Countess of Antrim Cup final – N. Antrim Intermediate Hurling

Glenariffe Oisins 3-16 Ballycastle 2nds 0-15

Countess of Antrim Cup final – N. Antrim Intermediate Hurling

Glenariffe Oisins 3-16 Ballycastle 2nds 0-15

Goals made the difference in Monday evening’s Countess of Antrim Cup final in Cushendun with Glenariffe hitting three of them in a 3-16 to 0-15 win over Ballycastle 2nds at CushLig an Airgid. Seanie McIntosh hit the first one after nine minutes when he cut in from the right wing and drove the ball home from a tight angle, The second came in the opening minute of the second half when McIntosh sent a perfectly weighted cross field ball which Michael O’Boyle volleyed home, and Alex O’Boyle got the third as he picked up the rebound of his own shot and returned it to net from close range.

O’Boyle was the stand out figure as ended the night with 1-11 to his name, striking frees from all angles but his stand out contributions were inch perfect sideline cuts he sent across the field to team-mate Niall Magee to send over the bar, and one direct from a sideline cut he sent between the posts a few minutes later.

Playing with the wind in the first half the Oisins fell behind when Criostái McAuley pointed from a 65 but two by O’Boyle put them in front before Seanie ‘Tosh’ got their first goal. McAuley’s accuracy from frees was keeping Ballycastle in touch but O’Boyle even more proficient at the other end as he helped his team to a 1-11 to 0-07 half time lead.

O’Boyle’s brother Michael got in on the goal scoring action just after half time with a great finish following a McIntosh pass and soon afterward Michael added the Oisins third to put them in control.

Ballycastle fought back to hit five points in a row, three of them from McAuley and one each from Darragh Kelly and Conor Donnelly. However the goal they needed to rekindle their challenge never came and the Oisins went on to win by ten in the end.

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Antrim Minor Hurling League – Division 1

Dunloy 2:16 Loughgiel 2:13

Pics by Humphreys Photography

Dunloy and Loughgiel faced each off in the minor hurling league just two days after the Shamrocks had knocked the young Cuchullians out of the Darragh Cup.

This time the fixture was in Dunloy but after 15 mins the result looked set to be the same.  Loughgiel were rampant with goals from Conan Johnston & Dan O’Mullan helping them to a 2-4 to no score lead.  Indeed it could have been worse for the home side, Damien McMahon excelling in goals.

Dunloy looked in disarray and playing with the wind and down the ‘hill’ a staggering 8 wides were racked up before Oisin McCallin got the scoreboard ticking.  An inspirational score from Eunan Curry seemed to kick start a revival. McCallin fired in a fantastic goal and Dunloy would turn around just three points down as Loughgiel spurned a few chances to extend their lead.

The second half, against the elements, Dunloy got off to a flying start as Jay McAlonan found the net to level.  McCallin nudged them in front before an Emmet McKendry brace extended the lead.

The remainder of the game was nip and tuck, the Shamrocks drew level with 10 mins to go but 3 further frees converted by man of the match McCallin capped a remarkable comeback and maintained Dunloy’s unbeaten run in the league.

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Darragh Cup semi-final – North Antrim Minor Hurling

Loughgiel Shamrocks 3-16 Dunloy Cuchullains 3-11

Loughgiel set up a Darragh Cup final meeting with Cushendall next Friday evening when they beat Dunloy in the semi-final at Fr Healy Park. In a great game of hurling Dunloy started the stronger and held the upper hand for most of a tight first half. The Shamrocks edged ahead for the first time in first half injury time and dominated for the first twenty minutes of the second half to move ten clear. Dunloy were not done though and they came flying back in the last seven minutes, scoring three goals to get right back into contention. However, driven on by man of the match Ryan O’Boyle the home team held their ground to win in the end by five.

A great game of hurling between two very good teams, and the good is they will do it all over again tomorrow (Sunday) when they meet again in the league at Pearse Park ,Dunloy.

Duloy had the better of an intense opening period and led 0-4 to 0-02 after six minutes, but three in a row from Cian Higgins, Oisin Connolly and Ryan O’Boyle put Loughgiel ahead. Dunloy’s Oisin McCallin and Loughgiel’s Ryan O’Boyle exchanged points in the 22^nd minute to keep the gap at two, but three in a row for the Cuchullains from Jay McAlonan, Daire Elliott and McCallin got their noses back in front entering first half injury time. However O’Boyle’s influence in the game was growing by the minute and the right half forward landed two excellent points, one from a free and the other from play, to give the home side a 0-09 to 0-08 lead at the interval.

A goal within two minutes of the restart from midfielder Domnhall McKay, and a point seconds later from substitute Caolan McCollum stretched the Loughgiel lead to three. Sean Ferguson and Oisin McCallin got two back for Dunloy in the 37^th and 38^th minutes but Loughgiel held the visitors scoreless for the next fifteen minutes, and added 1-04 themselves to take a firm grip on the game. Ryan O’Boyle started the run with a point and after Conon Johnston got his team’s second goal O’Boyle added three more to stretch the lead to ten by the 52nd minute.

It appeared to be all over bar the shouting but a brilliant Dunloy goal from an Oisin McCallin penalty gave them new hope. Loughgiel hit back right away with a Logan McConville point and a goal by Caolan McCollum, to nip the comeback in the bud, and though Dunloy came back with two more goals in the last five minutes, Loughgiel had things in hand as they secured a final place.

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Feis Cup quarter final – Senior Hurling

Ballycastle 0-18 Loughgiel 1-17

Three late points gave Loughgiel victory over Ballycastle in Wednesday evening’s quarter final of the Senior Feis Cup at Pairc MacUílin. The home team had chances to bring the game to extra time but the Loughgiel defence held firm in injury time to book theirplace in the semi-final.

In a top class game Loughgiel flew from the traps when midfielder Darragh Patterson won possession from the throw-in and raced through to raise the first white flag inside ten second, but the home team were level a minute later when Tiernan Smyth sent one over from out on the right wing. Loughgiel went two clear when Paul Boyle and Rian ‘Bubbles’ McMullan added points at the other end, but the pace of the game remained high three in a row from the Town, one from Seamus McAuley and two from Niall McKenna had edged them back ahead on eight minutes.

Back came the Shamrocks and two from Bubbles McMullan and a peach of a point from ‘Bicky’ McGarry put them two clear, but Ballycastle were finding their range, and they hit six on the trot in as many minutes as Tiernan Smyth and Seamus McAuley levelled the scores before two apiece by Conor Donnelly and Niall McKenna moved them four ahead by the 21^st minute. Twice Loughgiel cut the deficit back to three, through Shan McGrath and McMullan but in both cases the home side found an answer, Mark McClean and Seamus McAuley hitting the target, and when McKenna brought his first half tally to five the gap was out to five, though Shan McGrath reduced that to four in first half injury time.

The gap was back to five when McKenna hit the first point of the new half within a minute of the restart and it stayed that way until Shan McGrath got the Shamrocks first point of the second half on 36 minutes. Loughgiel won the puck-out and Eoin McGarry fired over to cut the gap to three before James McNaughton brought the sides level with a superbly taken goal following a length of the field move in which McMullan sent him clear with a deft pass.

Neill McAuley pushed the Town back ahead but Shan McGrath levelled again and it stayed that way as Seamus McAuley and Darragh Patterson exchanged points.

Substitute Darragh Donnelly put Ballycastle back in front with ten minutes to go but six minutes from the end of normal time substitute Conall McCloskey gave the Shamrocks the lead and in the minute that remained Jack McCloskey put them two clear. McKenna got it back to a point again in injury time but Declan McCloskey had the final say for Loughgiel and his well taken point secured a two point win.

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