JHC Group 3-Round 3

St. Brigid’s 2-13 Sarsfields 1-31

Report and Pics: Brian McKee

Sarsfields secured top spot in this Junior Championship group after a high-powered second-half performance blew past a spirited St Brigid’s side at Musgrave. Despite a brilliant first-half fightback from the hosts, the Division 3 champions showed their experience after the break to run out comfortable winners on a 2-13 to 1-31 scoreline.

Sarsfields started at a blistering pace. They took a first-minute lead through a Daniel McKernan free, quickly followed by points from Kevin Barry McArdle and Kevin McKernan.

St Brigid’s responded with a pointed free from James Kelly—who enjoyed a productive afternoon with six converted frees—but Sarsfields unleashed five unanswered points in response. By the 13th minute, the Paddies led by six. They extended that gap to eight points after 20 minutes, with six different players already on the scoreboard.

The final third of the half saw St Brigid’s spark into life. A vital goal from Oisin McDonnell ignited their revival. Kelly slotted over his second free in the 26th minute. Though Sarsfields hit back with two points of their own, St Brigid’s finished the half with four consecutive scores. This late surge completely revived their prospects, leaving just two points between the sides at the interval.

Half-Time: St Brigid’s 1-09  Sarsfields 0-14

Sarsfields emerged for the second period completely transformed, playing with a renewed intensity that suggested a lot of plates had been broken in the half-time dressing room by Déaghlán Coleman.

Daniel Smyth led the charge, firing over six of his seven points in the second half, while an impressive total of eight different players contributed to the scoreboard after the restart.

Within 12 minutes of the throw-in, Sarsfields had raced into a seven-point lead. Conn Flannery rallied hard to reignite the St Brigid’s challenge, but the final 20 minutes saw the visitors unleash a relentless offensive blitz, capped off by a well-taken goal from Fionn Jeffrey.

St Brigid’s struggled to contain the firepower of their more experienced opponents. Though Donncha McGurk bulged the Sarsfields net in the closing minute, it proved to be a mere consolation.

Both sides now progress into the knockout stages of the Junior Championship. Despite the heavy defeat, St Brigid’s can take heart from their refusal to quit. Undefeated Sarsfields march on full of confidence as they look to regain Intermediate status. On today’s display, they will be very hard to stop.

St Brigid’s: Dara Sidebottom, Conor McElhatton, Michael Kerr, Ronan O’Loughlin, Joseph McCarney, Toirealach Brolly, Conn Flannery, James Kelly (0-06 frees), Jake Massingham, Seamus Brady, David Prenter, Fionn McCann (0-01), Donncha McGurk (1-02), Oisin McDonnell (1-00), Peadar Middleton, Alex Miller Perry, Michael Mullan, Finbar Brockley, Conor Kelly, Garrett Gilleece, John Carlin, John McGuckian.

Sarsfields: David Ward, Dárágh Coleman, Mark McCavanagh, Jay Ward, Jay Maguire, Caolan McKernan (0-01), Donal McKernan (0-03, 1f, 1 ’65), Darren Delander (0-03), Nicolas O’Mullane, Daniel Smyth (0-07, 4f), Kevin McKernan (0-02, 1f), Daniel McKernan (Snr) (0-04), Kevin Barry McArdle (0-06), Niall Mac an Lia, Fionn Jeffrey (1-03), James McKenna, Oisin Coleman, James McKernan, Ciarnan Rea (0-02), Aidan McKernan, Patrick Braniff, Ronan McKenna, Gary Lennon.

Referee: Kevin Parke

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JHC Group 1

Belfast Saints 1-13  Ardoyne Kickhams 7-19

Ardoyne Kickhams produced a clinical performance against Belfast Saints on a wet and punishing day on the lower slopes of the mountain, marching to a dominant victory driven by an unstoppable master-class from man of the match, Paddy Heaney. Despite a few brief flashes of fighting spirit from the Saints, Ardoyne controlled the midfield and ruthlessly punished their opponents from start to finish, in a game that was effectively meaningless as both teams exited the Championship at this stage..

Ardoyne wasted no time making their mark, with Padraig McGreevy firing over a pointed free in the second minute. While the Saints briefly responded through Robertson—who would go on to score five points—the opening seven-minute deadlock was quickly shattered.

As Paddy Heaney increasingly made his presence felt, Ardoyne clicked into top gear, rattling off five consecutive points before Fiontan Lagan turned the screws completely with a brilliant goal from play.

Saints’ McQuillan managed to interrupt the onslaught with a 15th-minute point, but by the end of the first quarter, the scoreboard read a commanding 1-08 to 0-04 in favour of Ardoyne.

With Moore and McKillen firmly ruling the midfield, Heaney began to dictate the entire flow of the game, ruling the roost throughout the forward line. Just before the break, Belfast Saints mounted a spirited comeback, throwing everything forward to secure two points from McGilligan and a much-needed goal from Clarke.

However, any hope of a Saints revival was instantly snuffed out. Lagan swiftly rifled over a point, and Heaney followed up by sending the sliotar crashing into the back of the net for Ardoyne.

Half-Time Score: Belfast Saints 1-07  Ardoyne Kickhams 4-15

Heaney picked up right where he left off before the interval, opening the second-half with a point from play. The Saints briefly showed their trademark fighting spirit, tagging on four unanswered points over the next five minutes, but it ultimately marked the end of their resistance.

The unstoppable Heaney went on to claim two more goals, while the in-form McGreevey added another green flag to emphasise the gulf between the sides on the day. Ardoyne held total dominion over the final ten minutes as rain slicked the mountain slopes. By the time the final whistle blew, both sets of players were glad to head for the dressing rooms, drawing the curtain on their respective championship campaigns.

Belfast Saints: Conor Grieve, Matt carlin, Niall Connolly, Philip Glennon, Adam O’Rourke, Robert Gallagher(0-5,3f), Shane McCafferty, Joseph McQuillan(0-01), Kieran Grieve, Niall McGettigan(0-04), James Sloan(0-02,1f), Conor O’Callaghan, Dylan Grieve(0-01), Conor McLean, Eoin Clarke(1-0), Caoimhin McNeill

Ciceam Ard Eoin: Conor O’Neill, Aran Stewart, Paul Baker, Emmet Corry, Christopher McShane, Dean Goodall, Paschal Clarke, Dan Moore(0-03), Matt McKillen(0-04,1f), Padraig McGreevy(0-05,2f), Fiontan Lagan(1-01),Micheál McGreevy, Paddy Heaney (3-04), Cormac Barnes, Cahal Clarke, Sean Searle, Pól Stanton, Enda Slattery (0-01), John Callinan (0-01), Stephen Hill

Referee: Brendan Toland (Lamh Dhearg)

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Antrim Junior Hurling Championship
Group Two
Gort na Mona 3-21
Davitts 3-12
At Hannahstown

Featured Image: Desi McClean who scored 0-9 for Gort na Mona,

Gort na Mona survived three first half defensive lapses to secure their place at the top of Group 2 of the JHC with a 3-21 to 3-12 victory over a resilient Davitt’s side in a bruising contest at Hannahstown on Saturday afternoon.

.Despite what the nine-point margin suggests, the Mona Bye-Pass men were forced to work hard for this win in a game that was fiercely contested and certainly wasn’t for the faint hearted.

In the end it was the attacking brilliance of Patrick McCaffrey and Desi McClean that was instrumental in out gunning their rivals.

The game opened with an immediate shock for Gort na Mona. A blocked clearance from goalkeeper Caolan McCrory allowed Anthony Rowntree to intercept and find the net within the opening minutes.

Ruairi Scullion fires home Gort na Mona’s opening goal

The early setback forced the Turf Lodge men to chase the game. Desi McClean provided the leadership required, settling nerves with an array of frees and a spectacular sideline cut that sailed between the uprights.

Ruairi Scullion briefly put Gort in the driving seat with a close-range goal, but defensive vulnerability struck the Mona Bye-Pass side again. Rowntree capitalized on a loose strike to secure his second goal, before a long-range 65-yard free from Davitt’s standout player, Sean Smyth slipped past McCrory into the net. Despite conceding three goals, Gort’s superior point-scoring efficiency via Thomas McCaffrey and McClean ensured they carried a 1-13 to 3-03 lead into the break.

Second-Half Dominance

The second half saw Gort na Mona tighten their grip on the fixture by shifting away from defensive errors and maximizing their attacking depth. Neil Henry and Darron Boyd registered fine points from play to keep the scoreboard ticking. The decisive blow came when McClean and Scullion combined to feed Patrick McCaffrey, who slotted into an empty net.

Davitt’s relied heavily on the accurate free-taking of Smyth to stay within striking distance as the intensity raised on the pitch. However, McClean’s master-class from placed balls ensured Davitt’s could never close the gap. McCaffrey put the result beyond doubt five minutes from time, pouncing on a scrambled clearance to fire a rocket into the top corner.

Davitt’s Marcas Toner runs at the Gort na Mona defence

Gort na Mona progress straight to a home semi-final in Turf Lodge in four weeks, though their management will want to address the concession of three soft goals while Davitt’s drop into the quarter-finals but can take massive confidence from their ability to breach the Gort defence ahead of the knockout rounds.

Gort na Mona XV: C McCrory; T Ó Cadhlaigh, G McKenna, C Connolly; T Morton, D Keenan, M Rea; P McCaffrey 2-6 (0-1F), N Henry 0-2; T McCaffrey 0-3, S Doyle 0-1, N Healy; R Scullion 1-0; D McClean 0-9 (0-7F)

Davitt’s XV: A McLaughlin; J Winters, C Heaney, N Maginn; O Heaney, D Mooney, M Rowntree; C Gallagher, P Carleton; M Toner 0-2, S Smyth 1-9 (1-6F), C Maguire; P Reid, A Rowntree 2-0, C Rainey 0-1

Referee: Sean Elliott (Lamh Dhearg)

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Casement Social Club, Antrim JHC Group 3 

Sarsfields 1-21-0-5 All Saints, Ballymena 

Kevin Herron reports from the Bear Pit 

Division 3 League Champions Sarsfields got their quest to land a domestic double off to a winning start after seeing off All Saint’s 1-21-0-5 at the Bear Pit on Sunday afternoon. 

Being in the Group of 3, Sarsfields had to watch on as St Brigid’s defeated All Saints in the Championship opener 3 weeks previous and knew victory over their opponents from Ballymena would secure the second quarter final slot on offer with a game to spare. 

They made a perfect start and had the game’s only goal within two minutes. Nicholas O’Mullane dropped a high ball into the square, All Saints keeper Ronan McAllister was unable to clear his lines and Niall McAlea swooped to touch the loose ball home. 

Both sides were wasteful in possession as it took the game a while to settle down. The visitors struck successive frees courtesy of Damian Gillan to open their account, although those two points were all they were able to muster in the opening half as their shooting let them down. 

Darren Delander struck Sarsfields first point of the contest and Daniel Smyth added a second just after the quarter hour mark following a flowing move from one side of the pitch to the other, with Fionn Jemfrey slipping the ball to Cormac Mulligan to in turn find Smyth. 

It wasn’t until the final ten minutes in the half that Sarsfields began to stretch clear on the scoreboard. 

Kevin McKernan landed the first of three scores of his own before the half was mark. The first coming from the placed ball, and two others from play – the last of which was a superb dig from range after Cormac Mulligan picked him out. 

In between times, Mulligan was again involved in sending a cross-field pass into Kevin-Barry McArdle to pop over as the Stewartstown outfit led 1-6-0-2 at the interval. 

The Paddies picked up where they left off and tagged on three quick points at the beginning of the second half. 

Darren Delander doubled his personal tally, as did Daniel Smyth and Cormac Mulligan then opened his account. 

All Saints replied through a Gillan free, but Mulligan hooked over his second in quick succession, back-to-back Kevin McKernan frees followed ahead of a further Gillan free that made it 1-12-0-4 by the 40th minute. 

A third Daniel Smyth was followed by a third from the impressive Cormac Mulligan and a fourth McKernan free saw the hosts begin to open up real daylight with a quarter of an hour remaining. 

The scores continued to flow, a quickly taken McKernan free caught All Saints napping and Darren Delander brought his tally to three, Cormac Mulligan increased his haul with a fine point from range and Fionn Jemfrey’s angled attempt dropped over to make it 1-18-0-4. 

Substitute Ryan Carson almost had his side’s second goal, but he was denied by Ronan McAllister and Fionn Jemfrey turned the loose ball over. 

An eighth score on the spin arrived through an angled Nicholas O’Mullane score, with All Saints talisman Gillan scoring his first from play and fifth in total. 

There was still enough enough time for Darren Delander to add to his tally before the conclusion, for the second time in the half was the recipient of a quickly taken McKernan free and dropped the ball over to complete a comfortable afternoons work for the Paddies and send them into the quarter final along with St Brigid’s, as All Saint’s will drop into the Junior B  Championship following the Groups conclusion in a fortnight. 

SARSFIELDS: G McKernan, N McGivern, M McCavanagh, Darragh  Coleman, J Ward, C McKernan, J Maguire, D Delander (0-4), N O’Mullane (0-1), D Smyth (0-3), K McKernan (0-6, 0-4f), C Mulligan (0-4), KB McArdle (0-1), N McAlea (1-0), F Jemfrey (0-2). SUBS:C Rea for KB McArdle (43), R Carson for C Mulligan (46), R McKenna for N McGivern (53), Daniel McKernan for D Smyth (55). 

ALL SAINTS: R McAllister, K Brady, D McKee, F Connon, D Gray, R Crooks, L Mulholland, V Esler, H Connon, E McGuigan, D Kelly, L O’Rawe, J Magil, A McGreevy, D Gillan (0-5, 0-4f). SUBS: P Doherty for V Esler (35), J Mooney for K Brady (41), M Connolly for D Kelly (41), F Brady for H Connon (41), S O’Rawe for E McGuigan (44). 

REFEREE: Terry Reilly (GORT NA MONA)

Antrim Junior Hurling Championship

Davitt’s 2-19 Loch Mór Dál gCais 1-10

Davitt’s produced a strong second-half performance to secure a convincing nine-point victory over Loch Mór Dál gCais in their Antrim Junior Hurling Championship encounter at Davitt Park.

The home side made a flying start, with captain Stephen McGivern firing over after only 15 seconds. Matthew Jones replied for Loch Mór before McGivern restored Davitt’s advantage almost immediately.

Sean Burke and the impressive Darragh Turley kept Loch Mór in touch, while Aaron Monaghan landed two excellent points under pressure. Ferdia Carson was also on target as the visitors enjoyed a productive spell during the middle of the opening half.

Davitt’s, however, carried a greater scoring threat. Sean Smyth led the way with a string of points, including several excellent efforts from distance, while Deaglan Mooney also caught the eye with a fine individual score. Nathan Maginn added another before the decisive moment of the half arrived in the 28th minute.

Paul Reid found the Loch Mór net to give Davitt’s a valuable interval advantage of 1-10 to 0-8.

The home team took control following the restart. Smyth continued his impressive display with four further points, while Caoimhin Rainey struck two excellent scores from the right wing despite being placed under considerable pressure.

Christopher Gallagher demonstrated his range with a pair of long-distance points and, after 12 minutes, Anthony Rowntree finished a well-worked move to the net for Davitt’s second goal.

Loch Mór goalkeeper Martin Robb prevented further damage with a brilliant point-blank save two minutes later. At the opposite end, Davitt’s goalkeeper Antoin McLaughlin produced an excellent double save as Loch Mór attempted to work their way back into the contest.

Turley and Conor Jones added second-half points for the visitors, who also found the Davitt’s net during the half, but the home side remained firmly in command. Smyth added another score before Mooney completed the scoring with a superb individual point deep into added time.

Davitt’s had done enough to run out deserving winners, with their two goals and impressive spread of second-half scorers carrying them to a 2-19 to 1-10 victory.

Davitt’s: 1 Antoin McLaughlin, 2 James Winters, 3 Caoimhin Heaney, 4 Nathan Maginn, 5 Odhran Cosgrove, 6 Christopher Gallagher, 7 Michael Rowntree, 8 Deaglan Mooney, 9 Peter Carleton, 10 Marcas Toner, 11 Stephen McGivern, 12 Cormac Maguire, 13 Sean Smyth, 14 Caoimhin Rainey, 15 Paul Reid.

Loch Mór Dál gCais: 1 Martin Robb, 2 Brogan Graham, 3 Bailey Graham, 4 James Duffy, 5 Ruairi Bannon, 6 Sean Burke, 7 Conor Jones, 8 Martin Braniff, 9 Cal Burke, 10 Matthew Jones, 11 Darragh Turley, 12 Declan Phillips, 13 Ferdia Carson, 14 Aaron Monaghan, 15 James Magorian.

Referee – Fionntan McCotter

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