Pupils from Gaelscoil an Chairtil, Glenann PS, Mary Queen of Peace, Glenravel, St Anne’s Corkey, St John’s Carnlough, St Ciaran’s Cushendun, St Joseph’s Dunloy, St Olcan’s Armoy and St Patrick’s Loughgiel got to display their skills during the half-time games in Corrigan Park on Sunday during the half-time interval in the Antrim v Dublin National Hurling League Game Division 1B. Bert was there to capture some of the action.
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Ulster Under 17 Hurling Championship final at Dunsilly
Antrim 4-14 Wicklow 1-15
Antrim claimed the Ulster Under 17 Hurling title after a thrilling 4-14 to 1-15 victory over Wicklow at Dunsilly. In a game of shifting momentums, Dominic McKinley’s side had to weather a fierce second-half fightback from the Garden County before unleashing a devastating goal blitz to secure the Danny McNaughton Cup.
Playing with a stiff breeze at their backs in the opening period, Antrim struggled to fully capitalize on their elemental advantage despite dictating much of the play. Instead, the Saffrons relied heavily on the dead-ball accuracy of Cody McGarry. The wing-back was in superb form from frees, providing the bulk of their early scores alongside efforts from Connlaodh McNaughton and Cahir McCloskey. This kept the scoreboard ticking over and ensured Antrim carried a 0-09 to 0-05 lead into the dressing rooms, with Wicklow’s Colin Lawrence keeping his side in touch with some accurate shooting of his own.
Upon the restart, the dynamic of the game completely changed. Wicklow stormed out of the blocks, with Lawrence and substitute Joe Keeshan hitting four unanswered points within six minutes to wipe out the deficit and draw level. Just as Wicklow looked like favourites to push on, Antrim showed tremendous character and flipped the script. In the eighth minute of the half, Cillian Cunning struck for Antrim’s first goal to halt Wicklow’s momentum. Three minutes later, Antrim captain Joe Casey added a second goal in somewhat fortunate circumstances, slipping as he struck the ball but managing to deceive Ross Weld in the Wicklow net.
The game opened up into a frantic final quarter as both sides traded points. Antrim struck a massive blow in the twenty-first minute of the half when Connlaodh McNaughton fetched a high catch and buried a superb third goal for the Saffrons. Wicklow refused to go away quietly, and a twenty-seventh-minute goal from Jim O’Brien brought them right back into the contest. However, Antrim had the final say deep into injury time. In the thirty-third minute, Ronan Elliott finished off a slick team move with Antrim’s fourth goal, extinguishing any lingering Wicklow hopes and sealing a memorable victory.
Wicklow’s Colin Lawrence who had a great game for the Garden County, scoring ten points overall
Fir Ionaid (Substitutes): 16. Robert Cowman 17. Joe Keeshan 18. Kalem Buckley 19. Zak Windsor 20. Sean Byrne 21. Peter Mooty Monaghan 22. James Dragusin 23. Dylan Rooney 24. Donnacha Clarke 25. Nathan Gough 26. DJ Williams 27. Rian Kennedy 28. Callum Jordan Dempsey 29. Paul Farrell
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Dublin made a resounding statement in Belfast on Sunday afternoon, delivering a clinical performance to outclass Antrim while handing out a 15-point beating. After last week’s impressive win over Carlow the Saffron fans were hoping for another good showing, but Dublin were a different class of opponent. From the opening exchanges, the visitors exerted a level of control that left the Saffron faithful fearing a long afternoon. That openinng burst which saw them lead by 0-09 to 0-01 after ten minutes gave the boys in blue complete control of the game, and though the Saffrons competed well for the remainder of the half it was mostly about damage limitation. Keelan Molloy grabbed three superb points and Ruairi Donaghy lifted spirits with neatly taken goal, but the Dubs always had an answer.
Aided by a strong breeze, Dublin stormed into an early lead. The excellent Donal Burke was the orchestrator-in-chief, accounting for nearly half of Dublin’s 20-point first-half haul. His highlight, a monstrous 90-yard free that soared over with room to spare, epitomized Dublin’s efficiency with the elements.
Antrim struggled to find their rhythm in a feisty encounter, though Seáan Elliot provided a reliable outlet. Despite the difficult conditions, the Dunloy man was unerring from placed balls, striking six points to keep the hosts within touching distance.
Dublin’s depth was on full display as Fergal Whitely and late inclusion James Madden added to the tally. However, the home side found a lifeline ten minutes before the break. Ruairi Donaghy flicked the sliotar past Seán Brennan for a goal that ignited the Corrigan Park crowd. A follow-up brace from Keelan Molloy and more accuracy from Elliot briefly cut the gap to six, before Cian O’Sullivan ensured Dublin went into the sheds with a 0-20 to 1-08 lead.
Antrim hoped the wind advantage would favor them in the second period, but those hopes were swiftly extinguished. Chris Crummey found the net shortly after the restart, a blow from which the Saffron County never recovered.
As the wind seemed to die down, so did Antrim’s momentum. Dublin’s defense tightened, and their attack remained relentless. O’Sullivan added three more to his personal tally, while Whitely continued to punish defensive lapses. While James McNaughton and Elliott added late scores for the hosts, the result had long been beyond doubt.
The Saffrons are not in action for another three weeks when they meet old rivals Down in Newry in an Ulster derby.
Allianz Hurling League Division 1B Table
Pos
Team
P
W
D
L
Diff
Pts
1
Clare
5
5
0
0
+62
10
2
Wexford
4
3
1
0
+13
7
3
Dublin
4
2
1
1
+27
5
4
Kildare
4
2
0
2
-1
4
5
Carlow
4
1
0
3
-26
2
6
Antrim
5
1
0
4
-27
2
7
Down
4
0
0
4
-48
0
Weekend Results (Round 5)
Dublin 1-31 | Antrim 1-16
Carlow 0-18 | Clare 1-28
Kildare 3-24 | Down 1-23
What this means for Antrim:
With only 2 points from 5 games and a difficult scoring difference, Antrim are now officially in a scrap to avoid the relegation play-off. Their upcoming match against Down (who have a game in hand) will be the deciding factor in who stays up and who faces the drop. However a win over the Ards men may not even be enough as they will need other results to go their way as well if they are to avoid the drop
Scoring & Teams
Team
Scorers
Dublin
D. Burke 0-8 (5f), F. Whitely 0-5, D. Purcell 0-4, C. Crummey 1-1, C. O’Sullivan 0-4, R. Hayes 0-2, J. Madden 0-2, P. Smith 0-1, B. Hayes 0-1, J. Hetherton 0-1, C. Burke 0-1, D. Ó Dúlang 0-1 (1f).
Antrim
S. Elliot 0-8 (7f), R. Donaghy 1-1, K. Molloy 0-3, J. McNaughton 0-2 (1f), C. Johnston 0-2.
Antrim: D. Nugent; S. Rooney, N. O’Connor, P. Burke; E. McFerran, G. Walsh, J. Maskey; R. McCambridge, P. Boyle; K. Molloy, C. Johnston, R. Donaghy; S. Elliot, J. McNaughton, S. Walsh.
Subs used: E. O’Neill, J. McLoskey, S. Duffin, J. McLaughlin.
Dublin: S. Brennan; C. Groarke, P. Smith, E. O’Donnell; A. Dunphy, C. Crummey, C. Burke; B. Hayes, C. Donohoe; F. Whitely, D. Burke, J. Madden; D. Purcell, J. Hetherton, C. O’Sullivan.
Subs used: D. Ó Dúlang, C. McHugh, J. Bellew, C. O Cathsaigh, R. Hayes.
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The Antrim team to face Dublin at Corrigan Park tomorrow shows two changes from the team that beat Carlow last weekend. Conall Conning, who was star of the show last weekend with six points, unfortunately misses tomorrow’s game due to a broken jaw injury that he received against Carlow and his place in the corner is taken by the Dunloy teammate Owen O’Neill. O’Neill came on in the closing stages last week against Carlow and showed well, scoring a good point. He had been playing at midfield in the earlier games with the campaign, but this time slotted in at the top of the left.
Donald Nugent takes over in goals from Conor McFadden from last week’s side as Davey Fitzgerald continues his policy of alternating the goalkeeper from week to week during the league campaign.
The fullback line remains the same with Stephen Rooney at right-back, Niall O’Connor at full-back and Paddy Burke in the left corner. The personnel in the half back line are the same as last week. The only change being that Gerard Walsh moves into number six, with Joe Maskey moving out onto the left wing while Dunloy maintains his place on the right.
Midfielder Ryan McCambridge maintains his place and wears the number 8 jersey again, but Paul Boyle, who started in the half-forward line last week, moves back to partner McCambridge at the middle of the field, in a straight swap with Keelan Molloy, who this time wears the number 10 jersey,
Conor Johnson stays on the 40 with Rory Donaghy of St Enda’s on the left, while in the full forward line top scorer this season, Seaan Elliott, is in the right corner, with James McNaughton on the edge of the square and Eoin O’Neill at the top of the left.
Antrim produced a commanding performance at the Derry Centre of Excellence in Owenbeg to book their place in the Ulster Minor Hurling Cup final against Wicklow, defeating the hosts on a scoreline of 3-19 to 1-13. Despite playing against the wind in the second half, the Saffrons (who are made up of the Under 16 Development squad) showed their quality with a clinical display of finishing, particularly from full-forward Joe Casey and a high-impact bench.
With wind assistance in the first half, Antrim made a lightning start. Connlaodh McNaughton opened the scoring after just ten seconds, followed quickly by a point from Jude Gamble in the first minute. Although Karl Friel responded with a point for Derry on two minutes, Antrim hit a devastating purple patch shortly after. In a blistering thirty-second spell around the tenth minute, Antrim rattled off 1-02, including a goal from Joe Casey and another point from McNaughton, putting them firmly in the driving seat early on.
Derry settled as the half progressed, with their number ten, Callum McLaughlin, finding his range from frees. Antrim kept the scoreboard ticking over with a long-range effort from midfielder Gerard Delaney, but Derry began to find gaps in the defense. Peadar Kelly pointed well after a solo run, and a goal from Callum McLaughlin helped the Oak Leaf county drag themselves back into contention. By the halftime whistle, Antrim held a five-point lead, going in 1-10 to 1-05 ahead.
With the wind at their backs for the second half, Derry would have fancied their chances of overturning the deficit. However, Antrim extinguished those hopes almost immediately. Joe Casey remained in fine form, hitting the first score of the half in the opening minute, followed by a point from Cody McGarry. When Casey pointed again in the fourth minute following good approach work by McNaughton, Antrim had stretched their lead to eight points, effectively killing Derry’s momentum before it could build.
Derry continued to battle, relying heavily on the excellent free-taking of Callum McLaughlin, who slotted over a series of placed balls, including a superb effort from the sideline. However, Antrim’s attack remained potent. Good movement created an opening for Joe Casey to blast home his second goal of the game, cementing Antrim’s grip on the tie.
As the game entered the final quarter, Antrim’s substitutes made a significant impact, highlighting the depth of their squad. In the 19th minute, a flowing move involving four players ended with substitute Cillian Cunning firing home a great goal just minutes after entering the fray. Fellow substitute and Dunloy clubmate Ronan Elliott also impressed, scoring two excellent points shortly after his introduction, while Damian Laverty also chipped in with a fine score. Despite late resistance from Derry, Antrim ran out comfortable 12-point winners, finishing 3-19 to 1-13 to set up a decider with Wicklow this weekend.
