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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JHC Group 1

Glen Rovers 2-28 Kickham’s Ardoyne 0-12

Glen Rovers Armoy laid down a marker in this Antrim Junior Hurling Championship Group 1 game, comprehensively defeating the newly crowned Division 4 champions, Ardoyne Kickhams, at Páirc an Chromach. Armoy’s firepower and lethal goal-scoring proved too proved far too powerful for Ardoyne to handle over the 60 minutes.

Ardoyne opened the game with high energy, earning an early free that Patric McGreevy calmly converted over the bar. However, the home side responded instantly. PJ McBride opened the scoring for Glen Rovers, closely followed by two quick-fire points from John Dillon and Emmett O’Hara.

Refusing to back down early on, Ardoyne stayed in the hunt when Paddy Heaney delivered a beautiful pass into the hands of Cormac Barnes, who split the posts. Armoy quickly reasserted dominance and Turlach McBride slotted over a free before Emmett O’Hara struck a decisive blow, hitting the first of his two goals and swiftly following it up with a point.

McGreevy kept Ardoyne in touch with another free, only to see Armoy respond with four unanswered points from Tommy Burns, Turlach McBride, O’Hara, and Connor Christie. Showing the true spirit of the Kickhams, Ciaran Curran delighted the traveling fans by slotting over a beautiful point from a razor-thin angle right on the sideline. Armoy hit back through Turlach McBride, Christie, and Dillon, but Ardoyne’s ever-reliable Matt McKillen fired over a late half-time point to reward his side’s persistent work rate.

Half-time: Glen Rovers 1-14 Ciceam Ard Eoin 0-07

The second half began like the first, with Ardoyne showing great intent to split the posts first. Yet again, the highly in-form PJ McBride had an immediate answer for Armoy to kill off any momentum. The hard-working McKillen grabbed another point for the Kickhams, but the dynamic duo of McBride and O’Hara kept piling on the pressure with successive, pressure-relieving scores.

The defining moment of the half came when Ardoyne threw everything into a desperate attack on the Armoy goal. Conal Patterson produced a great save in dangerous territory, but moments later, the sliotar agonizingly rattled the crossbar and bounced clear.

That near-miss completely broke the game open. Frustrated at their inability to get a handle on the match, the energy was visibly sucked out of the Ardoyne men. From that stage on, Glen Rovers were in total domination and the points came quick and fast from the men in blue and white as the Ardoyne resistance faded, sealing a comprehensive championship victory for Armoy.

While Ardoyne Kickhams showed brilliant flashes of individual skill and commendable fighting spirit, they ultimately found it difficult to contain Glen Rovers’ depth and relentless attacking execution. Armoy marched on to secure a vital championship victory on home soil. 

Full-time: Glen Rovers 2-28 Ciceam Ard Eoin 0-12

Glen Rovers 1.Conor Watterson 2. Joseph McFetridge 3. Liam Dillon 4. Charlie Douhart 5. Kieran McToal 6. Arthur Devlin 7. Shane Devlin 8. Eoin Bradley (0-02) 9. PJ McBride (0-6) 10. Thomas Burns (0-02) 11. Turlach McBride (0-6, 2f) 12. Emmet O’Hara (2-06) 14. John Dillon (0-2) 15. Conor Christie(0-02)17. Tim Burns (0-02)

Ciceam Ard Eoin 1. Connor Oneill 2. Pascal Clarke 3. Paul Baker 4. Cormac Curran 5. Dan Moore 6. Dean Goodall 7. Caolan Wallace 8. Matthew Cromie 9. Paul McGuigan (0-01) 10. Matt McKillen (0-02) 11. Cathal Keown (0-01) 12. Paddy Heaney 13. Cormac Barnes (0-02) 14. Micheál McGreevy (0-01) 15. Padraig McGreevy(0-05) 16. Patrick Killen 17. Sean Searle 18. Donal Quinn 19. Enda Slattery 20. Emmet Corry 23, Kevin Holland 24. Christopher McShane

Referee: Fergus McAllister

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Antrim Junior Hurling Championship – Group 1 Round 2

Friday 14^th August

Report by Niall Kelly – Pics by Martin Brunty

Lámh Dhearg 7-30  Belfast Saints 3-06

A rampant and potent first half attacking display from Lámh Dhearg laid the foundations for a comprehensive win to climb atop Group 1 of the Junior Hurling Championship in Hannahstown on Friday evening. As tirelessly as Belfast Saints toiled to thwart their hosts, twelve different scorers from play across the hour for the ‘Red Hands’ illustrated the ominous attacking threat they posed. Mark Finnegan, Michael Herron and Adam Murray were the tormentors in chief during the first half with wing back Conor G McConville so often the architect. Four green flags were raised in the opening half courtesy of Odhran Waldron, Finnegan and a brace from Herron to leave the scores at the interval 4-22 to 0-03. Credit must go to the Saints though. It would be very easy to drop the heads, but they put in a gallant second half showing, narrowing the gap in what was a much more even, to and fro thirty minutes of hurling with Conor McLean proving a real handful in full forward for the visitors.

Right from Deaglan Carey’s first whistle, the men in red and white laid siege to their opponents goal and raced into a nine-point lead after six minutes with Mark Finnegan and Adam Murray inflicting the crux of the damage, ably assisted by Odhran Waldron and Sean Paul Gibson. The frenetic pace at which they moved the sliotar was unfastening the Saints defence with Conor G McConville’s powering runs from half back causing mayhem. Unsurprisingly, McConville would assume the role of provider for the game’s first green flag as his high ball in from the right flank caused confusion in the visitor’s rearguard only for Finnegan to pounce and finish to the net.

Jack Trainer and Murray fired over from range before the St Teresa’s/Aggies contingent’s woes were compounded further as Michael Herron struck to gain his first major of the evening on the twelfth minute, dispatching on the rebound after an initial smart stop from Conor Grieve in goal.

The Saints were surely dumbfounded after such a bombardment but worked tirelessly to grab some sort of foothold for themselves. They broke their scoring duct midway through the half thanks to a fine score from Mark Caldwell which was just rewards given his constant industry. Phil Maguire then struck from range to double their tally in response to yet another two from Mark Finnegan.

Just as it seemed that the visitors were starting to find some sort of rhythm, their hosts turned the screw again with Waldron and Trainor expertly splitting the uprights from range. The former then pounced to grab Lámh Dhearg’s third goal with a superb, thundering effort drilled to the bottom corner from just outside the twenty-one.

Phil Maguire doubled his tally from the placed ball as the visitors tried to stem the flow of their opponents, but to no avail as the onslaught continued. With the first period reaching its climax, Adam and Dan Murray continued to keep the scoreboard operator busy before Tiernan McKenna’s high ball in was met by Michael Herron whose improvised finish to the onion bag left the score a commanding 4-22 to 0-03 in favour of the Hannahstown side.

Despite suffering such a challenging thirty minutes, the Saints refused to lie down in the second period and emerged a more rejuvenated side hitting the first two scores of the second half. Joseph McQuillan found his bearings from range before the ever-dangerous Robbie Gallagher added the finishing gloss to a flowing move involving Niall McGettigan and Mark Caldwell.  

The hosts responded in typically emphatic fashion though as the game became ‘goals galore.’ Jack Trainor pounced to unleash a rocket to the net finishing a fine attacking manoeuvre with SP Gibson’s arrowed pass the key to unlocking the defence. This time though, their opponents had an answer for them as they conjured a major of their own. A fine ball from Caldwell was caught expertly by Conor McLean in full forward before swivelling and finishing to the net.

The sides continued to trade big scores as the net rippled on a further three occasions in as many minutes. Lámh Dhearg responded with conviction as Sean Paul Gibson fired to the net before that man McLean found the white curtain again with an arrowed finish to the top corner. Feeding the domineering full-forward became the visitor’s bread and butter and it would lead to joy for the third time as he offloaded to the oncoming Robbie Gallagher who made no mistake with his finish.

With both sides emptying their benches in the closing ten minutes, there was an even greater open feel to proceedings as the host’s substitutes were hungry to stake their claim for a starting berth. Adam Perry and Odhran Kane did themselves no harm as they both slotted over from range to increase the margin before Jack Trainer grabbed his second goal thanks to a surging run coming in off the left flank. Conor McConville deservedly added to his tally to cap off a fine performance with Daniel Mulholland chipping in before the tireless Phil Maguire closed out the scoring for the Saints.

Lámh Dhearg will now be desperately anticipating their crunch meeting with Armoy at Dunsilly in two weeks. This fascinating duel could prove the clincher in who will top Group One. If they can unleash the same firepower as they did today, they will certainly fancy their chances.

For Belfast Saints, they can take solace from a much improved second half were they remedied the disjointed fashion of the first. In Phil Maguire, Robbie Gallagher, Conor McLean and Mark Caldwell they have a few fine, experienced hurlers who they will hope can lead them to their first victory against Ardoyne.

Teams

Lámh Dhearg:

Paddy-Joe Herron; Corey Camlin, Aidan McGuigan, Tiernan McKenna; Dan Murray (0-02,) Paddy Mervyn, Conor G McConville (0-03;) Jack Trainor (2-02,) Daniel Mulholland (0-02;) Sean Paul Gibson (1-01,) Adam Murray (0-07,) Odhran Waldron (1-04;) Mark Finnegan (1-06,) Mitch McGarry (0-01,) Michael Herron (2-00)

Substitute Scorers:

Adam Perry (0-01)

Odhran Kane (0-01)

Belfast Saints:

Conor Grieve; Daniel McConnell, Matt Carlin, Niall Connolly; Adam O’Rourke, Phil Maguire (0-03,) James Sloan; Joesph McQuillan (0-01,) Pierce O’Rawe; Niall McGettigan, Robbie Gallagher (1-01,) Mark Caldwell (0-01;) Keevan Óg Grieve, Conor McLean (2-00,) Conor O’Callaghan

Antrim Junior Hurling Championship

Belfast Saints 4-08 Armoy 8-29

PICS BY MARTIN BRUNTY

Glen Rovers Armoy delivered an attacking masterclass in their Junior Championship opener, securing an emphatic victory over Belfast Saints at Woodlands on Saturday afternoon. The Glensmen, who finished as runners-up last year, arrived in Belfast with clear intent, putting the rest of Antrim’s third tier on notice with a highly polished performance.

A blistering first half produced five goals in total, but it was Armoy’s remarkable efficiency from open play that truly separated the sides before the break. The visitors raised 17 white flags in the opening period compared to four from the hosts, showcasing a clinical edge that rarely gave the Saints’ defense a moment to rest.

Armoy’s intent was clear from the opening whistle. Conor Christie found the back of the net in one of the game’s earliest attacks, and Thomas Burns quickly followed suit, brilliantly retrieving a loose sliotar before firing home to establish a commanding early lead.

While their eye for goal was impressive, Armoy’s point-scoring was arguably their most potent weapon. Recording only six wides over the entire hour, their forwards punished any afforded space. Emmet O’Hara and Tarlach McBride were the focal points of this attacking blitz. Both men showcased excellent vision and power, confidently taking scores from a variety of angles. McBride was particularly effective at drawing his markers into tight spaces before executing smart passes or taking well-taken scores himself.

When O’Hara struck for Armoy’s third goal of the half, it looked as though the visitors might pull entirely out of sight. However, Belfast Saints showed admirable resilience and engineered a spirited fightback. Veteran forward Phil Maguire proved his enduring class, hitting three consecutive points to steady the ship. Maguire’s vision then unlocked the Armoy defense; a cleverly disguised cross-field free found the towering Conor McLean, who brilliantly batted the ball to the net.

Moments later, the Saints struck again. McLean used his aerial presence to expertly field another high ball and finish decisively, briefly reducing the deficit to seven scores and breathing new life into the contest.

Armoy, however, quickly reasserted their dominance before the interval. Christie, PJ McBride, and impressive senior debutant Eoin Burke all fired over spectacular points. With Antrim refereeing stalwart Paddy Tumelty busy on umpiring duties for match official Fionntán McCotter, the visitors concluded the half with late scores from O’Hara and Christie to hit the 17-point mark.

The second half saw Glen Rovers maintain their relentless pace. Tarlach McBride capitalized on a low pass into the forward line, drilling the ball into the net on his second attempt after the Saints struggled to clear their lines. In the middle third, Armoy captain Liam Dillon and PJ McBride took firm control of the midfield battle, ensuring a steady supply of ball to their forward line.

Belfast Saints continued to battle hard, with Maguire dropping deeper to help dictate play and adding to his personal tally. The hosts were rewarded with a third goal when a long-range free from Robert Gallagher dropped dangerously into the square and ended up in the net, bypassing everyone including a waiting McLean.

Armoy’s attacking depth ultimately proved too much to contain as they finished the game with a flourish. Both Tarlach McBride and Emmet O’Hara completed their braces with well-taken goals, while Eoin Burke capped off a memorable debut by raising a green flag of his own.

Maguire managed to squeeze a low-driven free past Armoy goalkeeper Conor Watterson for a fourth Saints goal late on, but the Glensmen had the final say. Substitute Liam O’Hara drove home his side’s eighth goal of the afternoon, putting the finishing touch on a comprehensive and highly impressive opening-day victory for Glen Rovers.

Belfast Saints: C Grieve; S McCafferty (0-1), M Carlin, P Glennon; A O’Rourke (0-1), R Gallagher (1-0, 1f), J Sloan; J McQuillan, N McCann; N McGettigan, C McLean (2-0), K Grieve; D Grieve, P Maguire (1-6, 2f), M Caldwell. Subs: N Connolly, C McNeill, D McConnell.

Glen Rovers Armoy: C Watterson; J McFetridge, L Dillon (0-1), S Devlin; A Devlin, C McCormac-McKenna; E Burke (1-1), PJ McBride (0-4); T Burns (1-1), T McBride (2-5), E O’Hara (2-7); T Linton (0-4), J O’Kane, C Christie (1-5). Subs: T Linton (0-1), L O’Hara (1-0).