Under 16 A Hurling Group 1

Ballycastle 4-17 Cushendall 3-10

Conditions may have been poor but Ballycastle and Cushendall still produced a high scoring game at Pairc MacUilin on Tuesday night with the home team coming out on top by a ten point margin. Ballycastle had the better of a hard fought opening half and led by 2-11 to 2-6 at the break, thanks to a  Darragh Donnelly goal in the 29^th minute. After the change of ends they strengthened their grip of the game as Donnelly grabbed a second goal and when Darragh Kelly got his team’s fourth midway through the half they were home and hosed.

Midfielder Somhaire Matthers opened the scoring for Ballycastle in the opening minute, but Cushendall replied with two inside a minute from Frankie McCormick and Joe McNaughton. Ballycastle began to get the upper hand when Gavan McToal, Cathair Donnelly, Tiernan Heggarty and James Bakewell all added points, but when corner  forward John Birt grabbed a Cushendall goal the visitors were right back in the game. Darragh Kelly and Tiernan Heggarty replied with points for Ballycastle and when Aidan Hamilton added a goal there appeared to be a little daylight between the teams, but Cushendall responded with a  goal of their own through Oissine McMullanFour on the trot from Bakewell, Kelly Heggarty, and Donnelly got Ballycastle back on top but it took a goal from Darragh Donnelly just before the break to give them a bit  of breathing space.

When Darragh Donnelly grabbed his second goal nine minutes into the second half Ballycastle were seven up and when Darragh Kelly added another they were finally in control and held the advantage to the end.

Under 16 Hurling A Hurling Group 1

Dunloy 1-4 Oisins 1-21

A masterclass of score taking by centre forward Niall McGarel steered Glenariffe Oisins to victory over Cuchullains Dunloy on a wet Tuesday evening on the back pitch in Dunloy. McGarel was is superb form start to finish and on an evening which was not conducive to good hurling he displayed his wide range of skills as he fired over 15 points from both play and  placed balls to take the game away from Dunloy.

The number 11 opened the scoring in the second minute and between then and  the first half water break he had six on the board as the  visitors led by 0-7 to 0-1, the Dunloy point coming from midfielder Daira McMullan. When the game resumed Dunloy got themselves back into it when the grabbed a goal on 21 minutes and when McMullan added a point  a minute later, the gap was back to three. What had looked like a safe lead suddenly looked anything  but, considering they had  to face the breeze in the  second  half, but it all turned back in the Oisins favour with two points from Brogan O’Connor, a goal from Patrick McIlwaine and four more McGarel points  to go 12 clear  at half  time. (1-02 to 1-14)

Dunloy had a good bit of pressure early in the second  half but couldn’t make a breakthrough and  when McGarel hit the first two scores at the other end it was clear the Oisins would not be caught. Daire McMullan got a couple back for the home side but three more from McGarel and one from substitute James O’Kane had the Oisins 17 clear at the  end

Sunday sees the Antrim Senior Hurling Championship group stages come to a conclusion and what a championship it has been.

Group 1 is going right down to the wire with all four teams still in the running. One of those key games is table toppers St John’s taking on reigning champions Dunloy at Corrigan Park. It is a game we would all want to see……and now we can…. as it is streaming live through beosport.

Many of you will of coruse be following your own club but for just £4 you can get the stream for the St John’s v Dunloy game and watch it later that day, or at any time over the next 30 days.

https://www.beosport.live/products/antrim-shc-naomh-eoin-v-cuchullains-dun-lathai

Senior Reserve Hurling Cup

Cushendall 5-26 Ballycastle 0-5

Cushendall had a runaway win over Ballycastle in Monday night’s Senior Reserve Hurling Cup round-robin game in Cushendall, running out winners by 5-26 to 0-6 to keep themselves on course for a semi-final spot.

With Scott Walsh, Paddy McGill, Conor Carson and Ronan McAteer in excellent form the Ruairis were 0-7 to 0-2 up at the first half water break and they added a further six points without replay between then and half time to lead by eleven. (0-13 to 0-2).

Things got even worse for an inexperienced Ballycastle team in the second half as the goals rained in from Paddy McGill (2), Conor Carson and substitute Conan Brown.