Cloney Gaels and St. Paul’s couldn’t be separated in Ahoghill on Friday night in Group 1 of the Intermediate Hurling Championship. The home side played with the breeze in the opening half but failed to take advantage of the elements with the contest tied at 0-9 each at the break.
Against the wind Cloney appeared to be gaining the upper hand and had built up a fairly healthy lead but 2 late goals from the excellent Caolan Ó Duibhfinn earned the visitors a valuable share of the points.
It was tit for tat during the opening exchanges in Ahoghill with the sides tied at 6 apiece after 20 minutes with Ó Duibhfinn 0-3, Sean Og McLaren 0-2 and Thomas Duff on the mark for St. Paul’s and James O’Connell 0-3, Patrick Graham, Donal Graham and Colla McDonnell the Cloney marksmen.
Ronan Graham sends over a Cloney point
Sean Lawell, Ó Duibhfinn and Declan Chapman brought the visitors total to 9 by the half way stage with Ronan Graham and ‘Jimmy’ O’Connell 0-2 for the home side ensuring it was all tied as Piaras McCaffery sounded the half time whistle.
The Ahoghill side looked to be gaining control at the start of the second half and they struck with points from James O’Connell which sandwiched a Patrick Graham goal in the 3d minute.
Further points from Colla McDonnell and Patrick Graham had the hosts 7 ahead by the 14th minute and they looked on their way to their second Group 1 win.
The Shaw’s Road side finally opened their second half account when Caolan Ó Duibhfinn split the posts in the 15th minute from a ‘65’ and he followed with another from a free but points from Diarmuid Graham and two pointed frees from Jimmy O’ looked to have sealed it with 8 minutes remaining.
St. Paul’s had other ideas however as Sean Og McLaren pointed and the impressive Ó Duibhfinn followed with a goal in the 28th minute and when he added a second, two minutes into in jury time the fat was very much back in the fire.
In between McLaren added two points for the visitors and O’Connell’s 9th of the evening meant that it was all square at the end of an excellent game of championship hurling.
This result leaves Cloney Gaels topping the table with 3 points from 2 starts while Creggan and Rasharkin are on 2 from one start and St. Paul’s sit 4th with 1 point from 2 starts.
Caolan Ó Duibhfinn who scored 2-7 on trhe nigfht for St. Paul’s
The Ahoghill men travel to Rasharkin in their next game on Saturday the 23d August while St. Paul’s don’t play again to the 6th September when they entertain Rasharkin.
Ahoghill: 1 Aiden Graham 2. HarryO’Donnell 3. Bobby Magee 4. Paddy Dougan 5. Fionnbar O’Neill 6. Diarmaid Graham 7. Dan O’Neill 8. Eamon Brady 9. Conor Crossey 10. Donal Graham 11. Ronan Graham 12. Patrick Graham 13. Colla McDonnell 14. Eoin Graham 15. James O’Connell.
Subs Used: Bernard Graham for Harry O’Donnell, Owen Neeson for Eoin Graham Tom McGlone for Colla McDonnell
St. Paul’s: 1 Chris Murray, 2 Mark Munce, 3 Daire Stevenson, 4 Tiarnán Auld 5 Thomas Duff, 6 Stephen Rooney, 7 Caoimhin Killyeagh, 8 Sean Lawell (0-1), 9 Diarmuid O’Sullivan, 10 Lorcan Phillips, 11 Sean Og McLaren 0-5, 12 Caolan Crossan, 13 Declan Chapman, 14 Caolan Ó Duibhfinn (2-7),15 Conal Finnegan 0-1
A splendid display of goalkeeping from Rasharkin’s Liam Tunney and a rather fortuitous goal from his own half by Conor McKeever saw St. Mary’s Rasharkin claim victory over Sarsfields in an exciting and keenly contested Group 1 opener at Dreen on Friday night.
St. Mary’s keeper, Tunney pulled off a handful splendid stops over the hour and his handling of the sliothar under pressure and his distribution over the hour were instrumental in his side’s victory.
It was Conor McKeever who shot Rasharkin into an early lead with a point in the opening minute but the visitors responded with points from Enda McCartan 0-2 Caolan McKernan and 0-2 to lead by the by the 9th minute.
Liam Tunney, who had a superb game inh goals for rasharkin, clears his lines. Above Featured Image: Conor McKillop who was in excellent scoring form for the home side
McKeever raised his second white flag of the evening but McKernan was on fire for the visitors as he struck two long range frees to increase their lead before a Conor McKeever ‘65’ and point from distance by Tiernan O’ Boyle had it back to 2 with 19 minutes gone.
Caolan McKernan continued to display unerring accuracy from the placed ball as he hit two more before Rasharkin lost a player to a Red card for a reckless swing.
The Stewartstown Road side were calling the shots at this stage with McKernan’s 5th of the contest and McCartan’s third moving them 4 ahead with five minutes remaining to the break.
Donagh Quigg and Conor McKeever responded with points for the men from Dreen but they had their keeper, Liam Tunney to thank for a couple of excellent saves as the visitors threatened to take total control.
The final score of the half fell the way of Sarsfield’s ace marksman, Caolan McKernan who converted a ‘65’ deep into injury time to leave his side leading 0-10 to 0-7 at the interval and the hosts now down to 14 men.
The visitors moved further ahead on the restart with Fionn Jemfrey pointing after 10 seconds but Rasharkin replied through Donagh Quigg and another Conor McKeever converted free to keep in touch.
They looked in trouble when Michael Johnston got in for the first goal of the game for the ‘Paddies’ in the 7th minute but once again St. Mary’s found a response.
Conor McKeever continued to match the free taking prowess of McKernan with another converted free and then a bit of fortune fell the way of the home side when Conor McKeever’s massive effort from his own half deceived Andrew McStay in the Sarsfield’s goal and dipped to the net.
The visitors looked rattled as Donagh Quigg added a 10th minute point and then a terrible mix-up in the visitors defence saw the impressive McKeever finish to the net.
The momentum was now very much with the side in Blue & Amber as McKeever from another free and Donagh Quigg with a fine strike from out on the left put the home side in a commanding position at the end of the third quarter.
Caolan McKernan who top scored for Sarsfields in their defeat to Rasharkin
Sarsfield’s were not finished however as they staged a rally of their own and once again net minder Tunney came to his side’s rescue with his 4th excellent stop of the evening.
The visitors pressed again however as Caolan McKernan pointed a 20th minute free and Anthony McGarrigle added another from play before two more McKernan’s conversions had it back to two with 6 minutes remaining.
It still looked anybody’s game but it was Rasharkin who finished the stronger with McKeever landing another long range effort and McGarrigle replying for the men from the ‘Bear Pit’.
Quigg, McKeever (free) and another from play moved the gap to three with two minutes of normal time remaining with McKeever again responding to a McKernan pointed free in injury time to conclude the scoring.
Rasharkin’s next game is against Cloney Gaels in Rasharkin on the 23d August and is sure to attract a bumper crowd to Dreen as old adversaries renew acquaintance while Sarsfields don’t play again until the Saturday 20th September when they entertain St. Paul’s at the Bear Pit.
Rasharkin: 1 Liam Tunney, 2 Connor Higgins, 3 Conor Doherty, 4 Daniel Hasson, 5 Tiernan O’Boyle, 6 Aidan McKeever, 7 Jack Quinn, 8 Declan McKay, 9 Conor McFerran, 10 Cathir Henderson, 11 Donagh Quigg, 12 Jason McGregor, 13 Conor McKillop, 14 Thomas McMullan, 15 Conor McKeever, 16 Brian Og O’Neill, 17 Terry McGregor, 18 Oisin Doherty, 19 Brendan Kelly
Sarsfields: 1 Andrew McStay, 3 Niall McAlea, 4 Daragh Coleman, 5 Aidan McKiernan, 6 David Johnston, 7 Jay Ward, 8 Caolan McKernan, 9 Nicolas O’Mullane, 10 Enda McCartan, 11 Michael Johnston, 12 Anthony McGarrigle, 14 Fionn Jemfrey, 17 Jay Maguire, 19 Mark McCavanagh, 21 Daniel Smyth, 20 Niall Cardell.
Referee: Mark O’Neill (Armoy)
TO VIEW MORE OF BERT’S PICS CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 2, Round 1
Saturday 26th July
Report by Niall Kelly from St Gall’s
Naomh Gall 1-13 Shane Uí Néill 3-16
Glenarm opened their Championship campaign with an emphatic win at Milltown Row over St Gall’s on Saturday evening. It was yet another example of the old cliché, a game of two halves. Trailing by three at the break, the visitors produced a scintillating second period to catapult themselves to a handsome nine point win. On the 38th minute, St Gall’s chief marksman Dubhaltach Wilson had fired over his sixth score of the evening to extend his side’s lead to five points and all seemed rosy for the men in blue and white. This was perhaps the catalyst for the Glenarm resurgence as they dominated the final 20 minutes of proceedings, outgunning their hosts 2-09 to a single point. Daniel Black’s rasping goal deep into added time certainly was the exclamation point and added an extra gloss on the scoreline to cap off a great result.
It was Naomh Gall, however, who came out of the traps with a greater spring in their step and had established a 0-03 0-01 lead in the opening ten minutes. A double from Wilson and a fine score from Ronan Crossan under pressure coming either side of a Sean O’Boyle point for the visitors. It was nip and tuck between the two as both battled hard to gain the ascendancy. A fine score from Daniel Black reduced arrears to a point before the hosts responded in spectacular fashion through James O’Reilly with a monster point from range.
Further points were exchanged between Dylan McLaughlin and Dubhaltach Wilson before St Gall’s began to flex their muscles and had extended their lead to three midway through the first half. Wilson was on fire for the hosts and sent over a lovely effort over the shoulder before talisman Jackson McGreevy unleashed a colossal effort from long range to split the posts.
The visitors resilience was never in question though and they had once again cut the gap to two points with sharpshooter, Niall McGarel, despatching two from the placed ball before Dylan McLaughlin and Wilson traded points. With the half coming to a close, the game kicked up a notch as both teams sought to feed their forwards with every opportunity and caution was thrown to the wind. It was the hosts who found the net first, however, and it was no surprise as to the source who provided it. Dubhaltach Wilson negotiated himself just enough space to fire his effort on goal and despite the best efforts of netminder Michael Abram, who managed to get a touch on it, the sliotar still found its way across the line.
Glenarm would respond instantly though with a major of their own and again it was in fortuitous style as Declan McDermott latched on to the ball from close range amongst a melee of players to tap in beyond the despondent Kurtis McGreevy in goals.
With the opening half into time added on, St Gall’s finished the half the stronger as Wilson fired over from a free before Mark Napier navigated his effort to perfection from a tight angle before the teams retired for their half-time breather with the scores 1-09 to 1-06 in favour of the home side.
Whatever words of wisdom were imparted on the players at half time from the Glenarm coaching staff, it certainly seemed to do the trick as they were a force to be reckoned with the in the second period. Although it was St Gall’s who started the opening exchanges with a little more potency. Scores from Fergus Donnelly, Gregory McGreevy and Dubhaltach Wilson coming either side of a Dylan McLaughlin effort had opened up a five point gap with twenty remaining on the clock.
It was then that the Glenarm renaissance began as they transitioned through the gears seamlessly to take a stranglehold of affairs. Daniel Black doubled his tally to start chipping away at the lead before Niall McGarel’s two placed ball attempts found their mark perfectly. St Gall’s desperately sought to quell the advances of the visitors and launch attacks of their own, but Glenarm had other ideas and their relentless pressing and vigour would continue to open up scoring opportunities.
A finely crafted score involving Sean and Kieran O’Boyle was finished well by Darren Hamill before Hamill turned provider for Dylan McLaughlin and suddenly the sides were at a deadlock with ten minutes remaining. Not fully satisfied just yet, the Glenarm onslaught continued as they bombarded the host’s defence. A pull down in the box on Daniel Black resulted in a penalty and it seemed now there was no stopping them.
Darren Hamill was the man responsible to convert and just about managed to do so as the ball trickled over the line after Kurtis McGreevy had come agonisingly close to denying the Glenarm number 6. Nevertheless, the men from the north coast had their tails up and refused to give their counterparts any respite. Yet another fine score from Dylan McLaughlin was greeted with deafening roar from the travelling faithful before substitute Conal Ward put his imprint on proceedings with a fine effort.
Trailing by five with only five remaining, St Gall’s knew now it was time for the ‘Hail Mary’ route and barraged the Glenarm defence with ariel attacks. It just wouldn’t stick for the hosts though and they had to suffice with a point from the impressive Fergus Donnelly which would be too little too late.
With bodies pushed forward in the hope of a last gap couple of goals, St Gall’s were vulnerable to the counter and when Niall McGarel broke through their last line of defence, he unselfishly squared to Daniel Black who made no mistake pinging the ball into the top left corner of the net.
A productive day at the office for Shane O’Neill’s who secured two vital points in what is a very tricky group. They showcased the talent they have in their ranks and will look to replicate their performance from the final twenty minutes in all games going forward. For the hosts, the scoreline is probably a little harsh on them. They too enjoyed positive spells in the game, and it was only really the final ten minutes were they fell away. Their next meeting with Glenariffe, although a tricky prospect, could provide the fuel to ignite their Championship hopes.
Teams:
St Gall’s:
K McGreevy; D Churchill, G Adams, O McIlhatton; M Marlow, J McGreevey (0-01,) E Walsh; J Hopkins, F Donnelly (0-02,) J Hopkins; G McGreevy (0-01,) J O’Reilly (0-01,) D Wilson (1-06;) M Napier (0-01,) S McAreavey, R Crossan (0-01)
Glenarm
M Abram; A Scullion, B Hamill, C McLoughlin; K O’Boyle, D Hamill (1-01,) M Furey; J Scullion, C Magill; N McGarel (0-06,) D McLaughlin (0-05,) B O’Boyle; D McDermott (1-00,) D Black (1-02,) S O’Boyle (0-01)
Substitute scorer:
C Ward (0-01)
TO SEE MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
St Brigid’s Cloughmills 1-14 Tir na nÓg Randalstown 2-14
Tir na nÓg produced a strong finish to get their Intermediate Hurling Championship campaign off to a winning start against Cloughmills on Friday evening. Sixteen minutes into the game it appeared that the Randalstown men were cruising to an easy win as they led the home side by 1-06 to 0-02. The only thing in doubt appeared to be the size of the winning margin, such was the visitors’ dominance, but all of a sudden they ground to a virtual halt as Cloughmills started to get a grip of the game and four points from frees by corner forward Eoin Dobbin were followed by a brilliant individual goal from top of the right Ruairi Laverty and the sides went in at the break on level terms, Cloughmills 1-06 Tir na nÓg 1-06.
Ruairi Laverty grabs Cloughmills first half goal
When the Biddies got the first three points of the second half it looked like last year’s beaten semi-finalists were in trouble, but slowly but surely they began to regain the upper hand and boosted by a goal from centre forward Colm Duffin they clawed their way back to win in the end by three.
Tir na nÓg got away to a great start and points from Sean McKinley and John Higgins had them two clear after three minutes. Cloughmills were struggling to mount an attack and it was seven minutes before got their first score, a well taken point by centre forward Callum McKendry. Back came the Randalstown men with three in a row from Joe McCormick, Conor McCamphill and Ciaran O’Neill stretched their advantage to five after twelve minutes as they dominated throughout the field. Stevie Smyth pulled a point back for the home side on sixteen minutes, but when Tir na nÓg goalkeeper Kevin Sheerin came up to fire penalty past his Cloughmills counterpart Christopher McKernan the game appeared be slipping from the home team’s grasp.
Not so however as the home team began to knuckle down and four pointed frees by Eoin Dobbin in a seven minutes spell got them back into contention. Caleb Smith came back with a point from play for Tir na nÓg to put them three clear again, but a fantastic individual goal from corner forward Ruairi Laverty, which he fired home after a sixty metre solo run sent them in at the break on level terms.
When the Biddies rattled off three points inside the first five minutes of the second half the travelling fans must have wondered just what was happening, but the Whitehill men steadied the ship and points from Darragh Fagan, Emmet Murray and Colm Duffin tied thing up by the 42nd minute. Ruairi Laverty got the Biddies back in front with a well taken point, and though Duffin levelled matters for the visitors Dobbin again gave his team the lead with a pointed free at the end of the third quarter.
Cloughmills corner forward Josh Higgins seems certain to score here but Cloughmills James Doherty gets across to turn the ball away
The score that turned the game back in Tir na nÓg’s favour came on 47 minutes when Colum Duffin grabbed his team’s second goal and when brother Caoimhin, Ciara Logan and Oliver McAtameny put them three clear. With five minutes left for play Dobbin brought the gap back to two again but Ciaran Logan had the last say and a late point got them over the line.
CLOUGHMILLS
Christopher McKernan, Johnny Duffin, Sean McKendry, Rian Dobbin, James Doherty, Geoffrey Og Laverty, Kevin O’Boyle, Conor Laverty, Odhran McCurdy, Seamus Dobbin, Callum McKendry, Stephen Smyth, Ruairi Laverty, Corey Blair, Eoin Dobbin.
TIR NA NOG
Kevin Sheerin, Brandon McLarnon, Dylan McLarnon, Manus Smith, Ciaran O’Neill, Caoimhin Duffin, Daniel Martin, Conor McCamphill, Emmet Murray, Darragh Fagan, Colm Duffin, Josh Higgins, Joe McCormick, Sean McKinley.
Referee – Declan McGarry (Loughgiel)
TO SEE MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Intermediate Hurling Championship – Group 1 – Round 1
Friday 25th July
Patrick Sarsfields 0-06 Cloney Gaels 1-28
Report by Niall Kelly from The Bear Pit
Cloney Gaels kickstarted their quest for intermediate glory in emphatic style with a resounding win over Sarsfields. With twenty-five points to spare in the end, it’s fair to say that the visitors were worthy winners. Despite battling for the full sixty, Sarsfields just couldn’t get to grips with the fluidity of their counterpart’s game. The men in red always seemed to be first to the sliotar and when in possession of it, more often than not, picked the right pass as the right time. Their firepower at the business end of the pitch was simply too hot to handle and they were ruthless in front of the sticks with their whole forward line registering scores over the sixty. There were some excellent performers on the evening but there can be little doubt who was the star of the show as Clooney’s chief marksman, James O’Connell, registered a tally of 1-12 over the hour.
The signs were ominous from the get-go for Sarsfields as Clooney raced into a six point lead in the opening ten minutes as the twin threat of James O’Connell and Colla McDonnell ran riot. Matters could’ve been worse too as McDonnell’s thundering effort rattled the Sarsfield’s crossbar agonisingly in what would’ve been a beautifully crafted goal.
The hosts were desperate for a respite and sought to fire the ball long into their full forward line. This nearly reaped rewards as Fionn Jemfrey latched on to one such pass and his drilled effort was well parried away by Aiden Graham in the Cloney goal.
Cloney were relentless though in their offensive pursuits and their high press and constant probing lead to promising turnovers in dangerous areas. Eoin Graham put the finishing touches to one such turnover from a very tight angle with Ronan Graham then following up for his first of the evening.
The game’s only goal came on the fifteenth minute and it was wonderfully fashioned. A driven cross-field pass from Donal Graham was flicked on first time by Colla McDonnell into the path of talisman James O’Connell. The Clooney number 15 made absolutely no mistake as he rifled to the roof of the net with a rasping drive.
The Stewartstown Road side finally opened their account on the twentieth minute as Nicholas O’Mullane sent over a lovely point from range. Their reprieve was to be short lived though as Eamonn Brady surged through to split the posts before Ronan Graham added the finishing touches to another flowing move.
With five remaining until the short whistle, Sarsfield’s misery was compounded further they were reduced to 14 men after one of their players received a red card and the mountain they were tasked with scaling, just seemed to keep growing. Scores were then exchanged between Fionn Jemfrey and Fionnbar O’Neill as the half came to a close and the visitors retreated to the changing rooms 1-14 to 0-02 to the good.
The men in red signalled their intent in the opening exchanges of the second period with a flurry of scores, mirroring their exploits in the early stages of the first half, with O’Connell, Daneil O’Neill, Patrick Graham and Ronan Graham raising the white flag.
Credit though to Sarsfields, as despite the onslaught they faced, their character never wavered, and they continued to battle. Nicholas O’Mullane doubled his tally with another fine score. The men in black and green had rejigged their game plan and looked to stifle the potent forwards of Clooney. Try as they might though, the men in red refused to be silenced and spearheaded by O’Connell and his exceptional ball-striking, they continued to inflict damage and kept Colm McDonnell’s umpire busy.
Despite their numerical disadvantage, the hosts rallied and looked to pounce going forward when they could. Their efforts were rewarded as Ruairi McAreavey split the posts from range before Jemfrey fired two in quick succession from range.
However, it would be a case of too little too late, as Clooney continued to transition through the gears to finish strongly and saw out the game with a few fine long-range efforts. The pick of the bunch – Fionnbar O’Neill’s monster effort from his own 65 metre line.
The men from Crosskeys will make the journey back down the M2 very contented with their efforts. Their prowess going forward will surely have others taking note of their credentials and it will be intriguing to see how the rest of their campaign unfolds. They certainly have the potential to make a big impact in this year’s competition. For Sarsfields, it was just one of those days. They will look to dust themselves down and be ready to go again in their next outing against Rasharkin.
Teams:
Sarsfields:
D McKernan; D Coleman, J Cunningham, O Coleman; A McKiernan, D Johnston, R McKenna; O Coleman, N O’Mullane (0-02;) E Ó’Cuinneagáin, A McGarrigle, R McAreavey (0-01;) N McGivern, J McKernan, F Jemfrey (0-03)
Clooney Gaels:
A Graham; H O’Donnell, J Magee, J McFall; F O’Neill (0-02,) D Graham, D O’Neill (0-01;) E Brady (0-01,) C Crossey; D Graham (0-01,) R Graham (0-04,) P Graham (0-03;) C McDonnell (0-02,) E Graham (0-02,) J McConnell (1-12)
TO SEE MORE OF JOE CARBERRY’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
