by thesaffrongael

Shamrocks secure semi-final spot

Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group 1

Loughgiel 2-15 Ballycastle 0-11

Sunday 8 September

Brendan McTaggart reports from Healy Park, Loughgiel

It wasn’t one for the hurling purists out there but Loughgiel maintained their 100% record in this years hurling championship with 10 to spare against Ballycastle.  In truth, it was a poor contest between these sides and while they weren’t helped with the weather conditions, it was the Shamrocks who played with enough quality to put daylight between the sides.

James McNaughton was imperious throughout, scoring 1-9 with his goal coming after a brilliant piece of individual skill and determination in the second half.  Defensively, it was an impressive performance from Loughgiel who yielded just two points from open play and snuffed out any goal chances that may have come the way of the visitors.  Shan McGrath put in a busy performance, more so in the first half.  He scored the Shamrocks first goal and gave the Town defence plenty of problems, Mc Grath was an excellent outlet for the home side.

Ballycastle set up well to try and starve Loughgiel of time and space in possession.  Conor Boyd was the general at the heart of the defence while Ciaran Butler and Ronan McCarry worked tirelessly.  While they kept the Shamrocks from playing with any fluency, they struggled up front.  Tiarnan Smyth fired over 0-9 with one from open play while the remaining scores came from James McShane and substitute Croistai McAuley.

Playing with wind in the first half, the Town could have had a goal in the opening seconds.  Orann Donnelly’s effort superbly saved by Loughgiel netminder Odhran McFadden.  Smyth fired over his first of four first half frees for the opening score of the contest in the 5th minute but it would be the only time in the contest Ballycastle would hold the lead.  When Loughgiel got to grips with the visitors to Healy Park, they began to click. 

Their opening score came from Rian McMullan, his first of three in the match while a brace of frees from James McNaughton stretched their lead to two.

A Tiarnan Smyth ’65 halved the deficit before McGrath’s major came in the 14th minute.  It came just after the Town had a glimpse of McFadden’s goal and seconds later Ryan McGarry was picking the sliotar out of his net.  What happened in between was quality.  A lightning break of precision and pace culminating with the sliotar in McGrath possession.  He spun clear of his marker before firing high to McGarry’s net with a rifled, unstoppable effort.

They could have added another with their next attack but McMullan’s effort was well saved, the Shamrocks recycled before Dan McCloskey split the uprights to put five between the sides in the 18th minute.

Ballycastle began to find some inroads with the wind at their back, Smyth firing over three points from placed ball to reduce the deficit to two once again before McNaughton split the uprights with a fine score in the 26th minute.  Breaking free from a ruck and showing pace and guile, McNaughton’s first from play was a trademark score from the Shamrocks star man.  He and Smyth would trade frees in the closing stages of the half to leave the home side ahead 1-6 to 0-6 at the half time mark.

It was more of the same warfare in the early exchanges but the Shamrocks could and probably should have scored another major.  Darragh Patterson and Enda Og McGarry both going close before McNaughton opened the second half scoring with a ’65.

Smyth opened Ballycastle’s account before Rian McMullan doubled his tally in the 38th minute. 

James McShane scored Ballycastle’s first from play in the 41st minute but the Town were unlucky not to score a major moments before.  Orann Donnelly and Seamus McAuley going close but for some outstanding Loughgiel defending, the Town were denied.

Going into the final quarter, the Shamrocks came to life.  A free from McNaughton preceded his major in the 44th minute.  Paul Boyle collecting the sliotar in midfield before finding McNaughton in space.  Beating three defenders and surely fouled with a high tackle, referee Colum Cunning played an excellent advantage with McNaughton rifling to the back of the net to all but end this match as a contest.

McMullan’s third of the match stretched the Loughgiel lead to eight in the 46th minute.  Wide on the left and with next to no angle to work with, it was a brilliant score from ‘Bubbles’ and a serious contender for score of the match.

Going into the final quarter, Loughgiel began to play with a bit more fluency, outscoring Ballycastle five points to two and had the luxury of not worrying about a square ball decision not going their way.  Scores for the Shamrocks coming from Paul Boyle, substitute Maol Connolly and three from McNaughton (two frees) while Smyth (free) and substitute Croistai McAuley scoring for the Town.

The result means the Shamrocks have sealed a semi-final position while the Town will face Dunloy in two weeks’ time.

TEAMS

Loughgiel: Odhran McFadden; Tiarnan Coyle, Rory McCloskey, Caolan Blair; Ruairi McCormick, Declan McCloaskey, Damon McMullan; Paul Boyle, James McNaughton; Dan McCloskey, Darragh Patterson, Christy McGarry; Shan McGrath, Enda Og McGarry, Rian McMullan

Subs: Maol Connolly for D Patterson (47); Connor Dickson for T Coyle (56); Nicholas McNaughton for J McNaughton (58); Donal McKinley for E Og McGarry (58)

Scorers: J McNaughton 1-9 (6fs 1’65); S McGrath 1-00; R McMullan 0-3; P Boyle 0-1; D McCloskey 0-1; M Connolly 0-1

Ballycastle: Ryan McGarry; Oran Kearney, Dermot Donnelly, Conal Colgan; Jack McGowan, Conor Boyd, Eoin McAlonan; Ronan McCarry, Ronan Laverty; Seamus McAuley, James McShane, Ciaran Butler; Tiarnan Smyth, Neal McAuley, Orann Donnelly

Subs: Cian Baudant for D Donnelly (41); Cian Waldron for C Butler (49); Croistai McAuley for E McAlonan (52); Mark McClean for R Laverty (59)

Scorers: T Smyth 0-9 (6fs 2’65s); J McShane 0-1; C McAuley 0-1

Referee: Colum Cunning (Dunloy)

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by thesaffrongael

Davitts cause huge upset in Junior Hurling Championship

Casement Social Club Antrim JHC Quarter-final

Davitts 3-13-2-13 Lámh Dhearg

Kevin Herron reports from Davitt Park

The noise that greeted the final whistle at Davitt Park on Saturday afternoon told the story of unbridled joy as Davitt’s caused a huge shock in their 3-13-2-13 win over Lámh Dhearg in the Junior Hurling Quarter-final.

The hosts opted to play with the wind advantage on a sun-soaked afternoon at their Beechmount base and went in at the break with a four-point lead after twice netting through Marcus Toner and Anthony Rowntree.

They held the Lámhs fightback off until deep in the second half when substitute Mark Finnegan rifled home from the spot and Gerard Smyth lashed home seconds later to reduce arrears to a single point but kept their nerve to claim a deserved win and book a spot in the semi-finals in two weeks’ time.

Lámh Dhearg were first off the mark on a perfect afternoon for hurling with Adam Murray converting two frees within the first four minutes, the first after he was chopped down and then a foul on Odhran Waldron led to the second.

It took Davitts until the 10th minute to find their opening score – however it was to the game’s first goal and would edge them ahead.

Donn Whelan dropped a side-line cut into the small square and the Lámhs defence were unable to cut it, resulting in Marcus Toner swooping and sending a low effort to the net.

A foul on Calum Fegan gave Murray the chance to tie things up and he obliged, with Donal Martin then swinging over his sides first from play to restore the Hannahstown men’s advantage.

Points were exchanged between Deaglan Mooney and Adam Murray (free) but quickfire points from Lámhs captain Daniel Murray and Calum Fegan gave their side a three-point cushion.

It would be almost ten minutes before Lámh Dhearg would score again and in that time Davitts edged back in front.

Donn Whelan dropped over his first free of the afternoon and Colm McKee popped over twice on the bounce to level.

A second converted free from Whelan gave his side the lead for the second time, it was short-lived though as Adam Murray sent a free into the path of Gerard Smyth to swing over and open his account for the afternoon.

The hosts hit the front again before the break and crucially found the second goal when Anthony Rowntree claimed position and took off into a scoring position before pulling the trigger.

A further point from Marcus Toner before the break had Davitts 2-06-0-08 to the good and in a positive position at the midway point.

They would extend their lead in the opening minutes of the second half with Whelan dropping a free between the posts and Colm McKee’s shot taking a deflection and looping over the bar.

It took Lámh Dhearg until the 37th minute to respond in the form of a Ciaran Boyd point and half-time substitute Mark Finnegan then landed two superb scores to half the deficit with a quarter of an hour remaining.

Adam Murray doubled his personal tally from the placed ball to have a single point separate the sides with 10 minutes plus injury time remaining.

Davitts were without a score in 16 minutes; though Donn Whelan doubled their lead from a converted free and on the 54th minute they took what seemed to a giant stride towards victory when Marcus Toner dropped in a ball that Rhys Camlin spilled, and Anthony Rowntree appeared to flick home in the confusion to give his side a 3-09-0-13 lead.

The visitors looked to be sinking when Whelan dropped over another free and then was then gifted one from play after a wayward puck-out landed straight to him and he floated over unopposed.

Lámh Dhearg needed goals and quickly and their first clear-cut opportunity in the game came after referee Chris Brown awarded then a 57th minute penalty that Mark Finnegan blasted home.

A quickfire second arrived when Gearoid Cosgrove sent his puck-out straight to Gerard Smyth in front of goal and Smyth rifled home from close-range to reduce arrears to a single score once again (3-11-2-13).

Cool heads were required from the hosts and talisman Whelan sent over his sixth free of the contest with the insurance score arriving through an angled point from Christopher Gallagher.

The Lámhs couldn’t safe face and force extra-time- which may have proved an injustice- and the final whistle was greeted with huge delirium from the Davitts players and support as they deservedly booked a semi-final spot in a fortnights time.

DAVITTS: G Cosgrove, C Rainey, T Toland, O Cosgrove, P Carleton, C Heaney, D Mooney (0-01), M Og Rowntree, C McKee (0-03), M Toner (1-01), S McGivern, D Whelan (0-07, 0-06f), S Thompson, C Rowntree (2-00), C Gallagher (0-01). Subs: C McGowan for S Thompson (52).

LÁMH DHEARG: R Camlin, C Camlin, A McGuigan, F Mervyn, N McGarry, SP Gibson, D Murray (0-01), C Boyd (0-01), A Murray (0-06f), C Fegan (0-01), O Waldron, E Stanley, D Martin (0-01), G Smyth (1-01), M McGarry. Subs: M Finnegan (1-02, 1-00p) for M McGarry (HT), T McKenna for E Stanley (46).

REFEREE: Chris Brown (St Pauls)

by thesaffrongael

Johnnies finish strong to see off arch rivals Rossa

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.

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by thesaffrongael

Semis direct for the ‘Dall

Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship – Group 2

Cushendall 1-24 Dunloy 0-19

Saturday 7 September

Brendan McTaggart reports from Paírc Naomh Mhuire, Cushendall

Cushendall made the first major statement in the Antrim senior hurling championship on Saturday evening as they swept aside the challenge of Dunloy.  It was a ruthlessly efficient display from the Ruairi’s who played with precision, speed and quality to lead this contest from start to finish.

Played in bright sunshine and with the evening showing little signs of cooling, this encounter spiced up in the second half with the officials needing eyes on the back of their head.  Don’t let anyone tell you this was a dead rubber.  It wasn’t.  Both sides wanted to win this one and the Ruairi’s were well worthy or the margin of victory.

Seaan Elliott top the scoring charts for the Cuchullains with eight white flags while Keelan Molloy continued his fine scoring form with five white flags from play.  Joseph McLaughlin once again topped the scoring charts in another impressive outing for the Ruairi’s, firing 1-9 with his goal coming early in the second half while four of the other starting six forwards also got their names on the scoresheet.  With Neil McManus also getting over 20 minutes of the match into his legs, the Ruairi’s attack shone and with 1-17 coming from play, they were in scintillating form.

Defensively, they restricted the Cuchullains to just one serious goal chance throughout the hour, Aodhán McGarry missing the target when faced with the chance in the first half.  Led superbly by the Burke brothers and Scott Walsh, Dunloy never looked like eating into the five point half time lead the Ruairi’s had earned. 

The home side upped their intensity in the second half in answer to the Cuchullains playing with more vigour and hunger after the restart.  Both sides had a man sent off late in the game, Ed McQuillan and Ronan Molloy seeing red for an off the ball incident but it had little bearing on the outcome of this game.

Both sides made two changes from their previous games with McQuillan and Paddy McGill coming in for the Ruairi’s while Daire McMullan and Aodhán McGarry made the starting 15 for the Cuchullains.

It was an even opening quarter with McLaughlin’s free taking to the fore for the home side while Seaan Elliott and Keelan Molloy were on target for the Cuchullains.  With the sides tied at four apiece, it was Fergus McCambridge’s first of two points that got brought the first moment of brilliance in the game.  Soloing through the middle of the pitch and unable to put the sliotar into his hand again, McCambridge split the uprights off his hurl to give the Ruairi’s a five points to four lead.

With the next attack, it was a piece of genius from Keelan Molloy that created a half goal chance for the Cuchullains.  Eoghan Campbell looked to have the Dunloy man tied up but a flick of his hurl and the vision to spot the run of Aodhán McGarry on the run, he laid the sliotar into his path.  McGarry bore towards Conor McAllister’s goal but his unorthodox shot went to the right hand side of the post and wide.

It was a let off for the Ruairi’s and they made the most of their luck.  They outscored Dunloy 0-6 to 0-2 in a six minute period with Ryan McCambridge, McLaughlin (two), McQuillan and Fred McCurry finding their range while points from Kevin and Keelan Molloy were the only response for Dunloy.

Five points was the difference and that remained until the end of the half, every time the Cuchullains looked to eat into the Cushendall advantage, the home side always found that little extra to keep Dunloy at arm’s length.

The Cuchullains needed a fast start to the second half, but it was the home side who were quickest out of the blocks.  A pointed free from Paddy McGill was followed by McLaughlin’s goal in the 38th minute.  The sliotar sent to the left hand side of the Dunloy defence and as the sliotar broke, McLaughlin was there.  He stole in behind and once the sliotar was in his hand, there was an inevitability in the outcome.  Despite the angle being less than favourable, McLaughlin found the back of Ryan Elliott’s net to open a nine point lead.

Mid-way through the half that lead was stretched to 11 with McManus firing over a brace of points just minutes after his introduction.

The Cuchullains did begin to find their range with Chrissy McMahon, Keelan Molloy and a brace from Seaan Elliott (one free) coming in just under four minutes in response to Ryan McCambridge’s third point of the match.

With eight minutes of the hour remaining and plenty of niggle, referee Colm McDonald issued red cards to Ronan Molloy and Ed McQuillan after consultation with his linesman.  It did little to calm affairs though and the officials did well to keep a lid on proceedings.

Dunloy kept pushing and prodding the Cushendall defence, looking for goals to eat into the Cushendall lead and they had the deficit reduced to six thanks to the accuracy of Seaan Elliott from placed ball but a brace of scores from Eoghan Campbell added further gloss to the score line for the Ruairi’s who showed just exactly why they are county champions.  They progress to the semi-finals in four week’s time while Dunloy will look to tomorrow’s match in Loughgiel with eager eyes and find out their quarter-final opponents.

TEAMS

Cushendall: Conor McAllister; Liam Gillan, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ruairi McCollam; Fred McCurry, Alex Delargy; Ronan McAteer, Ryan McCambridge, Fergus McCambridge; Ed McQuillan, Paddy McGill, Joseph McLaughlin

Subs: Neil McManus for P McGill (40); Ciaran Neeson for R McAteer (46); Charlie McAuley for A Delargy (54); Andrew Delargy for F McCurry (57)

Scorers: J McLaughlin 1-9 (5fs 1’65); R McCambridge 0-3; P McGill 0-2 (1f); F McCambridge 0-2; M Burke 0-2; E Campbell 0-2; N McManus 0-2 (1f); E McQuillan 0-1; F McCurry 0-1

Dunloy: Ryan Elliott; Phelim Duffin, Ryan McGarry, Daire McMullan; Eamon Smyth, Kevin Molloy, Ronan Molloy; Paul Shiels, Seaan Elliott; Nigel Elliott, Keelan Molloy, Eoin McFerran; Chrissy McMahon, Eoin O’Neill, Aodhán McGarry

Subs:  Nicky McKeague for S Elliott (blood – 23/HT); N McKeague for E McFerran (blood – 41/44); Oran Quinn for D McMullan (41); N McKeague for E O’Neill (45); Deaglan Smith for C McMahon (50)

Scorers: S Elliott 0-8 (5fs 1’65); Keelan Molloy 0-5; C McMahon 0-2; N Elliott 0-1; A McGarry 0-1 (1f); N McKeague 0-1; Kevin Molloy 0-1

Referee: Colm McDonald (St Galls)

by thesaffrongael

Gort na Mona advance after convincing win over Ardoyne

Casement SC Antrim Junior Hurling Championship quarter-final

Gort na Móna 4-20

Ardoyne 2-6

Desi McClean and Patrick McCafferty were the stars of the show as Gort na Móna advanced into the semi-final of the Antrim Junior Hurling Championship at the expense of Ardoyne.

Last year’s semi-finalists started this one as favourites against a side that won Junior B honours last year and the result was never really in doubt from early in the game.

Ardoyne fought hard to stay in touch and opened brightly but they were hit with two late goals at the end of the opening half and never really recovered from that double blow.

Desi McClean stamped his authority on proceedings during that opening half and made a personal contribution of 1-3, his goal coming when he fielded a long ball from Neil Henry’s before turning and burying it in the net.

Ardoyne got off the mark through Padraig McGreevy and although Thomas McCaffrey replied, the North Belfast men would receive a huge confidence booster in the 7th minute as a long free from Paul Baker evaded everyone and dropped into the net.

Desi McClean replied from a free before the North Belfast side looked to be in for a second goal when Sean Searle broke clear on the left but his shot sailed over for a point when a goal looked on.

Gort na Mona began to get on top at this stage with four on the bounce through Patrick McCaffrey (two), Nathan Gibson and a McClean (free), but Ardoyne replied with Patrick Healy pointing after his team had missed a couple of opportunities.

McGreevy added another two from frees to leave just four between the sides with five minutes remaining to the break and it still looked anybody’s game at this stage.

Gort na Móna finished the half strongly however and  Brendan Cousins pointed before a superb sideline cut from McClean was well won by Manus McMullan who played in Darron Boyd to crack an unstoppable shot in off the underside of the crossbar.

In the final minute of the half, the Gorts added a third goal from a McClean penalty after substitute Tiarnan Morton had been dragged down on his way to goal to leave the half time score 3-10 to 1-5 in favour of the home side.

Gort na Mona started the second half as they had finished the first and two minutes after the resumption, McClean controlled a long delivery and found Patrick McCaffrey who made no mistake as he fired past JP Agnew in the Kickham’s goal.

The men from the Mona bye-pass were flying as they struck the next seven points with McCaffrey contributing three, while McClean (free), Thomas McCaffrey and substitute Ciaran McMullan also registered and Padraig McHugh scoring a beauty.

It took Ardoyne until the 54th minute to add to their tally with a McGreevy free and they followed with a goal of their own as Caolan McCrory broke down Patrick Heaney’s dropping shot and Sean Searle hammered home the rebound.

It was mere consolation as McCaffrey replied with two at the other end to bring his tally to 1-7 and substitute Michael Carlin pointed a late free to ensure there would be no way back and the Gorts now go forward to meet Rasharkin.

Gort na  Mona: C McCrory; J Connolly, P McHugh (0-1), M Rea; N Gibson (0-1), N Henry, G McKenna; B Cousins (0-1), J Hicks; C Scullion, D Boyd (1-0), T McCaffrey (0-2); P McCaffrey (1-7), D McClean (2-6, 1-0 pen, 0-4f, 0-1 65), M McMullan.

Subs: T Morton for N Gibson (24), C McMullan (0-1) for D Moore (43), L Dixon for P McHugh (47), T O Caillaigh for J Hicks (49), M Carlin (0-1f) for D McClean (52)

Ardoyne: JP Agnew; P Clarke, P Baker (1-0f), C Wallace; S Searle (1-1), M McGreevy, K McCallan; D Goodall, P McGuigan; D Moore, P McGreevy (0-4, 3f), A Stewart; M McKillen, P Heaney (0-1), C Barnes.

Subs: C McShane for A Stewart (HT), M Cromie for P McGuigan (32), E MacLochlainn for C Barnes (42), C O’Neill for K McCallan (49), P O’Neill for M McKillen (54).

Referee: Darren McKeown (St Gall’s)

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