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by thesaffrongael

McAlister leads Carryduff to victory

ACHL Division 2

Carryduff 3-16 Ahoghill 2-12

A strong second half performance by Carryduff, led by the excellent Conor McAllister saw them overcome the challenge of Cloney Gaels in the ACHL Division 2 in Carryduff on Sunday. The hosts got off to a bright start with McAllister pointing in the first minute and following with a goal with 2 minutes gone.

Cloney responded with a point from Ronan Graham and a goal from Dan O’Neill but the Down men were moving the ball with precision and looked dangerous every time they attacked.

Conor McAllister brought his side’s total to 1-2 with another point before mid-fielder Donal Og Rooney weighed in with three of his own and one from the elusive McAllister and another from Eoin Rooney had the hosts 1-6 to 1-2 ahead by the 14th minute, the visitors second point coming from Donal Graham.

Two more from Donal Graham and Colla McDonnell for the visitors had the gap down to two by the 20th minute and that was how it remained at the break with James Lavery, James Woods and Lavery again on target for Carryduff and a Colla McDonnell double and one from Dan O’Neill leaving it 1-10 to 1-8 at the short whistle.

Carryduff got the second half off to a blistering start as Donal Og Rooney converted a ‘65’ in the opening minute and then a shot from McAllister deflected off an Ahoghill stick and finished in the net and the Down men were 6 ahead with only three minutes of the new half gone.

Cloney Gaels looked rattled but they came back with points from James O’Connell and a Colla McDonnell free but Carryduff were slowly getting on top. They replied through the excellent Conor McAllister with two on the bounce and another from substitute Tom Hickson put further distance between the sides.

A pointed free from Colla McDonnell and another from play by Eamon Brady hinted at a comeback from the Cloney Gaels but it would prove to be their final score with 14 minutes remaining.

Indeed it was Carryduff who ensured that there would be no way back going down the finishing straight with the excellent McAllister firing home his side’s third goal and Donal Og Rooney putting the icing on a fine personal performance with a point from distance.

Carryduff:

1 Conor McLornan

2 Fearghal Casey

3 Conor Cassidy

4 Ciaran Goodwin

5 David Morrissey

6 Darragh Goodwin

7 Cillian Ennis

8 James Woods

9 Donal Og Rooney

10 Michael Conway

11 Sean O’Callaghan

12 James Lavery

13 Lorcan McCaughey

14 Conor McAlister

15 Eoin Rooney

by thesaffrongael

Much improved second half sees All Saints through

ACHL Division 4

All Saints 0-14 St. Gall’s 2nd’s 1-7

All Saints recorded their third win in three games to join Ardoyne at the top of division 4 following this four point win over a battling St. Gall’s second string in Ballymena on Sunday.

All Saints turned things around with a much-improved second-half display to defeat St Gall’s after a poor first half. Both teams were wasteful early on, with All Saints particularly guilty, missing several chances including frees. St Gall’s made better use of their opportunities and, with a goal, led 1-3 to 0-3 at the break.

Damian Gillan (2) and Paddy Doherty scored for All Saints. The second half was a different story as All Saints found their range, scoring 0-11 to finish with 0-14 overall. Gillan led the way with six points (three frees), supported by Cormac Magill (2), Michael Connolly, and a long-range free from Jack Magill.

St Gall’s managed just four points in the second half and couldn’t keep up with the momentum. Sean O’Brien, a minor on his senior debut, rounded off the scoring with the final point of the game.

by thesaffrongael

Cushendall take the points in Portaferry

Antrim Hurling League – Division 1

Portaferry: 2-11 (17) Ruairí Óg, Cushendall: 3-16 (25)

PICS BY SEAN TROWLEN

Ruairí Óg, Cushendall traveled down to the Ards Peninsula on Sunday and emerged with a hard-fought eight-point victory over Portaferry in Division 1 of the Antrim Hurling League. Despite a commanding first-half performance from the visitors, a blistering start to the second half by Portaferry made for a tense encounter before Cushendall eventually regained control and pulled away.

The opening thirty minutes were heavily dominated by Cushendall, who built a substantial lead thanks to early accuracy and two crucial goals. Neil McManus and Joseph McLaughlin kept the Ruairí Óg scoreboard ticking over efficiently from placed balls, while Portaferry relied primarily on frees from Cahal Coleman to keep their tally moving.

Cushendall’s Scott Walsh solos out of defence during Saturday’s Antrim Senior Hurling semi-final against St John’s at Dunsilly. Pic by John McIlwaine

The decisive moments of the first period came when the Ruairí Óg forwards broke through the Portaferry defense to find the back of the net. Both Thomas McLaughlin and Sean McAfee raised green flags from play, putting Cushendall in a strong position, and by the time the half-time whistle blew, the visitors held a commanding 11-point advantage, leading 2-11 to 0-06.

Portaferry’s Resurgence

Whatever was said in the Portaferry dressing room at the break had an immediate and explosive impact. The home side burst out of the blocks upon the restart, completely shifting the momentum of the game within the opening two minutes.

Cahal Coleman, their standout threat from the first half, struck for two rapid-fire goals from play—the first just 51 seconds into the half, and the second less than a minute later. With their tails up, Portaferry continued to press hard. Points from play by Matthew Conlan and Shane Conlan quickly followed. In the blink of an eye, the 11-point half-time deficit had been slashed to just three points.

Just as the pressure reached its peak, Cushendall found the crucial response they needed to halt Portaferry’s momentum. In the 9th minute of the second half, Joseph McLaughlin found space to fire home Ruairí Óg’s third goal of the afternoon.

That strike proved to be the turning point, effectively bursting the Portaferry bubble and steadying the ship for the visitors. From there on out, Cushendall managed the remainder of the game with composure. While Cahal Coleman and Shane Conlan added a few more points for the home side, the gap proved too large to close again.

Cushendall’s bench also made a strong impact, with substitute Christy McNaughton slotting over two points (one from play and one from a free). Joseph McLaughlin continued his reliable free-taking, and Thomas McLaughlin capped off the afternoon with a late point from play in the 31st minute to seal the win.

Overall, Cushendall will be pleased to leave Portaferry with the points, having shown the resilience required to absorb a fierce second-half rally and finish the job.

Portaferry

1. Darragh Mallon, and 4. Ronan Smyth. 5. Cathal Moreland 6. Callum Smyth, 7. Ciaran Milligan, 8. Matthew Conlan, 9. Shane Conlan, 10. Conor Fay, 11. Deaglan Mallon, 12. Cahal Coleman, 13. Calum O’Neill, 14. Niall Milligan, and 15. Noah Rogers.

Cushendall

1. Conor McAlister, 2. Aodhán Campbell, 3. Martin Burke, 4. Conor McCann, 5. Scott Walsh, 6. Stephen Walsh, 7. Charlie McAuley, 8. Callagh Mooney, 9. Edward McQuillan, 10. Sean McAfee, 11. Joseph McNaughton, 12. Neil McManus, 13. Oisín Woodhouse, 14. Thomas McLaughlin, 15. Joseph McLaughlin.

Subs – Christy McNaughton

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by thesaffrongael

Strong First Half Seals Dunloy Victory

Senior Hurling League Division One

Dunloy 3-16 Ballygalget 1-14

Sunday 19 April

Brendan McTaggart reports from Ballygalget

Dunloy maintained their winning start to their league campaign as they defeated Ballygalget with eight to spare.  The foundations for the win were laid in the first half that saw the Cuchullains bag their three goals, two in the space of 60 seconds before the half time whistle.  Although they did manage to reach double figures with their wide count in the opening 30 minutes.

Ciaran Elliott (two) and Oisin McCallin were the Cuchullains who scored the goals while defensively, the Cuchullains were well organised and gave Ballygalget very little openings.  Daire McMullan and Ryan McGarry excelled while Ryan Elliott’s puckouts were excellent throughout.

The home side fared much better in the second half and like Dunloy, struggled with their accuracy in front of the target.  They managed to restrict Dunloy to just one point in a ten minute spell that saw them score 1-4, Shea Pucci hit the post with a major chance while also recording three wides.

Dunloy finished the game strongly however to extinguish any hopes of a Ballygalget win.

It was a first half the visitors dominated and they should have been further ahead before the short whistle.  Yet, it was Ballygalget who started the game on the front foot.  Michael Dorrian opening the scoring and while Oisin McCallin fired the opening point over for Dunloy in the third minute, points from Marc Fisher and Owen McDermott (two) had the home side three clear after the opening 10 minutes.  They would only register another two points in the remaining 20 minutes however as Dunloy took over.

Two points separated the sides when Ciaran Elliott scored his first goal of the game.  Nigel Elliott with the ball into corner as Ciaran collected, rounding his man with a burst of pace and finished expertly.

Fisher dissected the posts for his first of the contest but four unanswered points from McCallin (two frees), Chrissy McMahon and Tom McFerran stretched Dunloy into a four point lead.

A brilliant point from McDermott in the 23rd minute, wide on the left and over his shoulder was the ‘galget’s last score of the half as Dunloy finished strongly.  Points from McCallin (free) and Nicky McKeague preceded a brace of majors at the end of the half.  The first coming from McCallin as he finished superbly from a Paudie McGillihan pass while Ciaran Elliott finished well having received the sliotar from Ryan McGarry to leave the half time score 3-8 to 0-6 in Dunloy’s favour.

The home side opened the scoring in the second half but a trio of points from Tom McFerran, Nigel Elliott and McCallin stretched Dunloy’s lead further.  Points from Michael Dorrian and Fisher (free) were answered to by points from McFerran brothers Eoin and Tom but the home side began to find momentum. 

Points came from Dorrian and John McManus before Oisin McCamphill split the uprights with an excellent score from wide on the left but the home side were well on top.  Their defence were dealing with the ball coming their way and Dunloy couldn’t get any change.  Points followed from Fisher and substitute Dara Pucci (both frees) before Owen McDermott took his tally to 1-3 for the afternoon with a super goal after collecting a long pass from Fisher.

Dunloy looked to have weathered the home side’s momentum however with a brace of scores from McMahon although they managed to reach the 20 mark with wides overall before McDermott had the final say of the game in the first minute of injury time.

Ballygalget will hope to get back to winning ways when they host Loughgiel next Sunday while Dunloy will hope their momentum continues when Naomh Éanna visit Pearse Park on the same day.

TEAMS

DUNLOY: Ryan Elliott; Oran Quinn, Daire McMullan, Sean Og Blaney; Aodhan McGarry, Eamon Smyth, Ryan McGarry; Aaron Crawford, Paudie McGilligan; Nigel Elliott, Nicky McKeague, Tom McFerran; Ciaran Elliott, Oisin McCallin, Chrissy McMahon

Subs: Eoin McFerran for A Crawford (36), Conor Kinsella for S Og Blaney (42), Oisin McCamphill for O McCallin (45); A Crawford for P McGilligan (59)

Scorers: O McCallin 1-5 (4fs); C Elliott 2-00; C McMahon 0-4 (1f); T McFerran 0-3; N McKeague 0-1; N Elliott 0-1; E McFerran 0-1; O McCamphill 0-1

BALLYGALGET: Eoin Clarke; Michael Toner, Ciaran Watson, Connaire Monan; Marc Fisher, John McManus, Brook Byers; Jordan Doran, Caolan Coulter; Oisin Coulter, Michael Dorrian, Cathal Coulter; Eoin Pucci, Daniel Toner, Owen McDermott

Subs: Shea Pucci for E Pucci (30); Dara Pucci for S Pucci (45); Cian Clarke for Caolan Coulter (51); Artie Og Birt for Cathal Coulter (51)

Scorers: O McDermott 1-4; M Fisher 0-5 (3fs); M Dorrian 0-3; J McManus 0-1; D Pucci 0-1 (1f)

Referee: Ray Matthews (Rossa)

by thesaffrongael

Rossa get the better of Oisins in tight game

Antrim Hurling League Division 1

Rossa 0-19 Oisins 0-16

Last year’s Division 2 winners Glenariffe traveled to Pairc Rossa and delivered a performance full of grit and quality, but it was the home side who ultimately secured the points in this highly competitive Antrim Senior Hurling Division 1 encounter. Surviving a missed penalty and immense pressure, Rossa finished strongly to record a 0-19 to 0-16 victory in a match where both sets of forwards showcased exceptional long-range shooting.

Rossa opened the scoring through Eoghan McMenamin, but Glenariffe quickly demonstrated they were more than up for the challenge. Alex O’Boyle was in scintillating form early on, leveling the game from play before showcasing his dead-ball prowess with a free and a beautifully struck sideline cut. The defining moment of the first half arrived when Rossa was awarded a penalty. Deaglan Murphy stepped up to take it, but Glenariffe goalkeeper Paul McMullan produced a stunning, full-stretch save to deny the hosts a crucial goal. Unfazed, Murphy converted the resulting ’65 and added a pair of long-range frees to keep Rossa ticking over.

Glenariffe’s defense put in some unbelievable blocks, keeping the Rossa attack at bay while their forwards capitalized at the other end. Orrin O’Connor slotted over a brilliant point under severe pressure from the right flank, and Aaron Cosgrove finished off a well-worked team move with back-to-back points. However, Rossa managed to edge ahead before the break thanks to fine scores from Sean McEnhill and Dáire Murphy, taking a narrow 0-9 to 0-8 lead into halftime after a hard fought half.

Rossa burst out of the gates in the second half, registering two quick points in the opening minute through Dáire Murphy and Daire Rocks to establish a cushion. The second half soon turned into a spectacular shootout, featuring some extraordinary long-range striking. Glenariffe’s Alex O’Boyle was phenomenal, launching a massive point from the edge of his own ‘D’ and converting another free from deep inside his own half. The Glenariffe sideline made a tactical switch, bringing on Michael O’Boyle for Colla Ward, and it paid immediate dividends as the substitute hit the ground running.

Michael O’Boyle scored twice from play, including a magnificent over-the-shoulder point from the far left wing, while Calum McIlwaine also added his name to the scoresheet with a great point under severe pressure. Despite Glenariffe’s heroics, Rossa’s experience and accuracy ultimately told. Deaglan Murphy was relentless from placed balls, punishing any Glenariffe indiscipline, and Sean McEnhill stepped up in the crucial closing stages, landing two fantastic long-range scores under heavy pressure from the right wing. Despite some frustrations aired on the sidelines regarding the officiating, it was a thoroughly entertaining game. Rossa’s late surge saw them close out the match with a final scoreline of 0-19 to 0-16, but newly promoted Glenariffe will take massive positives from a performance that proved they belong in the top flight.

Rossa

  1. Donal Armstrong
  2. Niall Crossan
  3. Ciarán Orchin
  4. Conall Shortt
  5. Diarmaid Rogan
  6. Declan McCartney
  7. Jack O’Loughlin
  8. Eoin Trainor
  9. Deaglan Murphy
  10. Liam McEnhill
  11. Pearce Short
  12. Conor Boyle
  13. Dara Rocks
  14. Dáire Murphy
  15. Eoghan McMenamin

Oisín CLG (Glenariffe)

  1. Paul McMullan
  2. Odhran Gillan
  3. Colla Ward
  4. Conor Patterson
  5. Cailin Devlin
  6. Daniel Kearney
  7. Donall Kearney
  8. Calum McIlwaine
  9. James Kearney
  10. Niall Magee
  11. Oliver Kearney
  12. Orrin O’Connor
  13. Alex O’Boyle
  14. David Kearney
  15. Aaron Cosgrove

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