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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

Antrim Masters to play All Ireland Champions Tyrone in league decider

All roads lead to Cargin on Saturday as Antrim Masters face off against the mighty men from Tyrone, winners of four consecutive Dr Mick Loftus Cups for the All Ireland Master champions.

This is the sixth and final league game, with both counties on 8 points from five games to date. Antrim’s only defeat was to Armagh whilst in a surprise result in the first league game, Cavan overcame Tyrone. That means there is no room for error for either county who have aspirations of qualifying for the elite Dr Loftus Cup for the four best placed teams after the six league matches have been concluded.

Last year saw Antrim make solid progress under the new management of Frank Delargy when Antrim took Kerry to extra time before the Kingdom pulled out a bit more to earn their passage to the Dr Loftus. Antrim then were paired against Derry in the competition for the teams placed fifth to eighth, and once again lost out in an extra time thriller, Derry then going on to deliver back to back intermediate titles by beating Cork by a wide margin in the final.

Paddy Kelly, Chairman of Antrim Masters and owner of Kelly Stone presents team travelling tops to Secretary, Carl O’Neill in TeamKit, Ballymena. Included is Antrim Masters manager Frank Delargy and Timmy Connolly, Assistant manager

“Many looking in from the outside saw that as progress, but internally our ambition is to break into the top four and stay there” said Delargy.

“Tyrone are the standard bearers, there is no dispute about that. This will be a huge test for us to see how we measure up against the most successful Masters team ever. Whether that’s enough to qualify for the top four, or the very competitive group just beneath that, we plan to keep progressing and chase for silverware this season. But Timmy Connolly and I have plenty of belief in our own men and if we do not have our noses in front at the finish on Saturday we will be disappointed.

Those two extra time defeats last year hurt, but it showed us we were close. But close is not the target we have set for this season” said Delargy.

At the time of writing the Antrim panel for the game has not yet been decided, but it is hoped that a strong squad will be available for this important game, which incidentally is first match to be live streamed outside of those on Masters Finals Day, so Antrim supporters unable to attend can tune in for free on Antrim Gaa Facebook.

Thanks to Michael Collins from Portglenone Podiatry & Foot Mechanics who sponsor the match ball.

Antrim Masters manager, Frank Delargy presents a complimentary team jersey to Aaron Laverty, manger of he Fiddlers Rest, Portglenone and Co Sponsor of AntrimGaelic Masters 2025

by thesaffrongael

All Saints rally comes too late as Creggan claim the Division 1 title

ACFL Division 1 Final

Kickham’s Creggan 1-16 All Saints 3-8

Kickham’s Creggan withstood a late rally from All Saints, Ballymena at Dunsilly on Wednesday night to claim the division 1 league title in a game that never really came to life until the closing ten minutes.

For most of the contest Creggan looked comfortable against a heavy legged Ballymena side who looked off the pace following their semi-final win over Cargin five days earlier.

Creggan had the luxury of a bye to the final following the withdrawel of St. Brigid’s and they flew into an early 0-5 to 0-0 lead by the 13th minute and were coasting.

Sean Duffin, after 30 seconds, Conor Small, Matthew Rodgers, Jimmy McCann and Duffin again were the Creggan marksmen as they put the opposition on the back foot right from the throw in.

The pace of the Kickham’s was causing problems for an All Saints defence who were chasing shadows up to this point but the Ballymena side got themselves right back into contention in their first real attack when a Connell Lemon shot dipped over the head of Oisin Kerr and ended in the net.

Normal service appeared to have been restored as Sean Duffin and Matthew Rodgers replied with points at the other end to make it 0-7 to 1-0 with 23 minutes gone but again All Saints rallied and a good passage of play saw Ciaran Campbell beat Kerr from close range.

Despite being outplayed for the most of the half it was back to a single score with six minutes remaining to the break but the Kickham’s finished the half on the front foot and Conor Small and Jimmy McCann pointed before Conor Small got through for his side’s opening goal.

The Slemish Park side finished the half strongly with points from Conor Stewart, Paddy McAleer (f) and Harry Connon to leave three between the sides as Colin Thompson sounded his half time whistle and Creggan were good value for that lead.

The Ballymena side would have been fairly happy at this stage, given the amount of possession their opponents had enjoyed but it was Creggan who again opened on the front foot with Ruairi McCann, Matthew Rodgers and Jimmy McCann pointing them six ahead after 7 minutes and again they looked in total control.

All Saints continued to fight and points from Paddy McAleer (f) and Conor Stewart had it back to four by the 17th minute but Baker Bradley’s side were coughing up possession on too many occasions.

Bradley and his management team rang the changes as he introduced fresh legs from the bench but it was Creggan who moved further ahead with Shea McCann pointing and then fisting over another to move his side 1-14 to 2-5 ahead with five minutes remaining.

Suddenly though the tide began to turn as Paidin Mitchell, Michael McCarry (f) and Ronan McKillop pointed and McKillop might well have had a goal from his effort.

Conor Small’s pointed free had moved the Kickham’s four in front but the goal that All Saints had threatened finally arrived with Paidin Mitchell finishing from close range to leave one in it as the game edged into time added on.

It would be as close as they got however with Creggan rallying with a late point from Conor Johnston to win by two and on the balance of play it was a win that they deserved.

They dominated for long periods but were guilty of some wayward shooting over the hour with Sam Maguire, Jimmy McCann, Kealan McCann, Sean Duffin, Ruairi McCann and Matthew Rodgers their best performers on the evening.

Baker Bradley will be happy with the commitment of his side and with their strong finish with Matty Downey, Harry Connon, Conor Stewart, Peter McReynolds and substitutes Paidin Mitchell, Ronan McKillop and Cal O’Brien their best on view on the evening.

The sides meet again in ten days-time in the SFC in Ballymena and that one is sure to attract a bumper crowd to the Woodside Road as All Saints attempt to reverse tonight’s result but they will again start as underdogs.

Creggan: 1 Oisin Kerr, 2 Ricky Johnston, 3 Sam Maguire, 4 Fintan Close, 5 Liam McLernon, 6 Ethan Carey-Small, 7 Jimmy McCann, 8 Kealan McCann, 9 Patrick McAuley, 10 Sean Duffin, 11 Conor Small, 12 Ruairi McCann, 13 Shea McCann, 14 Matthew Rodgers, 15 Conor Johnston.

Subs: Liam Quinn for Ricky Johnston, 17 Joe McAteer, 19 Anton Martin,

All Saints: 1 Ryan Stewart, 2 Matty Downey, 3 James McDonnell, 4 Oliver O’Rawe, 7 Harry Connon, 6 Sean O’Callaghan, 5 Joe Rafferty, 8 Conor Stewart, 9 Emmet Killough, 10 Connell Lemon, 11 Patrick McAleer, 12 Benny McDonnell, 13 Peter McReynolds, 14 Sean McVeigh, 15 Ciaran Campbell.

Subs Used: 22 Paidin Mitchell, 24 Ronan McKillop, 17 Cal O’Brien, 21 Michael McCarry, 27 Sean McDermott

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