Antrim Minor Hurling Championship

Cushendall 2-23 Ballycastle 1-07

Ruairi Og Cushendall set up a semi-final meeting with Dunloy when they beat Ballycastle in Sunday’s quarter final at Pairc Mhuire. The Cushendall boys were in top form throughout and sprung from the traps with two points apiece from Oisin Woodhouse plus one apiece from Fionntan Bradly, Callagh Mooney and Oran McCambridge.

Cadhan Crawford opened the Ballycatle account with a point from a free but two from Fiontan Bradley and one each from Daire Higgins and Charlie McAuley stretched the Cushendall lead. Conor Donnelly and Cadhan Crawford came back with points for the Town but Cushendall pushed on to lead by 0-15 to 0-04 at the interval.

Fiontan Bradley hit the first four points of the second half to pull Cushendall well clear, but a goal from Conor Donnelly and two points from Caodhan Crawford stopped the flow. However that was to be Ballycastle’s last scores of the game as Cushendall pushed on, adding goal through Bradley and Dylan McNaughton to set up an intriguing semi-final with Dunloy.

CUSHENDALL

Liam McGhee, Paddy Morgan, Alex McCambridge, Eamon Campbell, Dairmuid McManus, Callagh Mooney, Conor McCann, Odhran McCambrdige, Charlie McAuley, Dylan McNaughton, Oisin Woodhouse, Daire Higgins, Cahir McCambridge, Thomas McLaughlin, Fiontan Bradley.

BALLYCASTLE

Anthony Mullan, Darrach Kelly, Cian Baudant, Conor Boylan, Fionn Mullan, Cahir Donnelly, Luke Connolly, Ardan Colm Kelly, Mattehw Donnelly, Oisin Coyles, Niall McClean, Oisin Connolly, Cadhan Crawford, Conor Donnelly, Conor Mooney

TO SEE MORE PICS BY MICKY MORGAN CLICK ON THE LIN BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/8oFMQDi42Lhykh/?invite=17b59208-f956-468e-b692-52f59124e0c7

So the burning question on everyone’s lips since his ratification has been answered.  Davy Fitzgerald has announced his backroom team and there’s a couple of eye-catching names who have taken up the mantle.

Dunloy clubman Paudie Shivers makes the natural progression from U20s main man into the coaching team under Fitzy.  Shivers had an indifferent 2024 season but his working relationship with Darren Gleeson for a number of years showed he has that something different that Davy is looking for.  When I spoke with Fitzgerald last Sunday, he iterated that he was looking for someone who was constantly looking outside of the box and looking to evolve.  He spoke in glowing terms about Shivers and while both are strong characters, you can see how this would be a good appointment.

Two further appointments come from north Antrim also with Arron Graffin and Neil McManus stepping into the breach.  On the face of it, this is a brilliant move.  Two men who have been superb servants for the Saffrons and in Arron Graffin, they have a highly motivated individual.  A look at his CV and he’s been involved with the GPA as a Player Development Manager.  Since January, Graffin has worked in the Ulster University (Magee) as a part-time lecturer and teaching assistant, specializing in Coaching Practice.  The Cushendall man was also part of the u20s setup with Shivers for the 2022 season.

McManus needs no introduction to anyone who knows anything about Antrim hurling.  He may be seen as an appointment from left field, but again, it shows the outside of the box thinking that Davy was alluding to.  When I mauled over who could be on the list of potential candidates since his ratification, I had an inkling that Davy would give Neil a call.  A man who clearly loves hurling and there’s only so much you can get from the RTE studios.  Nothing beats being part of the game and coaching is the next best thing to playing.  McManus takes up the mantle of Sports Performance Coach.  It will be interesting to see how the Ruairi Og man manages the role with his own club commitments.  While he hasn’t played a part in either of Cushendall’s first two championship matched, you would expect him to be there for the latter stages.

The last name announced and one that maybe few would be familiar with, is Pat Bennett.  Described as passionate and purposeful, Bennet is a Waterford native and former Deise selector.  He was part of Stephen Molumphy’s backroom team last year in Kerry and has a long standing relationship with Davy – most notably during his first spell with Waterford and Wexford.

Bennet managed Wexford club side Ferns to their first county championship win in 2022 and is the father of Stephen, Kieran and Shane Bennett.  He was a selector for his club side Ballysaggart who were defeated to Creggan in the 2014 junior All-Ireland final that went to a replay.

He did say that he won’t please everyone with the appointments but he has in place the men who he trusts to help him take Antrim to the next level.  It’s hard to look past the quality and caliber of the backroom team assembled.

Reserve Hurling Cup

St. John’s 2-16 Cushendall 5-31

Ruairi Ogs, Cushendall produced a power packed second half performance to overcome the challenge of St. John’s in a high scoring and entertaining Reserve Hurling Cup semi-final at Corrigan Park on Wednesday night.

The Johnnies kept in touch during the opening exchanges thanks to a goal from Daire King in the second minute when he got on the end of a long delivery to finish from close range.

Slowly the visitors began to find their range however with Joseph McNaughton leading the way and his goal in the 10^th minute edged the Ruairi Ogs ahead for the second time in the contest.

Earlier Conor Flannery in the St. John’s goals pulled off a smart save to deny the visitors what looked a certain goal but slowly the North Antrim men began to find their range with Austin Birt, Paddy Magill, Patrick Sharpe and Charlie McAuley hitting some excellent points.

Points from Donal Carson and Ruairi Galbraith kept the St. John’s scoreboard ticking and when they got in for a scrambled goal after a mix-up in the ‘Dall’ defence in the 20^th minute they looked to be back in contention.

The visitors would finish the half on the front foot however as Paddy Magill 0-3, Patrick Sharpe 0-2 and Joseph McNaugton added points with Donal Carson 0-2, Daire King and Peter McCallin leaving the home side trailing by six at the short whistle.

The Corrigan men needed a good start to the second half if they were to get back into contention but it was Cushendall who got off to a blistering start as Paddy Magill pointed after 10 seconds and three more from the excellent McNaughton saw them 11 ahead with 5 minutes of the second half gone.

St. John’s did respond with a couple of well struck points from Donal Carson and another from Collie McFall but the Ruairi Og’s responded with their third goal of the evening when Conor Carson punished a mistake in defence to finish to the net in the 8^th minute.

The visitors were now very much in the ascendancy as Joseph McNaughton followed with goal number four, a minute later to effectively end the game as a contest though St. John’s continued to battle.

Conor Carson and Paddy Magill continued to find the target with some excellent points as the gap increased and Carson got in for their fifth goal with five minutes remaining to put the visitors out of site.

Donal Carson, Ruairi Galbraith, Luke Loughlin, Fearghal McManus and Odhran Carson added points to the St. John’s total but it is Ruairi Og’s who go forward to the decider where they will meet Loughgiel Shamrocks in what should be an excellent final.

St. John’s: 1 Conor Flannery, 2 Odhran Carleton, 3 Joe Hand, 4 Michael Darragh, 5 Michael Napier, 6 Colly McFall, 7 Jim Peoples, 8 David Robinson, 9 Ruairi Galbraith, 10 Donall Carson, 11 Peter McCallin, 12 Danaan McKeogh, 13 Daire King, 14 Lorcan Heenan, 15 Conan McKinney.

Subs: 18 Luke Loughlin, 19 Darragh McGuinness, 20 Matthew Mallon, 21 Michael Dudley, 30 Fearghal MacManus

Ruairi Og: 1 Eoin Gillan, 2 Senan Black, 3 Daire Mort, 4 Michael Quinn, 5 Padraig McKillop, 6 Stephen Walsh, 7 Charlie McAuley, 8 Alex Delargey, 9 Austin Birt, 10 Joseph McNaughton, 11 Paddy McGill, 12 Oisin Woodhouse, 13 Patrick Sharpe, 14 Conor Carson, 15 Christy McLaughlin.

Subs: 16 Ruairi Sharpe, 17 Andrew DFelargy, 19 Ruairi McCollum, 20 Matthew McCann, 21 Conan Brown, 22 Ciaran Neeson, 23 Mark Emerson, 24 Dominic Delargy

Referee: John Dornan

TO SEE MORE OF BERTS PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/dW5Ap6gXGGQZXN

Antrim GAA Reserve Cup Loughgiel v Dunloy 28th August 2024

Loughgiel 1-22 Dunloy 2-14

Match report and photo album from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel

An electrically charged first half in Wednesday’s Reserve Cup would complement the distant rumblings of thunder, threatening to deliver a deluge in the already soft turf. But thankfully, for most of the sixty minutes, play would remain dry overhead…but heavy underfoot.

With three goals and twenty points between the sides before the break, supporters were entertained to a blistering game of hurling, refereed by Seamus Shannon. Shannon would get to work twenty seconds after the throw in as Loughgiel’s Eoin McGarry picked up a foul as he worked his way towards the goals at the clubhouse. Ryan McKee would send that wide but Maol Connolly would keep the pressure applied with the first point in the game at under the two minutes.

Dunloy would send their puck out deep into Loughgiel’s half for a goal mouth scramble that was well diffused by Loughgiel’s full back line but Dunloy’s Nicky McKeague would receive the outbound sliotar for a turnover that put Dunloy on the scoreboard with their first point.

A worrying threat around the edge of the square, Dunloy’s Decky Smith would cast a long shadow into Mark Christie’s goals and with just two and half minutes in, Smith struck a well angled sliotar to beat Christie and register his first goal of the evening.

Unphased by the early goal, Loughgiel waited patiently and Darragh Patterson would point from a Finn Henry pass and then at six minutes in, Patterson would assist Eoin McGarry with Loughgiel’s goal.

Dunloy would reply with a useful point from Tom McFerran, as he took possession in his own half around the forty-five metre mark and running into Loughgiel’s half, floated a high ball to bring scores level at 1-02 apiece on the Fridge Raiders scoreboard.

Loughgiel would now drift two points into the lead as Nicholas McNaughton delivered from a Conal McCloskey pass and a determined Finn Henry going to ground, kept possession and successfully pointed on recovery.

But Dunloy’s Smith would be a handful at almost exactly ten minutes in, when a high dropping ball originally meant to point, fell going wide but Smith got an angle on the sliotar and dropped it in past Christie for his second goal.

With just a point between the sides, Loughgiel inched ahead again with points from McNaughton and McGarry, both from the low side of the pitch but Dunloy would apply the pressure at the other end and it would be keeper Christie that would bear the brunt with a fine save but the turned over sliotar would earn Dunloy a penalty as they pressed again into the thirteen metre box. Dunloy’s McKeague stroked the sliotar down the line towards a waiting Christie and a solid save denied Dunloy another goal.

Loughgiel would now start to move ahead over the next four minutes with four points, three from McNaughton and one from Eoin McGarry as Damien Quinn scooped up the rewards from a brave block, offloading to Finn Henry and onto McGarry.

With just over eighteen minutes on the clock, Dunloy’s Aodhan McGarry would make good of a free for a throw ball, bringing scores on the scoreboard to Loughgiel 1-10 Dunloy 2-03 and with four minutes elapsing, Loughgiel’s Darragh Patterson would take his point from a McNaughton offload before Dunloy picked up another throw ball free. Aodhan McGarry was on shooting form and delivered another score over the bar.

Loughgiel’s Quinn was right back in the front line action as he turned over a Dunloy ball towards Eoin McGarry who inched the Shamrock’s up another point but Dunloy would reply when referee Shannon spotted a foul on Aodhan McGarry. McGarry took his point to bring the gap back to just four points before Loughgiel’s Patterson and McNaughton pointed and with four on the clock, it looked like Loughgiel would carry that into the break but a dropping ball into Loughgiel’s square was directed into the back of Christie’s net by Decky Smith. Shannon consulted the umpires at the road end and a decision of a square ball resulted in a disallowed goal. Smith though would take Dunloy into the break just five points adrift behind Loughgiel as he pointed from twenty metres out from an assist by Nicky McKeague.

In the second half, Dunloy’s Smith would pick up where he left off, with his point stemming from a delivery onto his stick from a diagonal ball coming in from Conor McKinley.

The pace of the game had by now eased up and settled into almost twenty-five minutes of trading points, Dunloy picking up half of their scores from frees. Almost from the whistle, Dunloy started to roll on substitutions well ahead of Loughgiel and it would eventually be Dunloy’s number 18, Ryan Mort that would point two in quick succession to offer the Cuchullains hope of closing the gap but there was a sense of urgency about that as the clock had no more than two minutes of extra time added. A final free for Dunloy was dropped in and fired to the net by Chrissy McMahon but saved by keeper Christie who was partially blocked by a body and swept away by an industrious Daniel McPeake as Shannon blew for full time in this round two match, leaving the scoreboard to register Loughgiel 1-22 Dunloy 2-14.

Loughgiel Starting Panel and Scorers

Mark Christie, Ciaran McKay, Daniel McPeake, Connor Dickson, Damien Quinn, Ben McGarry 0-01, Conall McCloskey, Finn Henry 0-01, Ryan McKee, Nicholas McNaughton 0-08 (4f), Darragh Patterson 0-04, Odhran McFadden, Eoin McGarry 1-03, Maol Connolly 0-04, Donal McKinley, Tiago McGarry 0-01

Dunloy Starting Panel and Scorers

Gabriel McTaggart, Cathair McCloskey, Karl O’Kane, Reece Cunning, Kevin McKeague, Conor McKinley, Daire McMullan, Ciaran Elliott, Ciaran McQuillan, Tom McFerran 0-01, Aodhan McGarry 0-07f, Barry Scott, Nicky McKeague 0-01, Decky Smith 2-02, Anton McGrath 0-01, Ryan Mort 0-02

Photos from Wednesday’s game can be found in the photo album by clicking on the link here:

https://myalbum.com/album/vgBVJSu2qJY68h/?invite=61bfaf92-9b75-4431-9d54-57ae8144ddf2

Follow Michael G Corcoran @keep_clickin on X (formerly Twitter) for match Gifs when available.

Follow The Saffron Gael @TheSaffronGael on X for links to match reports.