Antrim GAA Bathshack SHC St. John’s v O’Donovan Rossa 7th Sept 2024

Match report from Michael Corcoran and photos from Bert Trowlen at Corrigan Park

St. John’s 1-27 O’Donovan Rossa 2-16

The last of the group 2 games will see quarter final places shaping up and as seen by many, as the business end of the championship as we go into knockout. But today’s game in Corrigan Park had its own knockout appeal. The winner would transition out from the dubbed ‘Group of Death’ into another form of death. From the frying pan to the fire so to speak. But that’s how it should be in championship hurling. As you progress, things should become more challenging.

As a past Bainisteoir of Portaferry and the Down GAA U20B All Ireland squad, Sean Young, said in conversation ahead of last year’s Ulster final, “this is what we train for, for days like this.” And for St. John’s and Rossa, this is one of those days. A win today keeps you in the running and then it’s one game at a time.

This afternoon’s game delivered everything you’d want from a knockout scenario. Three goals and a respectable haul of forty-three points between the sides and no cards, gave spectators sixty odd minutes of intense hurling.

After a short pit stop to change the Officials’ jerseys in order to avoid a clash with Rossa colours, Mark O’Neill centred the tussling mid field formation for the throw-in and relieved the tension as the sliotar rolled in on almost the hour. As the sliotar came back out heading towards St. John’s end at the clubhouse, St. John’s Michial Dudley went to ground within the first ten seconds and Shea Shannon would drift that free wide of the uprights. Rossa would have their opportunity to register a score as Stephen Beatty delivered into Thomas Morgan but the sliotar rebounded off the upright and it would be two minutes on the clock before Rossa’s Seaghan Shannon would point a free.

Rossa supporters wouldn’t have to wait as long for the next score as two minutes later, Thomas Morgan looked up and spotted Pearce Short running towards St. John’s goal. Short managed to get a hand on the delivery and hammered the sliotar past keeper Simon Doherty for the game’s first goal of the evening.

St. John’s would reply quickly from their puckout as Conor Johnston pointed to get the Johnnies on the scoreboard, however Rossa came straight back, as Eoin Trainor intercepted a loose ball into his hand and wasted no time in delivering over the bar.

St. John’s though were eager to press into Rossa’s firing zone but bailed out as a wall of yellow jerseys closed in. It would fall to Dominic McEnhill to rescue a point from that and a wonderful sideline cut from around 40m out would bring the Johnnies right back into the game with scores St. John’s 0-03 Rossa 1-02.

With seven minutes gone on the clock, McEnhill pushed forward whenever referee O’Neill declared a foul that swept McEnhill off his feet. Forty-five metres out, Seaghan Shannon stroked that safely over the bar before the game entered a short phase of point for point as both sides ran up three apiece but Rossa could have made it two goals as Eoin Trainor fired in the sliotar to meet the ash of St. John’s keeper, Simon Doherty with ten minutes elapsed on the clock.

Rossa’s marksman, Seaghan Shannon, would cruise another free over the bar before Rossa built up a tidy sequence as Declan McCartney found Dominc McEnhill and onto a calling Stephen Beatty. Beatty would spill that wide of the mark but it announced intent from the Shaw’s road squad that they weren’t prepared to only take the points.

Thirteen minutes gone and Rossa’s Declan McCartney clipped Oisin Donnelly’s helmet under the watchful eye of O’Neill, with St. John’s Shea Shannon dropping that free over the bar. It brought the Johnnies tight behind the visitors by one point but Rossa were on the goal hunt again when Beatty dropped in a dangerous sliotar to a waiting Thomas Morgan and it would take defender Jack Bohill to diffuse the attack, rushing the sliotar out to safety and onwards to Michial Dudley, who fired it over Donal Armstrong’s crossbar.

St. John’s Conal Bohill inched the Johnnies another point ahead and for the first time in the game, St. John’s took the lead. Spurred on by the momentum, Oisin Donnelly delivered into Stephen Tierney and the supporters up in the stand roared as the net rippled from his goal.

Rossa’s midfielder Eoin Trainor pulled one back for Rossa as he played the advantage on a foul gathered from a puck out and St. John’s midfielder, Michial Dudley, wasn’t going to be denied some spotlight as he pointed from a pass, delivered in from a seriously under pressure Conor Johnston.

Sensing the Johnnies were drifting ahead, Rossa found more energy and ran up four points on the trot, three from Seaghan Shannon and a sweet turnover of a St. John’s puck out by Stephen Beatty, finding Thomas Morgan.

With twenty six minutes gone in the first half, St. John’s Shea Shannon would inch them ahead by a point from a free from the half way line on the stand side. Rossa had a chance to draw again but an earned free from a foul on Gerald Walsh went wide of the post and it would be St. John’s that would point from Ryan McNulty’s huge air mail effort from a turned over puck out that would bring the first half to closure and scores standing St. John’s 1-12 Rossa 1-10.

With only the two points in the game at the short whistle, there wasn’t much to differentiate the sides, both having equal goal opportunities, frees and wides. It would be a question of who had the energy to keep applying the pressure over the remaining thirty minutes on a perfect evening for hurling.

No sooner had O’Neill rolled in the sliotar to commence the second half, when Rossa’s Declan McCartney won that sliotar and went to ground. Gerard Walsh would drift that wide before St. John’s Shea Shannon made the most of a foul on Oisin Donnelly to stretch his team’s lead to three.

With around four minutes gone in the second half, drama would unfold in the Rossa box as Conor Johnston was fouled. O’Neill wasted no time in declaring a penalty and Shea Shannon stepped up to drill the sliotar down the line to a waiting Donal Armstrong. Armstrong read the line well and managed to get his stick onto the sliotar as the full back line ran in to aid getting the sliotar away to safety.

Rossa would have to bide their time before they would have a chance in St. John’s box, in the meantime, Rossa’s Michael Armstrong would pick up a foul from a stick around his neck and Seaghan Shannon made that to close the gap to three and then the Johnnies went on a run of three points from Michial Dudley, Conor Johnston and Shea Shannon, when at eight minutes in the second half, Rossa were initially denied a goal as the sliotar clanged off the post but an alert Thomas Morgan pulled on the outcoming sliotar and Rossa had their second goal and quickly followed that with two almost identical points from a Christopher McGuinness – Dominic McEnhill combination squaring both sides level, St. John’s 1-16 Rossa 2-13.

On 43 minutes St. John’s got back on to as they posted a run of four points, the first came from a free by Shea Shannon as Conal Bohill was fouled on the way into Rossa’s danger zone. Then, three consecutive points from Conor Johnston, Donal Carson and Michial Dudley before Rossa’s Michael Armstrong replied with a fine catch and delivery over the bar from the puck out.

St. John’s Conor Johnston was alert and picked up a breaking ball and sent ove a point with just over nineteen minutes gone to stretch the home team’s lead, but Rossa hit back with a Gerard Wals from his own half, to cut the deficit to just three with just ten minutes of normal time left to play. St. John’s however would dominate the final ten minutes and one for injury ad produced really strong finsh to seal the win. Shea Shannon delivered three of those and a tight Shannon – Carson – Johnston combo set up the fourth before Conal Bohill would have the honour of closing St. John’s account as Mark O’Neill blew for full time, with the scoreboard showing St. John’s 1-27 Rossa 2-16.

St. John’s starting panel and scorers

Simon Doherty, Jack Bohill, Ciaran Johnston, Sean Wilson, Ryan McNulty 0-01, Peter McCallin, Conal Morgan, Andrew McGowan, Michial Dudley 0-04 (1f), Oisin Donnelly 0-01, Conor Johnston 0-05, Conal Bohill 0-02, Shea Shannon 0-11 (9f), Michael Bradley 0-01f, Aaron Bradley 0-01, Stephen Tierney 1-00, Donal Carson 0-01

O’Donovan Rossa’s starting panel and scorers

Donal Armstrong, Christopher McGuinness, Ciarán Orchin, Conor Boyle, Stephen Shannon, Gerard Walsh 0-01, Declan McCartney, Cónall Shannon, Eoin Trainor 0-02, Stephen Beatty, Michael Armstrong 0-01, Pearce Short 1-0, Dominic McEnhill 0-03, Seaghan Shannon 0-08 (7f), Thomas Morgan 1-01

Follow Michael G Corcoran @keep_clickin on X (formerly Twitter) for match Gifs when available.

Follow The Saffron Gael @TheSaffronGael on X for links to match reports.

FOR MORE BERT TROWLEN PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

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Reserve Football Shield semi-final

Con Magees Glenravel 3-16 St Patrick’s Lisburn 0-6

Glenravel booked their place in the Reserve Shield final when they beat Naomh Padraig Lisburn in Wednesday evening’s semi-final at Fr Maginn Park.

The first half was well contested, but the home team got on top from the early stages with points from Darragh Donaghy and Sean McKay. St Patricks were holding the upper hand at midfield and created a good few chances but poor shooting let them down and by half time Glenravel led by 0-8 to 0-5.

Glenravel really upped the pace after the change of ends and strong running through the middle from Eamon Ward, Darragh Donaghy and Aidan O’Donnell caused the visitors no end of problems. Ward proved to be the star of the show with two goals and a point with Aidan O’Donnell and Fergus Donaghy keeping the scoreboard ticking over, as they won their way through to next Wednesday’s final against Glenavy.

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Antrim Camogie TeamKit Senior Championship 31st August 2024

Loughgiel 2-18 Ballycastle 2-13

Match report and photo album from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel

On a fine summer’s afternoon with temperatures topping 19 or maybe 20 degrees Celsius out of the wind, Ballycastle travelled with their game head focussed on a win that would lift them both spiritually and up the group table at the half way stage.

A first half that delivered four sizzling goals between sides and a second half performance from the cup holders that showed signs of composure and confidence, despite the onslaught from Ballycastle in the dying stages of the game, in their attempt to carve out a goal and open up options for ending the game.

Loughgiel won the toss and a strategic decision from Captain Christine McCloskey had the Shamrocks’ playing into the summer breeze, pushing up from the clubhouse end towards the road. Mark O’Neill tossed in the sliotar down to the low side of Fr. Healy Park on the hour and it would be Loughgiel’s Anna McKillop’s pass to Marie Laverty in the opening minutes that would mark the first point in the game.

Two minutes later, Loughgiel would be back to collect another point, this time from Anna McKillop as Amy Boyle figured in the assist, starting from the half way line. Just a minute had elapsed and O’Neill declared a swipe during a two-player throw-in. Ballycastle’s Elen McIntosh would get her point from the free, putting Ballycastle on the scoreboard and establishing an early sign of what would follow.

An industrious Amy Boyle with her trade mark win from a ruck, picked up a spilt ball from another throw-in and delivered to Annie Lynn running towards the 13m square. Lynn paused to offload to Roisin McCormick and that split second pause narrowed McCormick’s chances of finding the net and Ballycastle ensured the threat was swept away.

McCormick would seek some satisfaction from her subsequent point to tally up Loughgiel’s third compared to Ballycastle’s one, and a point from Annie Lynn from a well-earned piece of possession from Anna Connelly as she held onto the sliotar despite going to ground, had Loughgiel easing ahead by three.

Ballycastle though were able to reply and four solid points on the trot from Fionnuala Kelly, Fay McIntosh and the two from Elen McIntosh had the Town ease ahead for the first time in almost twelve minutes of play, but there wasn’t a moment to rest on your laurels as a minute later, Anna McKillop slammed the sliotar into the back of Becky Ellis’ net from a seriously well placed pass from Emma McFadden playing in a mid-field position.

Loughgiel’s 1-04 would now become 1-05 as Anna Connolly delivered into a running McCormick but Ballycastle had an answer already in the making. Running deep behind Loughgiels half back line, Fionnuala Kelly cleverly avoided the full back movement bearing down on her by offloading a diagonal ball off an elevated stick in a twisting movement to a waiting Elen McIntosh that wouldn’t miss on her goal opportunity. The Town were right back in the game and although Loughgiel would point from Anna McKillop, Ballycastle made good use of the extra puck out carry from the wind and an air mailed delivery straight to Maeve Kelly had the Shamrocks’ net rippling from another sliotar.

Ballycastle looked promising at this stage, a Fay McIntosh pass to a running Enya McShane opting to hand pass onto Janey McIntosh for a point had supporters cheering with delight. The Town would make that 2-07 to 1-06 from a free by Elen McIntosh but Loughgiel were building a reply as Annie Lynn dropped in a dangerous sliotar, Ballycastle diffusing the threat with around twenty-eight minutes gone on the clock.

Loughgiel kept their composure, despite the prospect of going in at half time a goal and a point down, a well placed pass from an Emma McFadden free to Marie Laverty closed that to just the goal and on the half hour, Annie Lynn delivered into Becky Ellis’ net to go all square. With two minutes of added time, Elen McIntosh rolled over a free from the high side of the pitch and as O’Neill blew for the break, Ballycastle would be buoyed up with their measure at this point in the game.

With less than a minute gone in the second half, Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty would be disappointed with missing an early goal opportunity but Anna McKillop pointed from that attempt to salvage a score to bring the sides all square. And they wouldn’t remain square for long, as Amy Boyle intercepted a pass on the dugout side and took her point to see Loughgiel nose in front for the first time in the game.

It was Ballycastle’s turn to endure the effects of the breeze and on occasions this would prove to be unexpectedly beneficial, as a high sliotar drifted wide towards the terrace clubhouse steps, it was errantly kept in, won back by the Town and delivered for a point by Elen McIntosh.

The second half had more than its fair share of physical rucks and with three minutes elapsed on the clock, Amy Boyle hoovered up yet another sliotar out of a densely packed ruck for her second point of the afternoon. And Loughgiel would move the score on another two points, as Shanna Deery went on a long solo run from a Ciara Laverty assist and Katie Lynn delivered, using the breeze well, out to Roisin McCormick from the dugout side.

Nine minutes had rolled by and Ballycastle were denied a goal but five minutes later, Nuala Devlin would close the gap to two points just as Loughgiel started to roll out key substitutes. Back from a hand injury, Caitrin Dobbin would, pardon the pun, prove a handful. Attracting two back to back fouls within minutes of each other, one from a charge that O’Neill felt warranted a yellow card for Fay McIntosh and a trip on Dobbin as she was moving out of the box to create space to swing for her point. McCormick placed both of those frees accurately over the bar before Elen McIntosh played a beautifully weighted sliotar to bounce off the ground and up onto the stick of Maeve Kelly. Kelly would make the most of that and a fine point closed the gap to three and the Town were still every bit locked into the game with ten minutes left plus injury time.

Loughgiel’s Dobbin would be in the thick of it again, whenever a Megan McGarry steal from a two player ball worked its way up via Anna McKillop, Dobbin cruised that over and again at twenty-four minutes out, McCormick would stitch another point onto that from a free stemming from a foul on Annie Lynn.

With Loughgiel 2-17 Ballycastle 2-11, the Town would march again in Loughgiel’s danger zone but not before Janey McIntosh pointed from the dugout side from a Fay McIntosh pass.

As the tension and pressure mounted on Ballycastle to score a goal and pull the Shamrocks back, Elen McIntosh stepped up to take a free, dropping that into Fionnuala Kelly who found Shannagh Hegarty firing from short range but the Shamrocks’ keeper, Eimear Boyle got her stick on the sliotar and out it went shortly for another free. In that came, dropping dangerously and clanged off the post and pushed out for a forty-five. This time, McIntosh delivered the sliotar high over the bar for the point.

With five points the difference in favour of Loughgiel, Boyle’s puck out found Dobbin who pointed for an economical score. Despite Ballycastle’s Catherine McShane dropping in one last free for a holding offence, that was turned out and found the long whistle from referee O’Neill.

With the championship now at its half way stage, Loughgiel face Dunloy next and Ballycastle face Cushendall, both matches on home turf for today’s teams.

Loughgiel Starting Panel and Scorers

Eimear Boyle, Clare McKillop, Katie Lynn, Finvola McVeigh, Maria Lynn, Ciara Laverty, Shauna Devlin, Amy Boyle 0-02, Emma McFadden, Shanna Deery 0-01, Annie Lynn 1-01, Anna Connolly, Marie Laverty 0-02, Roisin McCormick 0-06 (3f), Anna McKillop 1-03, Caitrin Dobbin 0-03

Ballycastle Starting Panel and Scorers

Becky Ellis, Maria Donnelly, Kathryn Donnelly, Aoife Toner, Catherine McShane, Maebh O’Neill, Niamh Ann Donnelly, Shannagh Hegarty, Fay McIntosh 0-01, Janey McIntosh 0-02, Enya McShane, Fionnuala Kelly 0-01, Elen McIntosh 1-07 (3f 1×45), Nuala Devlin 0-01, Maeve Kelly 1-01

Photos from Saturday’s game can be found in the photo album by clicking on the link here:

https://myalbum.com/album/Aa5FMxJNTQvzu3/?invite=d039c82c-5629-4b21-9d07-c484e839bd5a

Follow Michael G Corcoran @keep_clickin on X (formerly Twitter) for match Gifs when available.

Follow The Saffron Gael @TheSaffronGael on X for links to match reports.

Antrim Minor Hurling Championship

Loughgiel 2-07 Glenariffe-Glenravel 3-17

Glenariffe-Glenravel booked their place in the semi-final of the Minor Hurling Championship when they travelled to Loughgiel on Sunday and came away winners by 3-18 to 2-07.

Despite playing against the stiff diagonal breeze in the opening half Glenariffe-Glenravel dominated the opening quarter and a goal from Oisin Gillan and four points from Orrin Connor helped the visitors to a 1-04 to 0-02 lead, the Shamrocks points coming from Roan McGarry.

The scoring dried up at this stage and Loughgiel got the next two points from McGarry but a second goal from Oisin Gillan and two more O’Connor points gave the visitors a 2-07 to 0-06 lead at the break.

With the breeze behind them in the second half Glenariffe-Glenravel stretched their lead during the third quarter and after an early exchange of points from Oisin Gillan and Roan McGarry the visitors hit 1-6 without reply, the points coming from Orrin O’Connor (3), Peadar McDonnell, Canice McIntosh and Phelim Ward, while O’Connor got the goal.

Loughgiel hit back midway through the half and a two goals and a point and a point inside three minutes from Roan McGarry halted the slide, but Glenariffe-Glenravel finished strongly and hit five points in a row at the end to end up convincing winners and book their place in the semi-final at Rossa on Sunday week.

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Antrim Senior Football Championship – Group 3

Glenravel  2-07   Portglenone 1-10

A draw was probably a fair enough result in this final Senior Football Championship game in the round robin series of Group 3. Both teams will have felt they had done enough to secure the points but with the lead exchanging hands a few time in the closing quarter a draw seemed fair enough when referee Patrick Tumelty called time. In reality this was a dead rubber as both teams knew their championship destiny before throw in so pride was all that was at stake over the sixty minutes. A late goal from Cahal Hynds seemed to have sealed the deal for Glenravel but a last ditch effort from Conor McGhee levelled the game so the points were shared.

Eoin Hynds and Ciaran McKenna shared points in the opening five minutes and then Ryan McQuillan nudged Glenravel ahead. With eight minutes played Portglenone were starting to find holes in their opponents defence and eventually Sean Byrne found the net from close range for the game’s opening goal. Paddy Kelly stretched the lead from a placed ball and followed that up with another free after Ryan McQuillan had put over from a tight angle at the other end, thus leaving a goal between the teams. McQuillan and Hynds would close the gap to the minimum but on the stroke of half time Oisin Kelly popped over a point from play to leave two between them at the break, Portglenone leading 1-04 to 0-05.

The Ports would tag on a couple of points early in the second half from the boots of Conal Delargy and Oisin Doherty to stretch their lead to four points and the skies were darkening overhead for the men in green and white. Niall Hynds put over a long range free to reduce the gap but Con Magees management decided it was time to re-shuffle the deck. Enter Cormac McKeown into the fray and within ten seconds he had the ball in the net and followed up with a good point six minutes later to nudge Glenravel ahead with twelve minutes remaining. In reply, Portglenone introduced Michael Hagan who would prove to be a real thorn in the Glenravel side as he levelled and then put the Bannsiders ahead shortly after his introduction. Niall McKeever would stretch that lead to two and with only four minutes left it looked like the pre match favourites would justify that tag. But confusion in Portglenone’s defence following a high ball in from Cathal Hynds allowed the ball to bounce into the net to put Glenravel back in front by the minimum margin. As the game ticked past the sixty minute mark Portglenone’s experience shone through when, after patient build up, Conor McGhee popped over the game’s final point to level and referee Tumelty called time. 

Portglenone now advance to the championship quarter final where they’ll play St John’s whilst Glenravel are into the survival playoffs and will face Tir na nÓg. 

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