The Carey Faughs management team of Hugh Dobbin and Shay O’Hagan got their league campaign off to a great start when the travelled to Shaw’s Road on Sunday and beat St Paul’s in Division 2 of the Antrim Hurling League.
In blustery conditions, the home team played with wind assistance in the first half and they raced into a early six point lead , but a Carey side missing a few regulars soon settled down and two Conor McBride goals , with a further 2 points from the same player and additional points from Cahair Brogan, Conal McGlynn and Paddy Gillan saw the north Antrim men go in level at the break on 2.6 to 0.12.
With the elements on their backs the second half belonged to the Faughs, and points from Eoin McKinley, Fiachra McVeigh, and Paddy Butler with a further goal and six points from man of the match McBride to give the Faughs a great start under their new management.
The Faughs next outing is in two weeks’ time when they play Naomh Gall’s at home in Ballyvoy while St Paul’s make the short journey to Bredagh.
A Donagh Quigg and Conor McKeever inspired Rasharkin got their ACHL Division 3 campaign up and running when they proved too good for Cushendall’s second string at a breezy Dreen on Sunday past.
The Blue and Amber Hoops didn’t have it all their own way against a Ruairi Ogs outfit led by experience campaigners, Chrissy McNaughton and Ciaran Neeson but in the end were worthy 8 point winners.
Quigg once again impressed for the men from Dreen and finished with 1-5 to his credit while full-forward McKeever was equally efficient, both from placed balls and from play.
McKeever converted five frees over the hour and added two more from play as the home side were always able to respond to whatever the visitors could throw at them and the Rasharkin management will be well pleased by their side’s overall performance.
Conor McKillop finished with 1-2 to his name for St. Mary’s while the hard working Brian Og O’Neill contributed 0-2 and their other score came from Tiernan O’Boyle.
Conor McKeever and Donagh Quigg who were prominent in Rasharkin’s win over Ruairi Og on Sunday
Ciaran Neeson contributed 1-2 for Ruairi Og while their other goal came from the man on the other corner, Cahir McCambridge. The visitors had a good spread of point scorers with Chrissy McNaughton 0-3, Fintan McKillop, Frankie McCormick and Paddy Sharpe all on target.
Rasharkin: 1 Liam Tunney, 2 Jason McGregor, 3 Aidan McKeever, 4 Daniel Hasson, 5 Connor Higgins, 6 Tiernan O’Boyle, 7 Connaire Donaghy, 8 Conan McMullan, 9 Ruairi O’Boyle, 10 Brian Og O’Neill, 11 Donagh Quigg, 12 Conor McFerran, 13 Conor McKillop, 14 Conor McKeever, 15 John Kelly
All Saints got their ACHL division 4 campaign off to a winning start when they produced a strong second half comeback to defeat Junior B champions, Loch Mor dal gCais at a windy Quinn Park on Sunday.
Playing into a strong wind in the opening half, All Saints faced a tough challenge from the throw-in. Loch Mór Dál gCais used the conditions well, keeping the scoreboard ticking over through Darragh Turley’s accurate free-taking.
Despite the difficult conditions, All Saints showed great determination and work rate across the pitch. Their defence held firm under pressure, limiting Loch Mór Dál gCais to mainly long-range efforts and preventing any goal chances.
Going forward, scores were hard-earned into the breeze. Damian Gillan contributed two valuable points from play, while Pearse Martin added a free. A number of promising attacks were built, but the conditions made shooting difficult, reflected in three wides.
Around the middle third, Archie McGreevy and Luke Mulholland worked tirelessly, competing well for breaking ball and helping to keep All Saints in contention despite the elements.
Half Time: All Saints 0-03 LM 0-06
With the advantage of the wind in the second half, All Saints produced a dominant display to overturn a three-point deficit and run out comfortable winners. Goals from Eoin McGuigan and Daniel Kelly were key moments in the turnaround, while Damian Gillan added four from play and Pearse Martin adding from frees.
In midfield, Archie McGreevy and Luke Mulholland covered huge ground and played a vital role in shifting momentum after the break. The impact from the bench also proved decisive, with substitutes Jack Magill, Robert Crooks, Sean O’Brien, Gary Miskella, and Dan Kelly all making strong contributions as All Saints pulled away.
All Saints: Ronan McAllister, Finn Connon, Dwayne McKee, Kevin Brady, Dan Gray, Cormac Magill, Niall Savage, Luke Mulholland, Vinney Esler, Eoin McGuigan, Pearse Martin, Michael Connolly, Archie McGreevey, Damian Gillan, Fintan Brady Subs P Doherty, J Magill, J Downey, R Crooks, L Wash, G Miskella, D Kelly, S O’Brien, A Casey, D McGettigan, J Mooney
Despite making the long and demanding trek south to Inagh, the Antrim Under-23 camogie team came up agonizingly short in their All-Ireland U23B Championship opener, falling to Clare by a narrow two-point margin following a thrilling, goal-heavy contest.
The opening half produced a highly unusual scoreline, heavily defined by Antrim’s clinical ability to find the back of the net. While Clare relied on early points from Ellen Casey and the sharpshooting of Player of the Match Aisling Cooney (who picked off three first-half frees), Antrim made their strikes count.
In the 9th minute, Eobha McAllister stepped up and buried a crucial free into the Clare net. Though it was Antrim’s only score for most of the half, they struck gold again deep into added time when Cliona Griffin rattled the net for a second time. At the break, the scoreboard told a fascinating story: Clare 0-6, Antrim 2-0.
Clare’s Restart Surge & Antrim’s Resilience Clare came out of the dressing room firing. Within five minutes of the restart, they completely flipped the game’s momentum, finding the net twice through Ellen Casey and Aoibheann McNamara to take control of the tie.
However, the Antrim girls showed massive character and refused to let the game slip away. Passing the midway point of the second half, McAllister and Griffin tapped over much-needed points to steady the ship. Then, in the 48th minute, Griffin struck for her second goal of the game, catapulting Antrim right back into the mix.
A Nail-Biting Finish Cooney responded for Clare with two vital frees, but Antrim launched a fierce late rally. In the final ten minutes, Eobha McAllister slotted two more points, and Aimee Ferris added another, slashing the deficit to an absolute minimum with just three minutes left on the clock.
Unfortunately for the traveling side, they couldn’t find the equalizer. Aisling Cooney had the final say for the hosts, converting her ninth point of the afternoon from a placed ball to seal a hard-fought 2-11 to 3-6 victory for Clare.
Despite the heartbreaking result, Antrim can take massive positives from their resilience and attacking threat as they look ahead to hosting Limerick next Sunday in Round Two.
Team Lineups & Scorers
Clare
Scorers: A Cooney (0-9, all frees), E Casey (1-1), A McNamara (1-0), E O’Driscoll (0-1)
Starting XV: A Anderson, C Queally, C Lilly, C Ryan, G McMahon, A Walsh, A Marren, J Daly, D Griffin, E O’Driscoll, A Cooney, C Cahill, A McNamara, E Casey, M Millea
Antrim
Scorers: C Griffin (2-1), E McAllister (1-4, including 1-2 frees), A Ferris (0-1)
Starting XV: M Gately, S Fyfe, A O’Donnell, D Dobbin, S O’Neill, K Molloy, C Crawford, S Hegarty, O McAlister, C O’Boyle, A Ferris, E McAllister, C Griffin, E McIntosh, J McIntosh
Con Magees Glenravel made the 40-mile journey to West Belfast’s Davitt Park well worth the trip, bringing home the two points after a dominant second-half display against Michael Davitt’s. While the first half was a tightly contested, point-for-point battle, the visitors found another gear after the break with the strong wind at their backs to secure a comprehensive 1-21 to 0-10 victory in Division 3 of the Antrim Hurling League.
The game started with high intensity, with Davitt’s drawing first blood through a point just two minutes in. Con Magees responded swiftly via Conor Laverty , before Davitt’s retook the lead thanks to a well-struck 40-meter point from Caoimhin Rainey and the 6th minute, Davitt’s Stephen Thompson had extended their lead.
Glenravel’s Joseph McKay quickly made his presence felt, knocking over consecutive points in the 9th and 12th minutes to reel the hosts back in before Conleth O’Loan found his rhythm for Con Magees, slotting three points in a rapid four-minute spell (including two frees) to swing the momentum.
However, the final ten minutes of the half belonged to Davitt’s Christopher Gallagher. Operating with pinpoint accuracy, Gallagher launched an aerial assault, scoring four massive long-range points between the 20th and 29th minutes—including one from a ’65. Just before the whistle, Darragh Donaghy managed to scrape a crucial equalizer for Con Magees, leaving the sides deadlocked at the interval.
The visitors came out of the locker room firing on all cylinders. Joseph McKay hit an early free, though Davitt’s managed to stay in the fight with points from Cormac Maguire and Sean Og Smyth to keep the margins tight.
The turning point came around the 10-minute mark. Following a score from Fergus Donaghy Conleth O’Loan found the back of the net for the only goal of the game, breaking Davitt’s resistance.
From that moment, Con Magees dictated the terms. Fergus Donaghy immediately followed up the goal with another point, sparking an unrelenting scoring streak. Rian Lennon and Joseph McKay kept the scoreboard ticking, while Niall McKeown added his name to the scoresheet with a pair of well-taken points. Davitt’s scoring dried up completely in the final quarter as Glenravel’s attack pulled away, eventually sealing a commanding 14-point win.
Michael Davitt’s (Micheál Mac Daibhéid)
Gearoid Mac Oscar (Gearoid Cosgrove)
Peter Carleton
Tomás Ó Tuathaláin (Thomas Toland)
Michael Og O’Caorthanainn (Michael Og Rowntree)
Oskar Deevy Persson
Deagian Ó Maonaigh (Deagian Mooney)
Criostóir Ó Gallchobhair (Christopher Gallagher)
Stephen Mag Uidhrin (Stephen McGivern)
Cormac Mag Uidhir (Cormac Maguire)
Caoimhin Ó Rálne (Caoimhin Rainey)
Colm McKee
Stiofán Mac Tomáis (Stephen Thompson)
Pádraig Ó Fhinin (Padraig Keenan)
Sean Ó Ceallaigh
Seán Mac Gabhann (Sean Og Smyth)
Con Magees Glenravel (Conn Mag Aoidh)
Rónán Ó Donnghaile (Ronan Donnelly)
Stiofán Mac Aiclin (Stephen Atcheson)
James Duffin
Oisín MacEoghan (Oisin McKeown)
Harry Fyfe
Rian Lennon
Caolán Lennon
Fergus Donaghy
Céagán McAuley
Luke Loughlin
Ciarán Ó Laibheartaigh (Ciaran Laverty)
Darach Mac Donnchaidh (Darragh Donaghy)
Conchubhar Ó Laibheartaigh (Conor Laverty)
Connlaodh Oluain (Conleth O’Loan)
Joseph McKay
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