St. Enda’s delivered a commanding performance to secure a convincing victory over Davitt’s in their Antrim Football League Division 2 clash on Friday evening. Played in blustery conditions at Hightown, the home side fully utilized a strong first-half breeze to build an unassailable lead that a spirited Davitt’s side simply could not overturn
The opening fifteen minutes saw Davitt’s work hard to hold their own against a stiff breeze, but St. Enda’s methodical attack soon began to wear them down. The home side opened their account early with a pointed free from Conor Eastwood. This was quickly followed by a well-worked team score finished by midfielder Padhraig O’Hare.
The Hightown men extended their advantage on the eight-minute mark when Michael McKenna landed a brilliant two-pointer from play. Sustained pressure yielded further points from Odhrán Eastwood in a scramble and a sharp strike from half-back Sean McBride.
The turning point of the half arrived at the fifteen-minute mark when a flowing St. Enda’s move was emphatically finished to the net by full-forward Darragh Rooney. Odhrán Eastwood followed up with a difficult point under heavy pressure to widen the gap.
Davitt’s finally found the target at the 25-minute mark. With standard avenues closed, goalkeeper Aaron Slane stepped up to launch a massive, long-range two-point free through the wind. However, St. Enda’s instantly cancelled it out when midfielder Sean Murray split the posts with a long-range two-pointer of his own.
The final ten minutes of the half belonged entirely to St. Enda’s as they ruthlessly put the game to bed. Conor Eastwood struck for two goals in the space of two minutes—the first from open play, and the second capping off another excellent team move. A fisted point from Sean McBride just before the whistle left the halftime score at a daunting 3-09 to 0-03.
Armed with the wind advantage after the turnaround, Davitt’s faced a massive uphill battle. St. Enda’s struck first again, with Darragh Rooney pointing two and a half minutes into the half.
Davitt’s began to apply heavy pressure, but they were repeatedly thwarted by St. Enda’s goalkeeper Owen Kennedy, who produced a brilliant blind save in the 37th minute to deny a certain goal.
At the other end, Davitt’s keeper Aaron Slane continued to be his team’s primary offensive weapon from dead balls, reducing the deficit with two quick frees. He added another spectacular two-point free in the 47th minute, but St. Enda’s managed the game beautifully. Former county star Odhrán Eastwood kept the scoreboard ticking over for the home side, landing a point from play and two composed frees to keep Davitt’s at arm’s length.
A slick team point finished by Padhraig O’Hare highlighted St. Enda’s continuing efficiency in possession. While Davitt’s kept fighting—culminating in another key save from Owen Kennedyunder heavy pressure and a final two-point free from Aaron Slane on the stroke of full-time—the damage had well and truly been done in the first half.
While the second half was a much more evenly contested affair, St. Enda’s clinical 10-minute blitz before halftime proved decisive. Their ability to maximize the wind advantage, combined with a resolute defensive display anchored by Owen Kennedy in the second half, ensured a comfortable and well-deserved two points in Division 2.
St. Enda’s Starting XV: The St. Enda’s starting lineup, from numbers one through fifteen, featured Owen Kennedy in goal, followed by Cillian Browne, Diarmuid McNulty, Eoghan O’Hare, Conan Lyttle, James McAuley, Sean McBride, Sean Murray, Padhraig O’Hare, Zac Kyle, Michael McKenna, Mickey Morgan, Conor Eastwood, Darragh Rooney, and Odhrán Eastwood.
Davitt’s Starting XV: The Davitt’s starting lineup, from numbers one through fifteen, consisted of Aaron Slane in goal, followed by Sean Lindberg, Caoimhin Rainey, Jack Scally, James Lindsay, Anthony Hargan, Deaglan Mooney, Anthony Rowntree, Michael Connolly, Paul Mc Laughlin, Sean Og O’Neill, Brady Maguire, Conor John Sullivan, Oskar Deevy Persson, and Caomhan Slane.
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Roger Casements Portglenone 2-7 St. Mary’s Aghagallon 2-6
Photos and report by Brian Hamill
Roger Casements Portglenone booked their place in the SW Antrim U16 Breslin Cup semi-finals with a hard-fought one-point victory over a gallant St. Mary’s Aghagallon side on Thursday evening, running out 2-7 to 2-6 winners in a contest that swung one way and then the other before the hosts finally held their nerve.
From the very first whistle it was Aghagallon who looked the more settled side, with Michéal Mulholland opening the scoring from a free inside the first minute. Ronan Hughes added a point from play shortly after, and by the time Portglenone had found their footing, the visitors had built a comfortable two-point cushion. Portglenone’s Patrick O’Boyle brought the sides level with a goal from play, but Aghagallon responded with real character. Mulholland landed two points from play in quick succession, and then right corner-forward Finn Mulholland rattled the net to put the visitors in the ascendancy. Centre half-back Finn Kerr underlined Aghagallon’s adventure with a point from play moments later, leaving St. Mary’s 1-5 to 1-0 ahead heading into the closing stages of the first half.
Portglenone, however, refused to capitulate on their own patch. Charlie Convery who would prove to be the home side’s talisman throughout the evening began to find his range, firing over two points from play before the break to leave the scoreboard reading 1-5 to 1-2 in Aghagallon’s favour at half time. It was a flattering lead for the visitors, with Portglenone showing signs of momentum as the whistle blew. The second half was an absorbing affair. Convery continued where he had left off, knocking over two further points from play early in the second period to drag Portglenone back to within a single score. When Ronan McAleer added a point from play to level the game at 1-5 apiece, the contest was perfectly poised. Aghagallon’s Liam Davey edged the visitors back in front with a point from play, but Convery replied immediately with a converted free to restore parity once again. The decisive period of the game arrived in the final quarter. Portglenone’s Conan McKeever, playing at right half-forward, produced the moment of quality the home side needed, driving forward and burying a goal from play to put Portglenone ahead for the first time. Goalkeeper Joe Duffin demonstrated his confidence from placed balls by splitting the posts from a free to push the lead out to four, and it appeared the game was Portglenone’s to lose. But Aghagallon showed tremendous courage to mount one final charge. Full-forward Liam Davey crashed home a goal from play to reduce the gap to one, and for a brief, breathless moment it seemed as though the visitors might snatch a dramatic equaliser. Portglenone’s defence, however, stood firm and repelled everything Aghagallon threw at them in the closing minutes, holding on to claim a narrow but deserved victory.
For Portglenone, Charlie Convery’s five-point haul, four from play and one free, was the backbone of their win, while the second-half goal from McKeever proved the decisive intervention. Joe Duffin’s free from the goalkeeper position showed a cool head under pressure that belied his years. For Aghagallon, there was no shortage of heart or talent on display. Michéal Mulholland, Finn Mulholland and Liam Davey all caught the eye, while Finn Kerr’s point from centre half-back showed the attacking instincts that ran through this young side. On another day, with the fine margins going their way, St. Mary’s would have progressed, and there is plenty for their management to build on as the season continues. Scorers — Roger Casements Portglenone: Charlie Convery 0-5 (0-4 from play, 0-1f); Conan McKeever 1-0; Patrick O’Boyle 1-0; Ronan McAleer 0-1; Joe Duffin 0-1f. Scorers — St. Mary’s Aghagallon: Liam Davey 1-1 (1-0, 0-1 from play); Finn Mulholland 1-0; Michéal Mulholland 0-3 (0-2 from play, 0-1f); Ronan Hughes 0-1; Finn Kerr 0-1.
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Casements Portglenone welcomed St Patrick’s Lisburn on Wednesday 1st April for a quarter-final clash in the O’Cahan Cup.
Lisburn arrived after defeating 2025 O’Cahan champions Cargin, but it was the home side who started brightest, with early scores from Caolan Tierney and Michael Hagan. The visitors responded well through Jude Rafferty, who converted an excellent two-point free and added another, while Oisín Gorman also kept the scoreboard ticking.
Casements finished the first half strongly, with Seán Byrne, Paddy Kelly and Conor Magee helping them to a 0-6 to 0-4 lead at the break.
The hosts carried that momentum into the second half, with further scores from Paddy Kelly and Michael Hagan. Lisburn struck back on 40 minutes with a superb individual goal from Che Smyth, but Casements responded with Senior debutant Eoghan McErlain firing 1-1 in quick succession, while Stephen Kelly added three composed frees.
Lisburn battled to the end with points from Rudi Smyth and Oisín Gorman, but Casements ran out 1-14 to 1-07 winners to book their place in the semi-final.
Top performers for Lisburn included Ben McMullan, Che Smyth, Jude Rafferty and Oisín Gorman, while Casements key men included Conor McGhee, Johnny Convery and debutant Eoghan McErlain.
Antrim suffered late heartbreak at a cold and blustery Dunsilly as a spirited performance ultimately yielded to a late Monaghan surge in round 3 of the Ulster Under 20 Football Championship. The young Saffrons appeared to be in with a genuine chance of getting their first points of the campaign when they drew level with just seven minutes left to play. However, a cruel turn of momentum saw Monaghan finish strongly, adding a goal and four points without reply to flatter the final scoreline and secure their first win of the campaign.
The home side gave the Antrim support plenty to cheer about early on. Backed by a swirling breeze, Antrim raced into a well-deserved two-point lead courtesy of the impressive full forward Dare Higgins. The Antrim defence stood resolutely as well, highlighted in the 13th minute when goalkeeper Jack Ireland pulled off a brilliant block to deny Monaghan’s Killian Kerans a certain goal. Though Monaghan managed to convert the resulting free and eventually drew level through Matthew Finn, Antrim kept pushing. Higgins quickly replied at the other end to keep the pressure on. Despite a subsequent flurry of scores from Kerans, Finn, and Tom Doherty that temporarily edged the visitors ahead, Antrim’s Padraig Murray pulled one back. Following another exchange of points between Higgins and Finn, a fiercely competitive Antrim trailed by just a single point at the break.
As the second half commenced, the Farney men managed to extend their lead to three, threatening to pull away. However, Antrim showed tremendous character to fight their way back into the contest. A massive two-pointer from a Higgins free breathed new life into the Saffron challenge, and a thrilling upset looked entirely on the cards when Antrim bravely surged into the lead with only ten minutes remaining.
The climax of the game, however, proved bitterly frustrating for the home side. After Matthew Finn managed to draw the sides level, Antrim were still very much in the hunt for a result heading into the final seven minutes. Unfortunately, the introduction of Monaghan substitutes Matthew Carolan and Max McGinnity swung the tie. In a desperately unlucky moment for the otherwise superb Antrim keeper, a lost ball coming out of defence allowed McGinnity to pounce for a goal. That unfortunate concession took the wind out of Antrim’s sails and gave Paul O’Connor’s side breathing space. Empowered by the break, Monaghan ruthlessly capitalized, tagging on late points through Doherty, Luke McKenna, and McGinnity to leave Antrim with no reward for a highly commendable effort.
For the record, Monaghan’s scorers included M McGinnity with 1-1, T Doherty and M Finn with 0-4 each, K Kerans with 0-3, C Clerkin with 0-2, and S O’Connor and L McKenna adding 0-1 each. Antrim’s outstanding attacking effort was led by D Higgins with 0-7, supported by C Walsh with 0-2 and P Murray with 0-1.
Antrim: J Ireland, J Og McAuley, S McAdhaimh, S Ferris, E Walsh, C O’Connell, F Jemfrey, N Hynds, I Robinson, A Mackle, J O’Neill, R McKeever, P Murray, D Higgins, C Walsh
Subs – E Sherry
Monaghan: S O’Connor, S Carolan, T Doherty, S O’Connell, K Kerans, M Finn, and J McCrystal, with substitutes S McMahon, M McGinnity, C Murphy
Referee: N McGeown – Armagh
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Gort na Móna CLGAntrim LGFA John West Féile A — Champions 2026
Semi-Final: Gort na Móna 4-07 Creggan 2-01
Pics by Ciarán Ó Brolcháin
The young Gort na Móna girls made history by becoming the club’s first ever LGFA Féile A champions! What started out as a mild morning quickly turned into horrendous, windy conditions by the time the girls lined out for their semi-final against Creggan. The wind was blowing across the field, giving Gort na Móna an early advantage.
Play got underway and, after a scrappy opening few minutes, the Gort girls struck first with a well-taken goal from Siana Ward. Winning an early delivery into the forward line, Siana turned her marker and slotted home. The half-forward line of Abbie Lennon, Holly-Mae Magill and captain Kaila Walsh made it extremely difficult for the Creggan goalkeeper to play out from the back, and when Ella Hughes intercepted a pass she released Cadhla Stilges down the left side. Cadhla took on her marker with a strong solo run before slotting the ball over the bar. Siana then brought her tally to 1-1 shortly after as the girls really hit their stride.
Creggan, to their credit, worked tirelessly in their back line and, after a few adjustments, eventually broke out of their half and moved the ball upfield — but a great turnover from Jessie McGeown set Gort up for another attack. Jessie moved the ball on to Alexia Largey, who drove forward and found her midfield partner Niamh Keenan. Niamh hit an early strike from range that dipped under the crossbar past an unlucky goalkeeper.
This was to be Jessie and Cadhla’s last contribution, as the 8-minute rotation rule meant two new players had to be introduced. Whilst we fully understand the reasons behind such rules, it is really hard to make an impact in just eight minutes — but both players did exactly that before giving way to two more fresh faces. Their replacements, Carly Muckian and Hollie McKeaveney, got involved right away, with Hollie going into goals and Carly setting herself up in the forward line alongside Evie Magee-McKenna, who had started the game in goals. Both were involved in the next two phases of play, supporting the strong runs of Seana Fryers breaking from the number six position.
As the half drew to a close, Sophie O’Hanlon added her name to the scoresheet with a well-taken point — the first of what would prove to be an impressive personal tally of 1-4 across the game. That was the final score of the half, with the scoreboard reading Gort na Móna 2-3, Creggan 0-0, though the girls were well aware that the wind would be in their opponents’ favour for the second half.
Second Half
Straight from the throw-in, Alexia Largy knocked the ball down and Niamh Keenan scooped it up, charged forward and set up Sophie O’Hanlon to take a routine point. Creggan, buoyed by the wind, moved the ball up the pitch with some strong running and support play and deservedly scored their first goal with a well-taken strike from inside the 21.
Corner-backs Casey McKeown and Grace Kearney were instrumental in working the ball out of our back line, and when Kearney carried the ball out from goalkeeper Hollie McKeaveney accurate kick-out it created another goal-scoring opportunity, with the support of Ella Hughes and Carly Guckian. Holly-Mae Magill was accurate from a free, slotting the ball between the posts. Creggan didn’t let this faze them though and worked themselves back up the pitch to score a well-worked point. The Loughshore girls began to put pressure on the Gorts kick-outs and hit a number of shots that went just wide before McKeaveney produced a wonderful save to keep the ball out of the net. Eventually the Creggan pressure paid off and they got themselves another goal after McKeaveney made a great stop, only for the rebound to be tapped in by the Creggan corner forward.
This was to be Creggan’s last score of the game, mainly due to the organisation and relentless defending from our full-back line, led by the excellent Meabh Maguire, with Seana Fryers controlling things in front of her. The Gorts introduced Aoife Mackel and Ciara McConnell for the final 12 minutes in place of Siana Ward and Evie Magee-McKenna Gort maintained possession and control throughout, and with the last score of the game being another well-worked goal from the ever-dangerous Sophie O’Hanlon— who clinically beat the Creggan goalkeeper — the final whistle confirmed a place in the final.
Final: Gort na Móna v Erin’s Own Cargin
The final was a replay of last year’s decider, with the girls coming up against familiar foes in Erin’s Own Cargin. The game was moved to Naomh Éanna’s main pitch, which was in impeccable condition. After winning the toss, match captain Seana Fryers chose to play with the wind at our backs. Unlike the semi-final, where the wind had blown across the field, this pitch had the wind blowing end to end — making it an even greater advantage for the team playing with it.
Play got underway with the new midfield duo of Kaila Walsh and Niamh Keenan getting involved right away, making direct runs at Cargin’s defence. After a neat build-up, Holly-Mae opened the scoring with a well-taken point. The full-forward line of Cara Malone, Siana Ward and Holly-Mae Magill closed the space for the Cargin kick-outs, and with the Gorts midfield and half-forwards pushing up they dominated possession and won kick-out after kick-out with relentless pressure assisted by a strong wind. After a few wasteful chances the girls really got into their stride — Sophie O’Hanlon got on the scoresheet with a well-taken point, Kaila knocked over a free from distance, and Holly-Mae then found the net with a beautiful finish.
Cargin were finding the wind a real hindrance but eventually won possession and moved the ball up into our half for the first time in the game. This made for a great counter-attacking opportunity when Seana Fryers turned the ball over and found Ella Hughes with acres of space to run into. She did just that and, when she found herself in range, popped over a great score O’Hanlon added the last point of the half — just as she had done in the semi-final. That was to be the final score of the first half, with the scoreboard reading Gort na Móna 1-5, Cargin 0-1, though the girls were well aware that the wind would now be in Cargin’s favour and the reigning champions would not be giving up their crown without a fight.
Second Half
The Gorts rejigged their lines for the second half and played with one up front, introducing Carly Muckian and Evie Magee-McKenna to give us a more defensive setup. With Muckian’s pace and fitness the Gorts management knew they could rely on her to get us out of trouble when needed. Straight from the throw-in we set about moving the ball up the pitch, but unlike the first half our early delivery was held up in the wind and Cargin countered. Some great defending from the Gorts defence got us out of trouble time and time again, though our attacks fell short on every occasion.
This was to be Siana Ward and Grace Kearney’s last contribution, as the team management introduced Holly Donaghy and Laura Lyons for their well-deserved debuts, giving a rest to two players who had put in a tireless shift. The next few minutes were spent around the middle of the pitch, with both sides turning each other over multiple times, until eventually Cargin broke through our rearguard and found themselves in on goal — only for McKeavenyey to pull off an incredible save, bravely winning the rebound and playing the ball back out of the defence.
A stoppage for injury gave the Gorts just enough time to send instructions onto the pitch: play a possession game and forget about trying to score in the final five minutes — something they had been working on over the past few months. The girls carried out those instructions to the letter. The team moved the ball quickly and found space, while on the far side of the pitch the defence replicated their team-mates by doing exactly the same. The game ended with the Gorts girls in possession, moving, weaving and supporting each other in a superb passage of football — and when the referee blew for full time, they had achieved what seemed impossible. They kept a very good Cargin side scoreless in the second half, and after four A finals in a row and numerous others across their short 11-year history, the girs from Turf Lodge had won their first ever Féile A title!
A lot of credit has to go to both the U16 and U14 coaches, as this group of girls is a mix of both squads. The girls will now go on to represent Antrim in the All-Ireland Féile Peile na nÓg in Derry on 27th June. A massive well done to everyone who took part, supported and assisted us on this journey.
