AIB Ulster Senior Club Hurling Final

Ruairí Óg Cushendall (Antrim) 0-20 Slaughtneil (Derry) 2-10

RUAIRÍ Óg Cushendall clinched another AIB Ulster hurling club title when they beat former kingpins Slaughtneil in Páirc Esler on Sunday. The only time they looked shaky was from the 10^th to the 20^th minutes of the first half when they conceded 1-4 without reply. But by half-time they had fought back and taken the lead with five excellent points, the pick of them a fantastic effort from team captain Neil McManus from well inside his own half.

After the break Cushendall took control and soon opened a six point lead, and not even a late rally from the Derry champions could reel them in. Slaughtneil have beaten Dunloy and Loughgiel during their great run in Ulster over the past ten years, but on the three occasiosns they have faced the Ruairi Ogs they have come up just short. Every game between them has been close but Cushendall have always had their number. ther were times in today’s game when they appeared to be getting the upper hand but once again the Antrim champions found an answer.

The Ruairis were the much sharper team throughout, Slaughtneil’s eleven week wait since they defeated Kevin Lynch’s in the Derry decider must surely have had an effect on their preperations. Cushendall on the other hand had been battled-hardened by a tough campaign in Antrim and then a semi-final scare from Portaferry a fortnight ago.

Player of the match went to Ed McQuillan who was a late replacement in the team. McQuillan just returened to the team this season after a bad run of injuries but today he was in superb form, picking off four great points, from play, while 18 years old Joseph McLaughlin fired over three top class scores to augment McManus’ accuracy from the dead ball. But there were many heroes for the ‘Dall all around the pitch.

McQuillan was on the mark early in the game and McManus added two frees to Eoin Campbell’s opening point as Cushendall took a 0-4 to 0-1 lead after ten minutes.

However a Brendan Rogers point sparked Slaughtneil into action and points from Mark McGuigan and Cormac O’Doherty frees (two) saw the Derry champions take the lead before O’Doherty intercepted a pass from Eoin Campbell and the sliotar quickly passed through hands for Eamon Cassidy to find the corner of the net.

Cushendall appeared to be in a bit of bother, but their response was quick and decisive and points from McManus (two frees), Ronan McAteer, McQuillan, McLaughlin and Man of the Match McQuillan again sent the ‘Dall in with a narrow lead at the break. (0-10 to 1-6)

They came out full of bite and ten minutes into the second half had stretched their lead to six points with scores from the same quartet of players who got them back into the game in the run in to half time.

Sé McGuigan finally got Slaughtneil going again with a 46^th minute point, but their attacks were less structured than Cushendall’s and the high ball in was well handled by the Burkes, Liam Gillan and Eoin Campbell who seemed to be everywhere as a sweeper in front of them.

The only hiccup came in the 54^th minute when Shea Cassidy stole in for a goal and Shane McGuigan added a point to close the gap to three, and suddenly there was another mini crisis.

However McManus cleverly won himself a free that he converted and that was a crucial insurance point as Peter McCullagh and Scott Walsh exchanged points.

Shane McGuigan again closed the gap to three points, but fittingly Joe McLaughlin sent a really stylish shot over his left shoulder from right under the stand to clinch a famous win.  

Slaughtneil had a late chance to pull back a goal when they were awarded a free 25 metres from goal but Cormac O’Doherty’s well struck shot was well saved by C

The victory moves Cushendall one ahead of Dunloy’s tally of 11 provincial titles as they look forward to an All-Ireland semi-final with Leinster champions Kilkenny’s O’Loughlin Gaels on the weekend of 15/16 December.

Cushendall: 

C McAllister; L Gillan, P Burke, M Burke; S Walsh (0-1), E Campbell (0-1), R McCollam; F McCurry, R McCambridge; R McAteer (0-2), N McManus (0-8, 0-6 frees, 0-1 65), F McCambridge (0-1); E McQuillan (0-4), N McCormack, J McLaughlin (0-3) 
Subs: A Delargy for N McCormack (48) 

Slaughtneil: 

O O’Doherty; P McNeill, S Cassidy; K McKaigue; Shane McGuigan (0-2), R Ó Mianáin, C McKaigue, M McGrath; J Cassidy, E Cassidy (1-0); M McGuigan (0-1), C O’Doherty (0-4 frees), Sé McGuigan (0-1); G Bradley, B Rogers (0-1) 
Subs: Shea Cassidy (1-0) for G Bradley (22), J McGuigan for E Cassidy (41), P McCullagh (0-1) for M McGuigan (48) 

Referee: James Clarke (Cavan) 

Ed McQuillan receives the Man of the Match award

AIB All-Ireland Senior club semi-final

Dicksboro (Kilkenny) 2-13 Loughgiel (Antrim) 1-10

Loughgiel’s bid to get back to an All Ireland final was denied them by a very good Dicksboro team at Ashbourne on Saturday. The scoreline shows the Kilkenny champions winning by six points in the end but in truth it paints a deceptive picture for just two points separated the sides as the clock ticked into overtime. The Ulster champions had two frees which could have brought the game to extra time, but both were off target and Dicsboro took full advantage to add another goal and a point and book their place against reigning champions, Sarsfields of Galway in two weeks’ time.

Loughgiel will look back on this game and feel it was one that got away. Leading by five after a brilliant first half the Shamrocks saw that lead slip away in the first five minutes of the second half, the Boro goal coming from player of the match Asha Hardy. You feared a little for the Ulster champions at this stage but they steadied the ship and matched the Leinster champions for the remainder of the game and actually went back ahead with just minutes remaining.

The Kilkenny girls came back with three points, one from a penalty, to lead by two. They had two chances from very scoreable frees but were off target from both and Dicksboro took advantage as the brilliant McHardy got her second goal with just second of the five added minutes left to play

After a quick-fire start to the game in which Amy Clifford, Aoife Prenderghast (free) and Rachel Dowling had established a 0-3 to 0-1 lead for Dicksboro after just three minutes of play, Caitrín Dobbin cut through the Boro defence to score a brilliant individual goal to put the Shamrocks ahead.

Although Prenderghast levelled on six minutes, points from Róisín McCormick, Dobbin and then McCormick again, this time from a free, opened a gap that stretched to five points by the half-way point of the game.

Playing down the slope in the second half Dicksboro, sprang from the traps in emphatic fashion and in less than 90 seconds Orla Hanrick off-loaded a hand-pass to Asha McHardy who charged forward 20 metres and fired past Eimear Boyle in goals.

The same player quickly added a point and then Aoife Prenderghast pointed in the 35^th minute from a wide angle on the right to level the game. The Leinster champions appeared to have taken control, but to their credit Loughgiel dug deep and matched their opponents through the next twenty minutes. The had a great chance of retaking the lead when a ball bobbled across the Dicksboro goal line but Oralagh Laverty could not make contact with the ball until it was too late and was very unlucky to see the ball go wide off the left had upright.

With just three minutes of normal time left to play the sides were level on 1-10 apiece, but Dicksboro finished the stronger to secure their place in their first All Ireland final.

Impressive half-time sub Lucinda Gahan was taken down on her way to goal and the Boro were awarded a penalty, but Prenderghast got under the sliotar and sent it inches over the bar. A minute later she stretched the lead to two with a long range free, her seventh score of the game, but when five minutes of added time were signalled the Shamrocks had a lifeline. Probably thinking that time was up both late frees were sent ‘in around the house, but both drifted wide and the chance was gone and Dicksboro finished with a flourish to seal the win.

Dicksboro: A McHardy 2-1, A Prenderghast 0-7, 6 frees, 1 pen, R Dowling 0-2, A Clifford 0-2, J Clifford 0-1

Loughgiel: C Dobbin 1-3, R McCormick 0-5, 4 frees, A Boyle 0-1, A Lynn 0-1

Dicksboro: K Maher; J Cass, T Clifford, K Byrne; N Phelan, C Dowling, C Phelan; C O’Shea, A O’Gorman; A McHardy, A Clifford, R Dowling; A Prendergast, O Hanrick, J Clifford capt.

Subs: L Gahan for C O’Shea (HT), R Kelly for O Hanrick (48)

Loughgiel: E Boyle; C Campbell, Ciara Laverty, M Lynn; E McFadden, C Boyle, C McKillop; A Boyle, L McNaughton; Christine Laverty capt, A Connolly, R McCormick; C Dobbin, A Lynn, O Laverty

Subs: K McKillop for O Laverty (48), M McGarry for C Boyle (57), Ú McNaugthon for A Connolly (58)

Cushendall go into Sunday’s Ulster final against Slaughtneill knowing they will need to produce their best display of the season if they are to keep their unbeaten record against the Derry champions.

Nobody can deny they are worthy county champions but there were times when they could have been caught, and on more than one occasion they needed their captain Neill McManus to get them over the line. McManus and his young scoring partner Joseph McLaughlin have been the men who got the vital scores in a good few games this season, especially in their extra time win over Down champions Portaferry in the semi-final win in Armagh two weeks ago.

Even their most ardent Ruairi Og fans must have felt that game had gone from them when Portaferry lead by four points going into injury time. Everyone that was except McManus. When he won a ball out near the stand sideline we all felt he would lob it ‘in around the house’ in the hope that someone could finish it to the net, but the big full forward kept his cool and slotted it over to leave just one score between the teams. Many of us felt that was the last opportunity could well be gone, but McManus knew that a chance would come, and when it did he produced another Roy of the Rovers moment to bring the game to extra time. That period of extra time turned out to be the Joe show as McLaughlin hit 2-3 to pull his team well clear of the shell shocked down champions, who had lady luck turn her back on them one more time.

In the county final against Loughgiel McManus could not buy a score at times, but he kept plugging away and though he managed a mere five points from countless chances, those points were vital at the end of the day.

In Sunday’s final in Newry Cushendall will face a team on a level above any of the teams Cushendall have faced so far this year. Since their defeat to Dunloy in last year’s final Slaughtneil have been waiting on the chance to get back to the top of the Ulster ladder and on Sunday they will leave no stone unturned in their efforts to get their hands on the Four Seasons Cup once again. Add to this the fact that they have never beaten Cushendall in the Ulster title race and I doubt if team manager Mickey McShane will have too much trouble motivating his team for this contest. They are a team of stars and the likes of Brendan Rodgers, Chrissy McKaigue, Peter McCullagh, Cormac O’Doherty, and Shane McGuigan they have players who would grace any team in the country.

However Cushendall will not be travelling to Pairc Esler just to make up the numbers, for this is a contest they will relish. The number of times we have seen them pull games out of the fire when the odds were stacked against them keep increasing by the year.

Slaughtneil are a team filled with great hurlers and great competitors who go into Sunday’s game as favourites. The only slight worry they might have is the eleven week break since they won the Derry final but no doubt Mickey McShane has been keeping them on their toes during that period with a series of challenge games. If Cushendall play as poorly as they did for the first 55 minutes against Portaferry and the last fifteen against Loughgiel then they will struggle to get over the line, but if the Burkes, Eoghan Campbell, Ryan McCambridge, Joseph McLaughlin and Neil McManus produce the form they are capable of then the Four Seasons Cup could be back in the Lurig Inn for a record 12th time on Sunday evening.