Allianz Hurling League Division 2A

Antrim v Mayo

Sunday February 2nd @ Fr Healy Park, Loughgiel

By Brendan McTaggart

Antrim return to league action this Sunday with their first home match of the campaign and the visit of Mayo to Loughgiel.  Following last Sunday’s win against Wicklow in the Garden County, the Saffrons will be hoping to maintain their winning start as they welcome the men from the West to Fr Healy Park.

Darren Gleeson’s men didn’t exactly set the world on fire against Wicklow in their league opener yet still managed to leave Arklow with a nine point victory.  They laboured for much of the first half before firing eight unanswered points after the restart having held a one point lead at the interval.

All credit should go to Wicklow though as they set up to stifle Antrim in attack and flooded their defence, tackled with intensity at the breakdown and in general made life hugely difficult for the Saffrons.  That along with the pitch in Arklow certainly looking worse for wear and in need of the mower going around it a couple of times ensured that it wasn’t quite the day at the office Antrim had when they dismantled Wicklow in the Kehoe Cup at Abbotstown.  Then again, do you blame them?  Antrim hockeyed them that day and they made sure they were going to make home advantage count.  From pristine, carpet like surface to, well, the non-pristine and carpet like surface in Arklow.  It took Antrim the majority of the first half to adjust but when they did, they began to go through the gears and do enough to win the game.

Neil McManus top scored with ten of his 11 points coming from play while he showed fight and desire for the full 70 minutes and played in a number of roles.  The half back line all excelled with Paddy Burke in the centre putting in another accomplished display and has become one of the first names on the Antrim team sheet. 

The Antrim attack struggled for long periods and were reliant on McManus’ exploits from placed ball.  Keelan Molloy continues to be side-lined as he recovers from appendicitis while Conal Cunning also remains on the injury list.  James McNaughton tore Wicklow apart in the Kehoe Cup in a breath-taking 20 minute cameo and it’s fair to say he was a marked man last Sunday.  He was the most fouled man in the Antrim team with five of McManus’ frees coming as a result of infringements on McNaughton while Dan McCloskey came to life in the second half.  Both lads will relish playing in a Saffron shirt on their home ground and retain their places in the starting 15.  The introduction of Conor Johnston at half time gave them a different dynamic with his trickery and guile but Eoghan Campbell’s emergence in the second half was another reason why the Saffrons took control.  His ability to read the game from deep and find space in a crowd where others might struggle is a major asset for Antrim.  He has become another big player for Antrim in recent times and an important cog in the Saffron wheel.  Campbell returns to the starting line up for Sunday in midfield where he will be partnered by Niall McKenna.  Alex Delargy returns to the starting 15 in one of six changes to the Saffrons starting team.  Michael Bradley, Conor McHugh and Aodhan O’Brien the remaining changes.

Mayo in Loughgiel on paper should be another victory.  Anything less would be a massive upset.  The last time these two played was just under 12 months ago when the Saffrons ran riot.  Winning by 20 points, scoring five goals and all this despite having two men sent off.  Neither Eoghan Campbell nor Nigel Elliott saw out the 70 minutes with red cards but it was an afternoon on the west coast where Antrim got everything their own way.

Mayo suffered a heavy loss to Kerry last weekend, the Kingdom running out 2-24 to 0-13 winners in Castlebar.  All signs point to another Antrim win and while they are hot favourites, lessons from last weekend should be learned in what to expect.  Teams like Wicklow last week and Mayo this weekend will see Antrim as a huge scalp and would raise their own game and intensity.  If Antrim are to push for promotion however, coming up against Mayo in their own backyard should be a comfortable two points and while the underfoot conditions in Arklow were far from helpful, the Saffrons will be hoping for a better return from their attacking unit on Sunday. 

When they last met….

Sunday February 24, 2019

Ballina, Mayo

Antrim 5-18 Mayo 0-13

Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Phelim Duffin, John Dillon, Stephen Rooney; Eoghan Campbell, Matthew Donnelly, Simon McCrory; Donal McKinley, Nicky McKeague (0-4, 1f); Nigel Elliott (2-00), James McNaughton (1-9, 7f’s), Ryan McCambridge (1-1); Eoin O’Neill (0-1), Conor McCann (0-1), Ciaran Clarke (1-1).

Subs: Conor Boyd for S McCrory (HT); Conor Patterson for J Dillon (55); James O’Connell (0-1, 1f) for C Clarke (55); Conor Laverty for N McKeague (58); Sean Duffin for J McNaughton (63)

Yellow Cards: J Dillon (30).

Red Card: Eoghan Campbell (26); N Elliott (49).

Mayo: Stephen Lenaghan; Conor Murray, Conor Daly, John Gerraghty; Padraig O’Flynn, Stephen Coyne (0-2, 2f’s), Cathal Freeman; Daniel Huane (0-1), David Kenny; James Gallagher (0-1), Eanna Ryan (0-1), Patrick Kiely; Shane Boland (0-7, 6f), Sean Regan, Eoin Delaney.

Subs: Conor Henry for J Geraghty (HT); Brian Hunt for P Kiely (HT); Bobby Douglas for J Gallagher (50); Cormac Phillips (0-1) for E Delaney (53); Corey Scahill for C Freeman (56).

Yellow Cards: E Ryan (14); S Boland (30); S Regan (68).

SUNDAY’S STARTING TEAM….

Ryan Elliott; Stephen Rooney, Ciaran Johnston, Conor McHugh; Gerard Walsh, Paddy Burke, Aodhan O’Brien; Eoghan Campbell, Niall McKenna; James McNaughton, Neil McManus, Michael Bradley; Alex Delargy, Conor McCann, Dan McCloskey

Subs: Matthew Donnelly; Conor Boyd; Phelim Duffin; Domhnall Nugent, Ryan McCambridge; Eoin O’Neill; Ronan Molloy; Joe Maskey; Ryan McGarry; Nicky McKeague; Tiernan Butler

Twenty five years ago Glenarm hurlers (then called St Joseph’s) had their best ever season, winning the Intermediate Hurling Championship, the Intermediate Reserve Championship (both played on the one day in Casement Park) and the Division 2 League title. On Saturday night the club will honour the players from those teams at a gala dinner in the Tullyglass Hotel. To mark the occassion we are runnning a copy of the Ballymena Chronicle’s report of the game from September 1995, plus photos taken on the day.

BALLYMENA CHRONCILE – SEPTEMBER 1995

Glenarm St Joseph’s 2-10 St Enda’s 1-8

St Joseph’s Glenarm won their third Intermediate Hurling title at Casement Park on Sunday and if that was not enough they also clinched the Intermediate Reserve title into the bargain.

Their last title came in 1981 and their first in 1976, but perhaps this was their sweetest of all having been there or there abouts without success for a number of years now.

They were always favourites to win this crown, thanks to their fine league run, and that title could come their way very soon. With St Enda’s forced to field without Brendan Prenter the odds were stacked against the Glengormley side and when he did appear, despite injury, his goal showed what a force he could be. They failed also with their poor finishing, shooting eight wides in the first half and nine in the second, while Glenram were much more economical, missing just four times in each half. Glenarm were on top throughout and were never headed after Hugh McKay scored in the first minute. There was an immediate reply from St Enda’s when Liam Vallely, who turned out to be their ace card, pointed in the fourth minute but only to see the Glenarm men pull two ahead with points from Seamus O’Kane and Oliver Mulvenna in the 5^th and 6^th minutes. Vallely struck back with pointed frees in the 9^th and 11^th minutes to bring St Enda’s level again, but Glenarm captain Sean Waide, who had an absolutely magnificent game, came up from the half back line to fire over in the 16^th minute to give his team back the lead. Vallely, who scored all St Enda’s first half scores, levelled again in the 20^th minute, but Waide began the charge who saw his team take a 1-6 to 0-4 lead by half time. In the 25^th minute he sent over a long range point and soon afterwards Sean O’Neill struck a telling blow when he kicked the ball to net for the first goal of the game and when Waide added another point they went in at half time with a five point cushion.

To their credit St Enda’s never gave up the fight and they started the second half strongly with a Paul McGarry point. Liam Magill kept the cushion at five when he pointed in the third minute but Tony Morgan hauled St Enda’s back into the game with an eighth minute point.

The telling point of the game came in the next ten minutes when Glenram added a goal and a point without reply to quite frankly put the game beyond St Enda’s reach. Kevin McKay got the point in the ninth minute and six minutes later right-half-forward John Rosborough struck the telling blow with the second goal of the game to give his team a 2-8 to 0-7 lead by the end of the third quarter.

However St Enda’s did not throw in the towel and the appearance of Brendan Prenter gave the Glengormley side a boost. Vallely started the fightback with a point and when Prenter fired the ball to the Glenarm net in the twentieth minute the gap was down to four again. To their credit Glenarm responded well to the pressure and points from Oliver Mulvenna and Sean O’Neill put them six clear and even though Liam Vallely ended the game as he had started it, with a pointed free the cup was bound for Glenarm.

The St Joseph’s men certainly deserved their success but full marks to St Enda’s for a plucky performance. Without the injured Prenter they struggled but they had fine performers in Michael Curran and Liam McCollun in defence, Pat Doran and Declan Steele at midfield and Liam Vallely and Prenter (when he came on) up front. The Glengormley men did enough to suggest they will live to fight another day.

Step forward man of the match Sean Waide! His performance at right-half-back was magnificent and along with Liam Magill and midfielder Kevin McKay kept the St Enda’s forwards on a tight rein. Oliver Mulvenna and Sean O’Neill were the stars up front but what set the sides apart was the ability of the Glenarm men to take their scores. In total eight different players got their names on the scoresheet.  

Glenarm scorers – Sean O’Neill 1-1; John Rosborough 1-0; Sean Waide 0-3; Oliver Mulvenna 0-2; Seamus O’Kane 0-1; Liam Magill 0-1; Kevin McKay 0-1; Hugh McKay 0-1.

St Enda’s scorers – Liam Vallely 0-6 (all frees); Brenan Prenter 1-0; Paul McGarry 0-1; Tony Morgan 0-1.

GLENARM – Hugh Magill, Seamus Dobbin, Francis Magill, Brendan Ward, Sean Waide (capt), Seamus O’Kane, Liam Magill, Kevin McKay and Jim Petticrew, John Rosborough, Pat O’Neill, Oliver Mulvenna, Paddy O’Kane, Sean O’Neill, Hugh McKay.

Subs – Gareth McLaughlin

ST ENDA’S – Declan Lawell, Peter Kane, Michael Curran, Stephen Matthews, Sean O’Connor, Liam McCollum, Jospeh McClintock, Pat Dornan and Declan Steele, Joe Ward, Liam Vallely, Gerard Matthews, Paul McGarry, Tony Morgan, David Maguire.

Subs – Daniel Curran and Brendan Prenter

REFEREE – James McLean (Dunloy)

In the Intermediate Reserve final which was played immediately before the main final Glenarm were also victorious as they beat Carey by 6-5 to 1-2.