IHC Group 2
St Gall’s 0-11 Tír na nÓG 1-17

Tir na nOg took a step closer to a place in the semi-finals when they proved too good for an understrength St. Gall’s in miserable conditions at Milltown on Sunday.

Their hosts, St. Gall’s were in a similar position and this defeat puts them out of the running for second place in Group 2 and with a number of regulars unavailable, they never really looked like winning this one.

Before the game began both teams and spectators observed a minutes silence in honour of former St Gall’s Senior player Kieran McGrath who passed away last week.

Both sides entered the game on the back of strong performances with St Gall’s getting their first win against Cloughmills last time out and Tír na nÓg being edged by the smallest of margins against championship favourites Glenariffe.

It was visitors Tir na nOg who took early control in this one with the Duffin brothers, Caoimhin and Sean pivotal in their dominance and they led by eight points at the break and the gap remained much the same throughout the second half.

It was St. Gall’s who opened the scoring when Dubhaltach Wilson pointed a free from distance after he was fouled in the opening throw-in before Ciaran Logan and Sean Duffin replied from play to move Tir na nOg ahead for the first time.

Emmet Murray struck an excellent point as he burst past the St Gall’s backline and struck his effort over the bar to edge his side further ahead and Dylan McLarnon found himself in unfamiliar territory and his shot dipped over.

Piarais McCaffrey came to his side’s rescue as the visitors continued to press and he was called into action on two occasions to make goal-line stops and looked assured under the dropping ball.

Sean Duffin led the way for the Randalstown side and top scored with six points for his side and his dead ball prowess kept a healthy margin between the sides as the game progressed.

Dubhaltach Wilson tried all in his power to get the Milltown side going with two points in as many minutes but Tir na nOg struck a decisive blow when Colm Duffin was first to react to the breaking ball to finish from close range.

That score gave Tír na nÓg a commanding lead at the break as the scoreboard read 1-10 to 0-5 and it was going to take a big improvement from St. Gall’s if they were to get back into it in the second half.

The visitors were in no mood to relinquish what they had achieved and Sean Duffin quickly increased their lead on the restart before Ciaran Logan added another from a great strike from mid-way inside the St Gall’s half.

Wilson struck in reply for St Gall’s before Mark Napier got his first of the evening and added another to reduce the deficit to within five after the corner forward’s frees sailed between the posts.

Caoimhin Duffin, who had been outstanding at centre-half escaped his defensive duties to send a long range effort between the posts to once again re-establish control for his side.

Ciaran O’Neill and Daniel Martin got in on the action after the pair struck a point apiece either side of Ronan Crossan’s second score of the game for the home side.

St, Gall’s were battling hard to get their own game going but the visitors defence were giving nothing away with their closing down and blocking frustrating the Milltown side’s efforts with Mark Napier being man-marked and having to settle for just a single point from open play after a brilliant defensive display from Brandon McLarnon.

Niall Fallon had the chance to give some momentum to his side’s cause but he was closed down by a resolute visitors defence and the sliothar was cleared to safety.

Joe McCormick and Sean Duffin rounded off the scoring in what was a keenly contested encounter but one brilliantly managed by the Randalstown side who move into second place in the group after a huge victory on the Falls Road.

A win or even a draw for Tir na nOg against Shane O’Neill’s on the final day of the Group stages would guarantee them a place in the semi-finals and on this form they look quite capable of achieving it.

Should they lose then Cushendun and Glenarm could still gate crash the play-offs so the Whitehill side’s fate is now very much in their own hands.

St Gall’s: P McCaffrey; E Loughran, M Marlow, O McIlhatton; E Walsh, G Adams, C McCaffrey; J Hopkins, D Churchill; A Mackle, J O’Reilly 0-1, D Wilson 0-5 (0-2f); R Crossan 0-2, S McAreavey, M Napier 0-3 (0-2f)

Subs: N Fallon, T McAleenan, A Mullan, A Healy, S Adams, E Farrelly, A McDonagh, K Wilson

Tír na nÓg: K Sheerin; B McLarnon, D McLarnon, M Smith; C Duffin 0-1, C O’Neill 0-1, R O’Neill; S Duffin 0-6 (0-4f), D Martin 0-1; D Fagan, E Murray 0-1, C Logan 0-3; J McCormick 0-2, S McKinley, C Duffin 1-1.

Subs: D McLornan, T Bonnes, B Fitzgerald, C McCamphill, D Martin

TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/RfKXyQEfnU3rKF

Intermediate Hurling Championship Group 1 – Round 3

Saturday 6^th September

Report by Niall Kelly from Páirc Naomh Pól

Naomh Pól 7-25    Naomh Mhuire, Ros Earcáin 0-16

A goal hungry Naomh Pól swept aside the challenges of Rasharkin on Saturday afternoon with an emphatic win to boost their chances of progression. Their objective was crystal clear; secure a win and do so with as substantial a margin as possible. With thirty points to spare, the Shaw’s Road men put a significant dent in their score difference battle with Clooney Gaels to see who follows Creggan into the knockout stages of this year’s intermediate competition. A deluge of goals in the first half from Declan Chapman, Sean Munce and a double from Sean Óg McLaren saw them take a handsome thirteen-point lead at the interval before their firepower upped the ante in the second with further majors from hat-trick hero McLaren, Caolan Ó’Duibfinn and Caolan Crossan. To their credit, the visitors battled valiantly despite the margin and Conor McKeever, Donagh Quigg and Conor McKillop all put in a fine hour’s hurling.

The hosts wasted little time in getting started and raced into an early four-point lead thanks to scores from Declan Chapman, Sean Lawell, Caolan Ó’Duibfinn and Sean Óg McLaren. Rasharkin’s attacked were isolated in the opening exchanges, but they eventually got motoring and did reply positively thanks to fine scores from Donagh Quigg and Conor McKeever. Sean Munce and McKeever traded further points before the home side began to turn the screw midway through the half.

Caolan Crossan angled his effort to perfection before a towering point sailed over from their linchpin Stephen Rooney. The signs now were ominious for the visitors as St Paul’s were constantly peppering their goal and already veered a few opportunities to net wide of the mark. McLaren made no mistake though on the eighteenth minute as he capitalised on a defensive error, cooly despatching to the onion bag from close range.

Despite a response from Donagh Quigg, the hosts had their sights set on further damage of the Rasharkin net. Declan Chapman demonstrated his predatory instincts minutes later as he pounced on Lorcan Phillip’s blocked point attempt to steer home with ten minutes of the half remaining. Yet again, Rasharkin responded with a white flag from Quigg but their reprieve would be short-lived as the hosts goaled yet again. Sean Munce ensured that their whole full forward line had a major to their name as he swept a clever effort to the net, putting the finishing touches on a drilled pass from Chapman.

The visitors were camped in their own half and try as they might, they couldn’t negotiate an escape route as Naomh Pól were relentless in their offensive pursuits. McLaren would then strike yet again as he latched on to Mark Munce’s clever pass to unleash to the net for the second time on the twenty fifth minute. Rasharkin desperately needed some inspiration and found this in the form of their chief marksman, Conor McKeever. The domineering number twelve sent over the next three points before Caolan Crossan finished the first period with a fine effort from range leaving the scores at 4-09 to 0-08 at Fiontann McCotter’s short whistle. 

The second thirty kickstarted in a similar fashion to the first as the hosts hit the first four unanswered scores with Lorcan Phillips, McLaren and a double from Ó’Duibfinn increasing the margin. Yet again, it would be Quigg who would respond for Rasharkin and yet again… St Paul’s would retaliate with a green flag thanks to a rasping effort from that man McLaren. His low, drilled effort nestled nicely in the bottom corner as the young full-forward completed his hat-trick.

The men in blue and yellow could’ve been forgiven for giving up the ghost given the deficit, but they refused to lie down and hit a purple patch just before the final quarter. It was no surprise that the sole source of these scores was their ace, Conor McKeever, who fired over four impressive points including a soaring effort from range.

Perhaps this flurry of points provided the catalyst for the hosts who seized momentum back in their favour and finished off the game in incessant nature again as they looked to inflict as much damage on the scoreboard as possible. Sean Munce and Caolan Ó’Duibfinn had the umpires brandish their white flags before substitutes Conall Finnegan and Garrett Cowan announced their arrival with well-taken points.

As the game entered the final ten minutes, Rasharkin’s substitute keeper, Kevin McLernon, was bombarded with shot after shot as St Paul’s sought further majors. The visitor’s number 16 responded defiantly though as he thwarted them on multiple occasions. However, he was powerless to stop Ó’Duibfinn whose driven attempt just crept in.

Sean Munce and Conall Finnegan added further scores either side of a McKeever free before the hosts grabbed their seventh goal of the afternoon on the fifty sixth minute as Caolan Crossan managed to roll the ball in from close range among a melee of bodies and spills. A trio of points from Ó’Duibfinn in response to consolation scores from Terry McGregor and Brain Óg O’Neill would see out proceedings with the men in red and white sealing a commanding 7-25 0-16 win.

Job done as far as the Naomh Pól management are concerned. Two vital points secured and with such a handsome margin of victory, they have now cut the score difference with Ahoghill from sixty-four to twenty eight. Their meeting with neighbours Sarsfields is now a crucial game. The Paddies have endured a disappointing campaign and have failed to register any points on the board. Surely though, they will be determined to spoil their rivals aspirations and an intriguing battle at the Bear Pit is in prospect on the 20^th of September.

For Rasharkin, the journey from Junior hurling to Intermediate is a challenging one to navigate. Although it was a hefty defeat, the Dreen men can take solace in their resilient attitude and will look to build on this going forward.

Teams:

Naomh Pól:

K Murray; P McKevitt, F Sewell, T Auld; M Munce (0-01,) S Rooney (0-01,) C Killyleagh; S Lawell (0-01,) D Quinn; Caolan Ó’Duibfinn (1-09,) C Crossan (1-02,) L Phillips (0-01;) S Munce (1-03,) S Óg McLaren (3-03,) D Chapman (1-01)

Substitute scorers:

C Finnegan (0-02)

G Cowan (0-01)

Naomh Mhuire, Ros Earcáin:

L Tunney; C Higgins, A McKeever, D Hasson; C McKillop, J Higgins, T O’Boyle; B Óg O’Neill (0-01,) C McFerran; T McMullan, D Quigg (0-04,) C McKeever (0-10;) J McGregor, T McGregor (0-01,) C Donaghy

TO VIEW BERT’S PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/Ti2zdvwNkuD4gL

IHC Group 2

Shane O’Neill’s 2-14 Oisins 3-17

Pics by David Humphreys

Oisin’s Glenariffe cemented their place at the top of the IHC Group 2 and a place in the semi-finals with a good win at Feystown over Shane O’Neill’s on Saturday night to leave the race for second place wide open.

The opening exchanges were fairly even with Niall McGarel and Dylan McLaughlin for the home side and Seanie McIntosh and Alex O’Boyle for the visitors exchanging points to leave it 0-2 apiece after five minutes.

Slowly though Glenariffe began to take control as Odhran Gillan and Calum McIlwaine pointed to move them two ahead before Colla Ward raced through the heart of the Glenarm defence before finishing confidently for the game’s opening goal.

Seanie McIntosh added a point to move his side six ahead by the 10^th minute before McGarel replied with Glenarm’s third point of the evening from a free in the 12^th minute.

It was starting to look ominous for the home side as Orrin O’Connor saw his well hit shot crash back of the Shane O’Neill’s crossbar but the visitors continued to find opening in the home defence.

Alex O’Boyle, Michael O’Boyle, Daniel Kearney and a superb effort from Niall Magee moved them 1-9 to 0-3 ahead before Niall McGarel again briefly eased the pressure from a couple of well struck frees to leave it 1-9 to 0-5 in favour of the visitors as Darren McKeown sounded the half time whistle.

With the wind in their favour the home side were expected to respond on the restart but it was Alex O’Boyle who increased the Oisin’s lead from a pointed free in the opening minute.

A superb point from Ciaran Magill in reply failed to bring about the necessary response from his colleagues and it was Glenariffe who produced another telling blow when Seanie McIntosh fired out of reach of Michael Abram for their second goal of the evening.

McGarel replied from another converted free as David Kearney replaced Michael Haughey in the Oisin’s side and the visitors continued to call the shots with Daniel Kearney splitting the posts before McIntosh set up Michael O’Boyle with a deft pass for their third goal of the evening.

Alex O’Boyle added a point before the hard working Ciaran Magill replied with Glenarm’s 8^th point in the 14^th minute but the Feystown side were being made to workhard for their scores as the visitors defence continued to deny them space.

Colla Ward and Magill exchanged further points before Glenarm hit their best patch of the game with Niall McGarel from a free and Declan McDermott and Darren Hamill with two converted ‘65’s bringing their total to 0-13 with seven minutes remaining.

These scores brought another response from the group leaders as ace marksman, Alex O’Boyle from a free and Oliver Kearney from play moved Oisin’s 11 ahead again by the 27^th minute and it was as good as over.

To their credit Shane O’Neill’s kept battling to the end and a good point from Ciaran Magill was followed by a goal from the same player with Alex O’Boyle punishing a rash challenge with a point at the other end.

The men in Blue were now fighting for pride and Aidan Scullion rose to bat a hanging delivery to the net in reply to another O’Boyle converted free to conclude the scoring and put a much better look on the final score-line.

This win sees Oisin’s top the group with one game still to play when they entertain St. Brigid’s Cloughmills on the 21^st September while Shane O’Neill’s will have to defeat Tir na nOg at Whitehill in their final game and hope that other results go their way if they are to qualify.

TO SEE MORE PHOTOS BY DAVID HUMPHREYS FROM THIS GAME CLOCK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/nWbhdzWsfCzBK3/?invite=6c1b60d9-6abf-4c21-81a7-d1e80bd19e87