Category / Hurling

by thesaffrongael

Davitt’s and Ardoyne share the points at Fennel Park

Casement’s Social Club JHC Group 1

Ardoyne 3-9 Davitt’s 1-15

Kikckham’s Ardoyne staged a strong second half comeback to gain a share of the points in this opening game of Group 1 of the Junior Hurling Championship at Fennell Park on Friday night.

In the proverbial game of two halves it was the men from the Falls Road who looked to be coasting to a comfortable victory when they led 1-7 to 0-2 at the interval, thanks to a goal from Anthony Rowntree after 17 minutes.

Kickham’s were a different team after the break however as they set about reeling in the Davitt’s lead with Cormac Marron adding to a series of Patrick McGreevey points with a goal in the 19th minute.

The visitors looked to have done enough when they led by six with time almost up but two goals from Dean Goodall , the first a scrambled effort, looked to have sealed an unlikely win for the home side but man of the match, Christopher Gallagher tied the contest with an injury time point.

Gallagher was prominent for Davitt’s throughout the contest and his three first half points and points from Dean Mooney, Stephen McGivern and Colm McKee and 1-1 from Anthony Rowntree saw Davitt’s 1-7 to 0-2 ahead at the break, the Ardoyne points both coming from Patrick McGreevey frees.

McGreevey continued to lead the Ardoyne challenge during the second half, hitting three of four early points to close the gap to four after 8 minutes with Daniel Moore’s long range effort getting them on their way.

Christopher Gallagher hit three further points for the Falls Road side in answer to a goal from Cormac Marron and points from Caolan Wallace and Christopher McShane and it was all still to play for.

It was Davitt’s who looked to have survived the storm however as Colm McKee, Gallagher and Stephen McGivern fired over but Moore and McGreevey answered with points for the hosts and that Goodall double looked to have snatched it for Ardoyne.

Christopher Gallagher became the Davitt’s hero as he kept his cool to fire over a late equaliser and in the end both sides will have been fairly satisfied with the draw though both will feel they had the chance to win it.

Ardoyne: 1 Paddy Heaney, 2 Cormac Curran, 3 Paul Baker, 4 Martin McLaughlin, 5 Aran Stewart, 6 Michael McGreevey, 7 Christopher McShane, 8 Daniel Moore, 9 Paul McGuigan, 10 Caolan Wallace, 11 Dean Goodall, 12 Enda Slattery, 13 Matt McKillen, 14 Patrick McGreevey, 15 Kevin Holland

Subs: 19 Cormac Marron for Kevin Holland, Piaras Hull for Martin McLaughlin, 20 Fiontan Lagan for Enda Slattery, Martin McLaughlin for Cormac Curran

Davitt’s: 1 Gerards Cosgrove, 2 Odhran Cosgrove, 3 Thomas Toland, 4 Jasonm Park, 5 Peter Og Carleton, 6 Caoimhin Heaney, 7 Michael Og Rowntree, 8 Stephen McGivern, 9 Colm McKee, 10 Caoimhin Rainey, 11 Deaglan Mooney, 12 Christopher Gallagher, 13 Cormac Maguire,  25 Anthony Rowntree, 15 Marcas Toner.

Subs: 19 Stephen Thompson for Marcas Toner 18 Caoimhin McGowan, 17 Sean Kelly, 24 Leigh McGrady

Referee: Ray Matthews (Rossa)

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by thesaffrongael

Tir na Óg were made to work for their win

Antrim Intermediate Hurling Championship

Group 1 Round 1

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)

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by thesaffrongael

Cloney canter to comprehensive opening victory

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) 

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by thesaffrongael

Another great day in Dublin as Tipp turn in on in an extraodinary second half

By Curly

Sunday’s All Ireland Hurling final produced probably the strangest second half I have witnessed in all the finals I have attended. Sunday’s game was my 57th in succession (counting the three replays) and I have never seen anything like Cork’s total collapse.  When the Rebels scored their goal in first half injury time I was sure they would push on and end their 20 year drought, but Tipp had other ideas and what a display they gave to win their first title in six years.

It has to be said Lady Luck completely deserted the men in red during that second period, hitting the post three times and the crossbar once, having a man sent off and having a penalty saved. Nothing would go right for them at all but that is not to take anything away from Tipp who were sensational.

Antrim county chairman Seamus McMullan and his wife Siobhan with Cork superfan Cyril Kavanagh outside Croker on Sunday

Once again the whole occasion was fantastic. It is always the place to be on All Ireland final day and Sunday’s meeting of the two Munster giants made it even more special. Cork appeared to have twice as many followers as Tipp, but maybe it is just the red jerseys stand out more than the blue and gold. Of course one of the great things about final day is that every county in Ireland get a good share of tickets, and of course Antrim are no exception. Having said that there didn’t appear to be as many Saffs about on Sunday, when I was outside with the camera before and after the game. Bringing a camera to the games is something I have done for almost forty years, many of them working from pitch side, but since I stopped working for the Kilkenny People that has become more difficult.

I got a few action shots from my seat in the Lower Cussack stand on Sunday but mostly the pics are of the fans who attended.  Another fantastic day and one that will live long in the memory.

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by thesaffrongael

Bradley guides All Saints through after hard fought prelim with Lámh Dhearg at Hannahstown 

U-21 B Hurling Championship, Preliminary Round 

Lámh Dhearg 1-13-2-11 All Saints, Ballymena 

Kevin Herron reports from Hannahstown 

DARACH BRADLEY popped over an injury time winner as All Saints came out on top in a ding-dong battle with Lámh Dhearg in the U-21 B Prelim clash at Hannahstown on Monday evening. 

Adam Murray converted an early free and Aaron Kennedy added a second point from play as the Lámhs opened the evening scoring on a soggy and dull evening in Hannahstown. 

Darach Bradley replied from a free and added a second between a further Murray placed ball. 

The opening goal fell to the visitors after a strike came off the post and Bradley stabbed the loose ball over the line to give All Saints a 1-2-0-3 advantage. 

Murray closed the gap with his third free of the half before Darach Bradley (free) and a Fintan Brady score from play opened up a goal lead. 

Lámh Dherarg closed the deficit to a single point through successive Murray frees late in the half and the hosts could have led at the interval, but Luke Walsh parried Murray’s penalty as All Saints held a narrow 1-4-0-6 lead. 

Darrach Bradley who top scored for All Saints with a total of 1-7 on the evening
Adam Murray who scored 0-11 (0-10 f’s) for lamh Dhearg

Parity was restored within sixty seconds of the restart as Murray added his sixth of the evening and he edged his side back in front from a further placed ball a few moments later. 

Darach Bradley levelled with his fourth free of the contest and a converted Pearse Martin free nudged the Ballymena outfit ahead again. 

They extended their advantage with another Bradley free and Tiernan McGurk then popped the ball over to open up a 1-8-0-8 gap. 

Adam Murray landed a free from range in response and after Sean McCarthy cleared to Calum Fegan in defence, he in turn picked out Murray to land his first from play of the evening and make it a single point game. 

The tide was turning from the resulting puck-out, Calum Fegan gathered and tried his luck from range with a shot that dropped over Walsh and into the net to give the Hannahstown side a 1-10-1-08 lead. 

Lámh Dhearg opened up a three-point lead with Adam Murray clipping over his 10th score and ninth from the placed ball. 

Corey Camlin, Lamh Dhearg clears his lines as Archie McGreevey moves in to challenge

Both sides traded fantastic points from play courtesy of Darach Bradley and Calum Fegan and after Ronan Webb won a puck-out and the hosts a free, Murray pointed the placed ball to make it 1-13-1-09. 

The four-point gap remained until the 54th minute when Pearse Martin rifled low past Rhys Camlin and a single point separated the sides. 

The visitors were buoyed and Martin then popped over a leveller with Bradley keeping his nerve late on and swinging over the eventual winner as All Saints ran out 2-11-1-13 winners at the conclusion. 

LÁMH DHEARG: R Camlin, C Tubridy, S Doran, D O’Connor, F Clenaghan, C Fegan (1-1), C Camlin, E Stanley, S McCarthy, O Lee, A Murray (0-11, 0-10f), A Kennedy (0-1), R Webb, C McGuigan, R Armstrong. Subs: A Brady for C McGuigan (26). 

ALL SAINTS: L Walsh, A Martin, P Murphy, F Connon, H Connon, P Martin (1-2, 0-1f), C O’Hara, A McGreevy, D Bradley (1-7, 0-6f), S O’Brien, D McCoy, T McGurk (0-1), M Connolly, D Kelly, F Brady (0-1). Subs: R Crooks for A Martin (16). 
REFEREE: Chris Brown (ST PAULS)

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