Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group 2

Dunloy 3-20 Ballycastle 1-11

Sunday 10 August

Brendan McTaggart reports from Pearse Park, Dunloy

Dunloy produced an accomplished performance on Sunday afternoon to get their 2025 championship campaign off to a winning start against Ballycastle.  15 points the difference at the end of the hour but in truth this Group 2 game was over as early as the 20^th minute.  The Cuchullains ran into a 13 point lead before Ballycastle registered their first score and while they had the elements in their favour, Dunloy blitzed the Town from the first whistle.

Elliott brothers Seaan and Nigel grabbed goals in either half for Dunloy while substitute Chrissy McMahon got in on the goal scoring act also late in the game.  Keelan Molloy and Eoin O’Neill shared eight points between them while Deaglan Smith was a livewire playing in a number of different roles in the front six.

Defensively, Ballycastle tested Dunloy with a barrage of direct and high ball in the second half but by enlarge, that was well dealt with through Eoin McFerran, Ryan McGarry and the excellent Kevin Molloy.

It was a bad day at the office for Ballycastle who will rue their slow start to the contest.  They got little or no joy from an excellent Dunloy defence although Tiarnan Smyth’s goal would certainly make the highlight reel from the game.  Seamus McAuley finished top of their scoring charts, his four points coming from placed ball but their defence couldn’t stop a lively Dunloy attack as the Cuchullains never dropped their intensity. 

It was a relentless start from Dunloy with points coming from all angles.  Keelan Molloy, Seaan Elliott, Deaglan Smith and Luke McFerran all recording scores before Seaan Elliott scored the opening goal of the game.  Luke McFerran collecting a long ball and popping a pass out to Elliott who was charging through the middle.  Conor Boyd tried to stop the Dunloy man but a side step gave Elliott the yard he needed to fire the sliotar to the back of the net.

Going into the final 10 minutes of the half, Ballycastle had two shots that went wide and another three that dropped short.  To say they Ballycastle were overwhelmed was an understatement, Dunloy piled on the pressure with their half back line and midfield dominant.  It was the 22^nd minute before Ballycastle recorded their first score, coming through a spectacular goal from Tiarnan Smyth.  Collecting a long ball, Smyth caught the sliothar and buried from 20 yards.

Neal McAuley fired over the Town’s first point of the match before Smyth added to his goal to leave eight points between the sides with five minutes of the first half remaining.

Dunloy responded with points coming from Luke McFerran, Deaglan Smith and Keelan Molloy stretching their tally to 1-13 before Seamus McAuley knocked over a free on the stroke of half time to leave the score 1-13 to 1-3 at the short whistle.

10 points was the minimum Dunloy had earned given their dominance.  It was all one way traffic and the home side registered double figures in wides by the time referee Kevin Parke called for the interval.

Ballycastle needed a quick start to the second half with the wind at their backs but it was Dunloy who remained on the front foot.  A brace of unanswered points from Eoin O’Neill stretched the Dunloy lead to 12 points by the 35^th minute.  O’Neill would record his third of the half after a McAuley free and while the Ballycastle free taker would score back to back points from placed ball just before the half way point of the half, the home side would score their second major.

A patient build-up in defence saw substitute Aodhan McGarry pass to Nigel Elliott on the run.  The Cuchullain’s midfielder charged through the heart of the Ballycastle defence and finished expertly.

Two frees from Seaan Elliott were answered to by points from Conor Boyd to leave 13 points between the sides before Dunloy would score their third major.  Nigel Elliott this time turning provider, collecting a quick line ball and sprinting through on goal.  He drew the Town defence towards him before passing to Chrissy McMahon and he made no mistake.

Ballycastle bombarded the Dunloy defence with a barrage of high ball in search for another major but they got no joy from an excellent Dunloy defence.

The Cuchullains now turn their attention to the big ball and a date with Tir na nOg while Ballycastle will be hoping for an improved performance when they take to the field against St John’s.

TEAMS

DUNLOY: Ryan Elliott; Conor Kinsella, Eoin McFerran, Oran Quinn; Luke McFerran, Ryan McGarry, Kevin Molloy; Nigel Elliott, Nicky McKeague; Ryan Mort, Paul Shiels, Keelan Molloy; Seaan Elliott, Deaglan Smith, Eoin O’Neill

Subs: Aodhan McGarry for R Mort (36); Tom McFerran for P Shiels (44); Chrissy McMahon for D Smith (55); Ciaran Elliott for S Elliott (57); E Smyth for R McGarry (blood sub 43, reversed 46)

Scorers: S Elliott 1-7 (6fs); E O’Neill 0-4; Keelan Molloy 0-4; C McMahon 1-1; N Elliott 1-00; D Smith 0-2; L McFerran 0-2

BALLYCASTLE:  Ryan McGarry; Oran Kearney, Cian Baudant, Ryan McCook; Mark McClean, Conor Boyd, Ronan Laverty; Seamus McAuley, Cathair Donnelly; Ronan McGarry, James McShane, Ardan Kelly; Conor Donnelly, Neal McAuley, Tiernan Smyth

Subs: Darragh Kelly for A Kelly (HT); Diarmuid McShane for J McShane (49); Conal Colgan for M McClean (51)

Scorers: S McAuley 0-4 (4fs); T Smyth 1-1; C Boyd 0-2; C Donnelly 0-1; R McCarry 0-1; D McShane 0-1; N McAuley 0-1

REFEREE: Kevin Parke (Naomh Éanna)

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Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group 1

Rossa 1-18 Cushendall 2-17

Saturday 9 August

Brendan McTaggart reports from Rossa Park, Belfast

Cushendall kicked off the defence of the Volunteer Cup with a two point win over Rossa on the Shaw’s Road, Belfast on Saturday afternoon.  Goals in either half from Neil McManus paved the road to their victory but this was a titanic tussle between two sides who yielded little.

With the wind blowing towards one corner of Rossa Park, it felt like this would be a game of two halves and while on paper that’s how it transpired, it looked like this had a draw written all over it at the end of the hour.

The Ruairi’s had overturned a five point half time deficit with 10 minutes of the contest remaining but couldn’t shake off the Rossa challenge.  Three times they took the lead in the time that remained, it turned out to be third time lucky for the champions with Fiontan Bradley’s second point of the contest the game sealing score.

McManus would finish top of the scoring charts with six points of his 2-8 coming from placed ball while Joseph McLaughlin and Bradley shared four points evenly during the hour.  Defensively, Eoghan Campbell excelled in the first half in a free role while he was pivotal in the Ruairi’s turning the screw in the second half.  Ryan McCambridge and Paddy Burke also shone for the ‘Dall in defence while Eoin Gillan’s puck outs in the second half were landing deep in the heart of the Rossa defence, causing plenty of problems for the home side.

Rossa will look at the five minutes before half time where they went from Eoin Trainor scoring a goal with a tidy finish and being sent off with the next attack for a second yellow card.  Six points was the difference at the time in their favour and with the elements against them in the second half, it was going to take a gargantuan effort to get anything out of the game.  But my how they came close.

Trainor would finish with 1-1 while Tiernan Murphy knocked over three points in a super game in the middle third.  His brother Deaglan was top of the scoring charts for Rossa with seven of his eight points coming from frees.  Three of those coming in the second half and while he will be disappointed with the one he missed at the death when his side trailed by just one point, all of Murphy’s frees came from distance and not one of them would have been classed as a ‘gimme’.

Defensively, the half back line of Aodhan O’Brien, Gerard Walsh and Stephen Beatty were excellent.  O’Brien having to come off as the game entered the final 10 minutes proved to be a massive blow while Beatty’s ingenuity to clear the sliotar from crossing the line after a brilliant piece of skill from McManus felt like a match defining moment.

The home side got out of the blocks quickest and had four points on the score board inside the opening eight minutes.  Points from Deaglan Murphy (two frees), Trainor, O’Brien and Tiernan Murphy while Ryan McCambridge provided the solitary response for the Ruairi’s.

Cushendall began to get to grips with the challenge being posed and the elements to hit back to back points through Joseph McLaughlin and McManus (free) before the first goal of the game came in the 10^th minute.  Joe McNaughton finding Paddy Burke in space, Burke drilled the sliotar low only for Armstrong to get his hurl out to keep it from crossing the line, McManus was first to the rebound however and pulled first day to the back of the net.

The Rossa response was excellent however.  They restricted Cushendall to just one further point in the next 10 minutes while they hit points from Declan McCartney, Deaglan Murphy (free), O’Brien and Walsh to leave two between the sides.  O’Brien’s second of the match coming from distance while Walsh’s move to the edge of the Cushendall square was proving to be a masterstroke by the Rossa management.

McManus’ second free of the half reduced the deficit to the minimum before Rossa hit another purple patch.  Points from Seaghan Shannon and Tiernan Murphy were followed by Trainor’s major in the last minute of the 30.  Declan McCartney delivering the sliotar Crossfield towards Tiernan Murphy, he broke the sliotar to the ground where Trainor gathered and set for goal.  He made no mistake to put six between the sides going into first half injury time.

The Rossa joy was short-lived however with Trainor seeing red after a second yellow card for a challenge on Austin Birt. 

Deaglan Murphy put seven between the sides before a brace of points from McManus (free) and a trademark point from Paddy Burke left the half time score 1-12 to 1-7 in Rossa’s favour.

Half time came at the best possible time for the home side and allowed them to reorganise.  The Ruairi’s started superbly however with Martin Burke and McManus (free) halving the deficit in the opening two minutes.

Cushendall’s second goal came in the fifth minute of the second half and owed much to the brilliance and experience of McManus.  Paddy Burke delivered a crossfield ball where McManus found a yard of space.  He had just nudged Joseph Mulholland to get the yard of space, catching the sliotar he turned and rifled the sliotar to the top corner, giving Armstrong no chance between the sticks.

Walsh and McManus swapped scores, both from ridiculous angles before Rossa began to find their footing in the half.  Points from the Murphy brothers, one for Tiernan and two from Deaglan were answered to by a point from Joe McNaughton to leave the home side two points ahead going into the final quarter.

The Ruairi’s finished the contest in the ascendancy however and while Rossa were never far away, Cushendall always managed to edge in the lead.

Points from substitute Padraig McKillop, a McManus free and Fiontan Bradley put the Ruairi’s ahead for the first time since McManus’ major in the 10^th minute.  Murphy pointed a free from distance either side of McManus’ sixth white flag from a placed ball and only for a piece of brilliance from Stephen Beatty, the Cushendall man would have had a hat-trick.

Thomas McLaughlin sending the sliothar into the heart of the Rossa defence and McManus broke it into his path.  He took aim for goal one handed, looking to lob Armstrong but Beatty chased back to deny him with a flick of his hurl.

With two minutes remaining, Murphy’s seventh free of the evening restored parity once again but it was Cushendall who finished on top.  Brilliant points from McManus and Bradley ensured the Ruairi’s got off to a winning start.

TEAMS

ROSSA: Donal Armstrong; Ciaran Orchin, Joseph Mulholland, Niall Crossan; Gerard Walsh, Aodhan O’Brien, Stephen Beatty; Seaghan Shannon, Deaglan Murphy; Daire Murphy, Declan McCartney, Oisin McVicker; Tiernan Murphy, Eoin Trainor, Dominic McEnhill

Subs: Corey Walsh for S Shannon (37); Liam McEnhill for O McVicker (42); Diarmuid Rogan for A O’Brien (51); Eoghan McMenamin for T Murphy (58)

Scorers: Deaglan Murphy 0-8 (7fs); E Trainor 1-1; T Murphy 0-3; G Walsh 0-2; A O’Brien 0-2; S Shannon 0-1; D McCartney 0-1

CUSHENDALL:  Eoin Gillan; Austin Birt, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Ronan McAteer, Eoghan Campbell, Ryan McCambridge; Scott Walsh, Joe McNaughton; Sean McAfee, Neil McManus, Thomas McLaughlin; Fiontan Bradley, Ed McQuillan, Joseph McLaughlin

Subs: Charlie McAuley for J McNaughton (43); Padraig McKillop for A Birt (45)

Scorers: N McManus 2-8 (6fs); J McLaughlin 0-2; F Bradley 0-2; P Burke 0-1; M Burke 0-1; R McCambridge 0-1; J McNaughton 0-1; P McKillop 0-1

REFEREE: Colm McDonald (Naomh Gall)

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Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship Final

Cushendall 1-16 Dunloy 2-12

Sunday 20 October

Brendan McTaggart reports from Páirc Mac Uílín, Ballycastle

It was Sweet 16 for Cushendall on Sunday afternoon as they retained the Volunteer Cup in the midst of Storm Ashley.  As the wind battered the north coast, it was Cushendall who weathered the storm to edge out Dunloy by just the minimum.

It was far from a classic final but that will matter little to the Ruairi Og’s as they wrote their name on the senior championship trophy for the 16^th time.  The wind had a major say in how both teams approached the decider with even the simplest of tasks made more difficult.  Both sides would play a short passing game that relies on precision and speed.  The speed was there but Storm Ashley was playing havoc with the precision.  It came down to who made the fewest mistakes and after a strong first half playing into the breeze, the Ruairi’s pushed for home in the second.

Captain Neil McManus was his metronomic best from placed ball with a flawless display while their half back and midfield were exceptional.  Ruairi McCollam with an awesome display while Eoghan Campbell’s influence on the game grew greater as the game went into the final quarter.

It was Ed McQuillan who scored their major.  It came in the 45^th minute and gave Cushendall a cushion, and while the Cuchullains hit back through a Seaan Elliott penalty, the Ruairi’s finished strongly.

Dunloy will look at the opening 30 minutes when they dissect this game and rue the missed chances they had.  12 wides while hurling with a gale at their back and 12 minutes into the game before they would open their account from open play.  When they did begin to find their rhythm, they managed to put daylight between the sides with a six point lead at the interval.  Keelan Molloy instrumental, Seaan Elliott at his impish best while Nicky McKeague vindicated his selection with an excellent hour for the Cuchullains.

Against the elements, the Cuchullains are usually a force to be reckoned with, but 18 second half minutes passed before they would add to their half time tally.  The precision wasn’t there and sometimes the wrong decision with the final execution.  A lot of that can be down to the storm, most of it down to Cushendall pressure.

Both sides showed changes from their semi-final wins with Sean McAfee and Ed McQuillan coming in for Cushendall while Nicky McKeague and Anton McGrath made the Dunloy 15.  Having won the toss, the Ruairi’s elected to play against the wind.  It turned out to be a massive toss to win.   The opening 15 minutes was a bedding in period for both sides with the opening four scores coming from placed ball, McManus and Seaan Elliott with two each.  Elliott would go close to the opening goal of the game but the Ruairi’s netminder, Conor McAllister made the first of two superb saves in the first half.

A brace of points from Keelan Molloy and Paul Shiels gave Dunloy a two point lead midway through the first half while Joseph McLaughlin split the uprights for Cushendall’s first from play in the 17^th minute.  It would be first half injury time before the ‘Dall would register another score however as Dunloy clicked into gear.

A super score from distance by Keelan Molloy preceded the opening goal of the game.  Kevin Molloy sending the sliotar towards the Dunloy full forward line where Anton McGrath broke the ball into the path of Eoin O’Neill.  ‘Sammy’ would react quickest and had one thought on his mind, making no mistake from close range.

O’Neill would go close moments later after Aodhan McGarry and McGrath combined to set him free but McAllister was equal to his rasping drive. 

Scores followed from Seaan Elliott (’65), Aodhan McGarry and Keelan Molloy to extend the Dunloy lead to seven.  It could easily have been more but for some wayward shooting.

As the clock ticked into first half injury time, Cushendall were awarded a penalty with referee Ciaran McCloskey spotting an infringement between Phelim Duffin and McLaughlin.  McManus stepped up to take the penalty and struck it well but Ryan Elliott produced a quite brilliant save to deny the Cushendall captain.  McManus would convert the resultant ’65 to leave the half time score 1-8 to 0-5 in the Cuchullains favour.

Given the wind, Cushendall would have been delighted to be trailing by just six points but they made a slow start to the second half and it was nine minutes old before they would open the scoring.  McLaughlin with a point from the most ridiculous angle on a day when everyone was struggling with the elements, it was the genius of McLaughlin who used it to his advantage.

The Ruairi’s were denied a goal chance moments before McLaughlin’s piece of magic.  Fergus McCambridge with the chance but he was denied by Shorty Shiels and a block at full length, putting his body on the line for his side.

Cushendall were starting to click into gear and Ryan McCambridge fired over from wide on the right and under pressure to leave four between the sides.

Any moments of attacking pressure from Dunloy were fleeting as they looked to play their short passing game but they were denied by McAllister again when McGrath went close but the Cushendall ‘keeper dived at full length to stop the sliotar.

Fergus McCambridge and McLaughlin fired over either side of a gargantuan free from Conor McAllister.  Just outside his own ’21, the Cushendall ‘keeper added his name to the list of scorers to leave one between the sides…..It must surely be the longest frees ever scored in a county final.

As the match ticked into the 45^th minute, Cushendall produced a moment of magic for their goal.  Eoghan Campbell with a quick side line into the path of Fergus McCambridge.  Close to the corner, McCambridge spotted the run of Ed McQuillan as he evaded the Cuchullains defenders.  Gathering the sliotar on the gallop, McQuillan fired past Ryan Elliott to give Cushendall the lead and mean the Ruairi’s hit 1-5 without reply.

Dunloy needed a response and found one through Nigel Elliott.  Looking to find his way through the Ruairi’s defence, he was adjudged to have been fouled and Dunloy were awarded a penalty.  Seaan Elliott made no mistake with his drive and the Cuchullains edged into the lead once again with 12 minutes remaining.

Cushendall’s response was match defining and ultimately championship winning.  They would hit five of the next six points in an eight minute period that saw Campbell take the game by the scruff of the neck.  Scores came from Campbell, McManus (two frees), substitute Paddy McGill and Ronan McAteer while the solitary response from the Cuchullains came through an Eoin O’Neill point.

Seaan Elliott and McManus would swap scores before the Cushendall captain put three between the sides in the last minute of the hour with his seventh point of the final. 

The Cuchullains pushed for the goal that would bring the game to extra time but they got no joy from a packed Cushendall defence.  Shiels would fire over a brace of frees deep in injury time but time was not a friend to the Cuchullains.

Cushendall celebrate their first back to back wins since the 2014-15 seasons and have their eyes set on an Ulster semi final with the winners of Slaughtneil and Banagher in four weeks time.

TEAMS

Cushendall: Conor McAllister; Liam Gillan, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ruairi McCollam; Fred McCurry, Ryan McCambridge; Ronan McAteer, Neil McManus, Fergus McCambridge; Ed McQuillan, Sean McAfee, Joseph McLaughlin

Subs: Paddy McGill for S McAfee (40); Alex Delargy for F McCurry (53); Ciaran Neeson for E McQuillan (58); Andrew Delargy for R McCambridge (60+3)

Scorers: N McManus 0-7 (5fs 2’65s); J McLaughlin 0-3; E McQuillan 1-00; F McCambridge 0-1; R McAteer 0-1; E Campbell 0-1; R McCambridge 0-1; P McGill 0-1; C McAllister 0-1 (1f)

Dunloy: Ryan Elliott; Oran Quinn, Ryan McGarry, Phelim Duffin; Eoin McFerran, Paul Shiels, Kevin Molloy; Seaan Elliott, Tom McFerran; Nicky McKeague, Aodhan McGarry, Keelan Molloy; Nigel Elliott, Anton McGrath, Eoin O’Neill

Subs: Chrissy McMahon for A McGrath (44); Gabriel McTaggart for A McGarry (52); Paudie Martin for T McFerran (57)

Scorers: S Elliott 1-4 (1-00 pen, 2fs, 2’65s); E O’Neill 1-1; Keelan Molloy 0-3; P Shiels 0-3 (2fs); A McGarry 0-1

Referee: Ciaran McCloskey (Loughgiel)

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By Brendan McTaggart

Dunloy maestro, Keelan Molloy is one of the best players in the county but when it comes to interviews, he normally shies away.  He prefers to do his talking on the pitch with his hurl or the size 5.  After last year, he was one of a group of Dunloy players who elected to step away from the county panel before returning for the Leinster championship.  Molloy gave us some insight into that decision and subsequent return to club action earlier this summer: “It was a combination of things.  Long seasons with Dunloy, both codes and county commitments.  It took its toll and we probably just needed that break.  We needed to just forget about things for a while and it helped, it definitely helped.

“Greg (O’Kane) would give the lads that’s involved with the county an extra couple of weeks before coming back into the squad.  It’s there and it’s up to you if you take it or not. 

“We were keen to put last year behind us as soon as possible.  We got together as a full group again from start of July and you could just see the hunger there again.  There’s a desire to get back to the team that we know we can be and back to how we can play.”

From a Dunloy perspective, that decision has been vindicated.  Molloy and the others have been looking back to their best, especially in the semi final against Loughgiel: “You look at that semi final against Loughgiel (2023) last year and we just weren’t at ourselves.  We weren’t expecting what they brought and we were caught on the day.  I think we definitely let some complacency creep in against Loughgiel.”

On this years championship and playing an additional game in comparison to previous years, Molloy was keen to look at the positives and how it’s worked in the favour of the Cuchullains: “We’ve been building all through the championship but not looking any further than the next game.  Last year, we maybe took our eye off the ball a bit and looked beyond games but you couldn’t do that this year.  It was a tough group with St John’s, Rossa and Cushendall.

“Things were going well but the Cushendall game definitely was a bit of a set back.  It’s the first time we were in the quarter final but I honestly think it helped in the long run.  It refocussed our minds again and it was maybe a wee bit of a reality check. 

“We were maybe shocked more than anything.  They did a number on us but we’ll take our learnings from that day.

“That Cushendall game was good for us in a strange way and having to dig deep against Ballycastle as well but we showed our hunger and resilience against Loughgiel in the semi final.”

The Cuchullains looked to be close to their best again in the last four as they swept aside the challenge of Loughgiel in the wind and rain.  Molloy’s goal in the closing stages all but sealed the win and substitutes Nicky McKeague and Paudie Martin tagged on further scores.  Molloy told us that they used the hurt from last years match and went out to right what they felt were a wrongs from 12 months previous: “It was in our head, there’s no point in telling you any different but we used that as the fuel, as a positive.  We looked at ways that we could enforce our game.  We were bullied and outplayed last year but we were a lot hungrier this time around.”

Sunday will be the fourth time in seven years the Cuchullains will meet Cushendall in the decider.  These two know each other inside out at this stage and as Molloy finished off by saying, there’s an inevitability about the pair meeting: “When it comes to winning the championship, you know you’ll have to face Cushendall at some stage.  We’ve nearly played them every year late in the day so you know you have them to contend with but look, we’re just preparing as best we can.  We aren’t thinking on that game, that can bring a negative into your mind that just isn’t needed but we’re in a good place now.  We feel like we’ve got our mojo back, the confidence is there and we’re in a good place coming into Sunday.”

Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship

Semi-Final

Dunloy 2-15 Loughgiel 0-11

Sunday 6 October

Brendan McTaggart reports from Pairc Mhuire, Bun Abhann Dalla

Dunloy sealed their place in this year’s senior hurling final with a 10 point win against their old rivals, Loughgiel.  In truth, the score line perhaps flattered the Shamrocks.  The Cuchullains weren’t exactly clinical in front of the target but that will matter little with the final score all that matters in a semi final as they put to rest some of the demons from 12 months previous at the same stage.

Both sides were dealt blows before the game with Dunloy giving starting berths to Caolan and Luke McFerran.  A big call to give starting debuts in a match of this magnitude while the Shamrocks were without the talismanic Paul Boyle.

In a game played in atrocious conditions with the wind and rain an ever present over the hour, it was Dunloy who made light of the elements.  A final look at the stats from the game will show 13 wides, just under half of those from placed ball but 12 different scorers with three of the changes made getting their name to that list makes for pleasant reading for the Cuchullains.

You can make of the stats what you will but when it comes to championship encounters of this magnitude, it comes down to desire and hunger.  It’s impossible to coach and that has to come from within.  It was Dunloy who showed that hunger and willingness to do what needed done right from the first whistle.  They won enough of the big moments when it mattered with the goals coming at the perfect time from a Dunloy perspective.  Nigel Elliott with the first after just five minutes and Keelan Molloy’s goal came with 12 minutes of the hour remaining and put daylight between the sides.

The Shamrocks will be disappointed with their showing.  They never really got going and while they threatened goals at different times, they were heavily reliant on the genius of James McNaughton.  The All Star nominee excelled in the first half but he’ll have been glad to hear the final whistle after a brilliant Dunloy defence kept him under wraps in the second half.  They were restricted to just three points after the break with a little under half of their scores coming from placed ball while Dunloy had 2-12 from open play.

Dunloy hurled into the wind in the first half and played with that trademark style of theirs, short passes and precision.  Patience was the order of the day among the mayhem of a championship battle and the Cuchullains dictated the opening 20 minutes or so of the first half.  The scores were tied at one apiece when the opening major came.  Luke McFerran making the break before finding Eoin O’Neill.  He passed to Cunning and while his shot was superbly saved by Cormac McFadden, Nigel Elliott was on hand to bundle the sliotar over the line from close range.

A trio of frees from McNaughton came in response to scores from Luke McFerran, Cunning and O’Neill.  The Cuchullains were dealt a blow with the loss of Coby Cunning 17 minutes into the game and while the Shamrocks were starting to get to the speed of the game, by the time Seaan Elliott pointed his first free of the match in the 20^th minute, Dunloy were four clear. 

It would be their last score for almost 15 minute however as Loughgiel looked to finally play with some of the swagger they’ve shown in recent times.  Again, it was McNaughton who got them firing with a free and two from open play.  Both coming from distance to leave the minimum between the sides.

The Shamrocks had a glimpse of goal in the last minute of the half when Declan McCloskey found an acre of space in front of him.  He soloed through the heart of the Dunloy defence unopposed and drilled a super shot goal bound.  Ryan Elliott was called into action and he was equal to the effort with a strong save.  McCloskey looked to have plenty more yards to run into and on reflection, he’ll know that he could have gone further before taking his shot.

Tom McFerran and Shan McGrath traded scores in the time that remained to leave the half time score 1-6 to 0-8 in favour of the Cuchullains.

It was certainly a case of advantage Dunloy at half time.  It was a strong wind and while it wasn’t exactly blowing straight into the town goals at Pairc Mhuire, it favoured the Cuchullains after the restart.

Frees from Seaan Elliott either side of Shan McGrath’s third of the match came before Dunloy had another sight of the Loughgiel goal.  Kevin Molloy breaking the lines and finding Eoin O’Neill in space.  His effort was blocked and while Chrissy McMahon gathered the sliotar, his effort was superbly saved by Cormac McFadden.

Rian McMullan left the minimum between the sides but that was their last score for 14 minutes and while Dunloy were wasteful in front of the target with a series of missed frees, points from Aodhan McGarry and O’Neill put them three clear before Keelan Molloy’s goal.  Substitute Gabriel McTaggart providing the assist and Molloy’s finish both unorthodox and brilliant.

Loughgiel responded with McNaughton’s fifth free of the match and the seventh time he would raise a white flag with 10 minutes of the hour remaining but it would be their last score as Dunloy put further daylight between the sides down the stretch.  The Shamrocks went close to goals with Ben McGarry and Declan McCloskey going for goal but the Dunloy substitutes added icing to the result.  Points from Paudie Martin (two), McTaggart and Nicky McKeague in injury time left ten between the sides at the final whistle.

It was a vintage performance from this Dunloy side who rolled back the clock a couple of years and put in the type of performance that sent a message out to the rest of the county.  They haven’t gone away you know.  The final in two week’s time promises to be a cracker.

TEAMS

Dunloy: Ryan Elliott; Phelim Duffin, Ryan McGarry, Oran Quinn; Eoin McFerran, Kevin Molloy, Tom McFerran; Paul Shiels, Seaan Elliott; Nigel Elliott, Keelan Molloy, Aodhan McGarry; Luke McFerran, Conal Cunning, Eoin O’Neill

Subs: Chrissy McMahon for C Cunning (17); Cabriel McTaggart for L McFerran (38); Paudie Martin for C McMahon (49); Nicky McKeague for N Elliott (55); Kevin McKeague for P Duffin (60+3)

Scorers: S Elliott 0-4 (3fs); N Elliott 1-00; Keelan Molloy 1-00; E O’Neill 0-2; N McKeague 0-2; P Martin 0-2; T McFerran 0-1; A McGarry 0-1; L McFerran 0-1; C Cunning 0-1; G McTaggart 0-1

Loughgiel: Cormac McFadden; Tiernan Coyle, Rory McCloskey, Caolan Blair; Ruairi McCormick, Declan McCloskey, Damon McMullan; Ben McGarry, Enda Og McGarry; Dan McCloskey, James McNaughton, Darragh Patterson; Shan McGrath, Christy McGarry, Rian McMullan

Subs: Donal McKinley for D McMullan (40); Jack McCloskey for S McGrath (46); Eoin McGarry for R McMullan (55)

Scorers: J McNaughton 0-7 (5fs); S McGrath 0-3; R McMullan 0-1

Referee: Mark O’Neill (Glen Rovers, Armoy)

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