionnbar O’Neill struck a free from distance and as the Randalstown side began to adjust to the difficult breeze, Tiarnan Bonnes edged them ahead again from a 65 meter free.

Colla McDonnell, who top scored for Cloney Gaels misjudges the flight of the sliothar as Manus Smith Challenges

Colla McDonnell tied the contest for the third time from a 16^th minute free and given the strength of the wind, the Ahoghill management would have been happy how things were developing.

Slowly though the Whitehill side began to stamp their authority on proceedings as Kevin McCann edged them ahead and Connor McCamphill struck two excellent points from distance as they began to find their range.

The momentum was now very much with Tir na nOg as Sean McKinley, Tiarnan Bonnes and Joshua Higgins moved them seven ahead before Fionnbar O’Neill finally got Ahoghill’s final point of the half from a ‘65’ in the 29^th minute.

There would be one final play and Declan Mallon split the posts to leave Tir na nOg 0-11 to 0-4 ahead at the break but given the strength of the breeze, the Cloney side certainly didn’t look out of it.

With the wind now firmly at their backs Cloney Gaels were expected to push on but it was the home side who extended their lead when Colm Duffin pointed in the 3d minute.

The Gaels came back strongly however with points from Diarmaid Graham 0-2, and Colla McDonnell 0-2 f’s and another from play but Tiarnan Bonnes and Daniel Martin kept the score board ticking at the other end before Colla McDonnell finished to the net after 13 minutes for the Ahoghill side.

McDonnell’s goal left just two between the sides and it still looked anybody’s game at this stage of the contest though Cloney’s insistence on going for long distance scores was failing to pay dividends.

They were made to pay when after a period of dominance from the visitors, Tir na nOg struck decisively and Emmet Murray started and finished a move which saw him bat to the net from close range.

Ryan O’Neill on the attack for Tir na nOg

Murray’s goal would prove the difference in the end though Cloney Gaels replied with points from Colla McDonnell, Fionnbar O’Neill 0-2 and Patrick Graham, it was Colm Duffin who sent over the final point of the game to see the Whitehill side home by two points.

Emmet Murray, Colm Duffin, Tiarnan Bonnes and Ryan O’Neill were excellent for a solid Tir na nOg while Colla McDonnell was the outstanding performer for a Cloney Gaels side who missed too many scoring chances.

Tir na nOg: 1 Caoimhin Duffin, 2 Brandon McLarnon, 3 Oliver McAtamney, 4 Manus Smith, 5 Ryan O’Neill, 6 Ciaran O’Neill, 7 Daniel Martin, 8 Connor McCamphill, 9 Emmet Murray, 10 Kevin McCann, 11 Sean McKinley, 12 Joshua Higgins, 13 Tiarnan Bonnes, 14 Declan Mallon, 15 Colm Duffin

Cloney Gaels: 1 Aiden Graham, 2 Harry O’Donnell, 3 James Magee, 4 5 Fionnbar O’Neill, 6 Diarmaid Graham, 7 Bernard Graham, 8 Eamonn Brady, 9 10 Patrick Graham, 11 Jack McFall, 12 Patrick Graham, 13 Colla McDonnell, 14 Eoin Graham, 15 Noah Friel, 17 Ben Friel, 18 Conall Walls, 19 Daniel O’Neill, 20 Donal Graham

Referee: Ciaran McCloskey (Loughgiel)

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