by thesaffrongael

Johnnies secure a hard-fought Derby win over rivals Rossa

Antrim Hurling League Division 1

St John’s 1-17 Rossa 0-15

Venue: Corrigan Park

The Antrim Division 1 League served up a classic West Belfast derby on Sunday as St. John’s hosted their arch-rivals, O’Donovan Rossa. Marking the first game back at Corrigan Park since recent pitch repairs, the fresh turf played host to a fiercely contested, hard-hitting encounter where absolutely no quarter was asked or given.

St. John’s capitalized on a stiff breeze in the opening period to build a six point lead, and despite a valiant second-half fightback from Rossa, which saw them close the gap to the minimum at one stage, a dramatic injury-time goal from Conor Johnston ultimately sealed the win for the home side.

St. John’s came out of the blocks flying. Seconds after the throw-in, Caoimhin Hanna split the posts to open the scoring, quickly followed by a point from their ever reliable free taker Oisín MacManus

Rossa settled into the game shortly after, with midfielder Liam McEnhill registering their first score. Moments later, after a driving break involving McEnhill and Corey Walsh scooped the ball over the bar to keep the visitors right in the mix.

However, St. John’s soon took control of the half. MacManus kept the scoreboard ticking over, while McEnhill continued a strong individual performance with his second point of the day. Diarmaid Rogan landed a superb long-range effort for Rossa on the 12-minute mark, but St. John’s responded emphatically. After MacManus converted a 50-meter free, the home side executed the move of the half: Goalkeeper Domhnall Nugent claimed a great catch and initiated a full-length of the field passing move that ended with Hanna grabbing his second point to make it 0-8 to 0-3.

Rossa fought back through the stick of Deaglan Murphy , who landed a free on 17 minutes, and a massive 60-metre point from the left flank by Aidan Orchin before Murphy added another 40-meter free shortly after.

Despite Rossa’s efforts, St. John’s finished the half incredibly strong. Ruairi Galbraith hit two beautiful scores, including a fine effort from the right corner, before Michael Bradley extended the lead from the left side. Deaglan Murphy and Oisín MacManus traded late frees, sending St. John’s into the dressing room with a comfortable six-point cushion.

Half-Time Score: St. John’s 0-13 – 0-07 Rossa

With the breeze now at their backs, Rossa emerged for the second half with renewed intensity. Gerard Walsh struck early with a long-range free, but St. John’s immediately answered through a great dead ball strike of their own from McManus and a towering point from midfielder Aaron Bradley .

Refusing to back down, Diarmaid Rogan provided a massive spark for Rossa. He slotted a point from the right wing, cleanly won the resulting puck-out, and fired over again in quick succession to narrow the deficit.

As the half wore on, the tension in Corrigan Park was palpable. A long free from deep inside St. John’s territory by McManus set up another score for the home side, but Rossa’s Deaglan Murphy began to punish St. John’s indiscretions as he nailed three crucial frees—two consecutively, and another on the 22-minute mark—to drag Rossa right back into the contest, reducing the gap to just two points.

Needing a response, Oisín McManus stepped up for St. John’s, cutting sharply to his left into space and floating over a vital point to make it 0-17 to 0-15.

Rossa threw everything forward in the dying minutes and managed to claw the gap back to a single, precarious point. But as the clock ticked into the second minute of injury time, St. John’s delivered the final, fatal blow when Conor Johnston carved through the Rossa defense and, while falling forward, managed to brilliantly bat the ball into the back of the net.

The injury-time goal proved to be the ultimate decider, quelling the Rossa comeback and ensuring the bragging rights—and the league points—remained at Corrigan Park.

St. John’s – 1 Domhnall Nugent, 2 Michael Darragh, 3 Cónall Morgan, 4 Lorcan McCallin, 5 James Wilson, 6 Enda McGurk, 7 Ronan Donnelly, 8 Caoimhin Hanna, 9 Aaron Bradley, 10 Shea Shannon, 11 Conor Johnston, 12 Michael Bradley, 13 Dónall Carson, 14 Oisin MacManus, and 15 Ruairi Galbraith.

Rossa – 1 Donal Armstrong, 2 Niall Crossan, 3 Ciarán Orchin, 4 Conor Boyle, 5 Declan McCartney, 6 Gerard Walsh, 7 Jack O’Loughlin, 8 Aidan Orchin, 9 Luca McCusker, 10 Liam McEnhill, 11 Eoin Trainor, 12 Diarmaid Rogan, 13 Corey Walsh, 14 Dáire Murphy, and 15 Deaglan Murphy.

Referee – Tarlach Conway

TO SEE MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/VhyjH6SN747r8c/?invite=c396bb4d-8e75-4f8a-a37c-b1e0e065bf9d

by thesaffrongael

Antrim U-20 Hurlers Cruise Past Kerry in Dominant Display

Leinster Under-20 Hurling Championship – Tier 2

Venue: Co Laois

Final Score: Antrim 3-22 | Kerry 0-14

The Antrim under-20 hurlers continued their formidable run in the Tier 2 Leinster Under-20 Hurling Championship, securing their third consecutive victory with a commanding 3-22 to 0-14 win over Kerry in Co Laois.

Antrim stamped their authority on the game right from the throw-in. A blistering start saw them breach the Kerry defense twice in the opening stages, with early goals from Callum McIlwaine and Cadhán Crawford. That immediate attacking surge left Kerry reeling, and by the 10-minute mark, the young Saffrons had already built a comfortable 2-2 to 0-1 lead.

Antrim’s Callum McIlwaine in action against Down in Sunday’s Ulster Under 20 Hurling Championship at Mallusk. Pic by John McIlwaine

The Ulster side maintained their relentless pace and control of the sliotar as the half progressed, stretching their advantage to 2-5 to 0-3 by the 20th minute. Kerry managed to find some rhythm before the break, tapping over a few much-needed scores to keep themselves within touching distance but the teams headed to the dressing rooms with Antrim leading by 2-6 to 0-7.

Emerging for the second half, Kerry showed signs of a revival, battling hard to narrow the deficit. However, Antrim’s composure shone through. They absorbed the pressure and responded emphatically, knocking over a string of points to widen the gap to 2-14 to 0-12 midway through the half.

The match was effectively put to bed in the final 10 minutes when Thomas McLaughlin found the back of the net for Antrim’s third goal of the afternoon. This final blow capped off a genuinely free-scoring and remarkably balanced team performance from start to finish.

Looking ahead, Antrim’s momentum sets up a highly anticipated clash next week against Carlow, who secured their own victory over Down today. Given the current standings and form, it is highly likely that next week’s opponents will meet again in the championship final.

Antrim scorers

Cadhan Crawford 1-6 (0-3f)
Thomas McLaughlin 1-1
Callum McIlwaine 1-0
Callagh Mooney 0-3
Charlie McAuley 0-2
Oisin McCallin 0-2
Orin O’Connor 0-2
Conor Donnelly 0-1
James McDonnell 0-1
Niall Magee 0-1
Roan McGarry 0-1
Ronan Fitzgerald 0-1
Sean Og McLaren 0-1 (0-1f

ANTRIM

1Sean Og McLarenNaomh Pol
2Cathair DonnellyMac Uilin
3Liam Glackin (Capt.)Na Seamróga
4Conor McCannRuairi Og
5Ronan DonnellyNaomh Eoin
6Calum Mc IlwaineÓisín Gleann Airimh
7Callagh MooneyRuairi Og
8Charlie Mc AuleyRuairi Og
9Ronan FitzgeraldNa Seamróga
10Liam Mc EnhillÓ D Rosa
11Orrin O’ConnorÓisín Gleann Airimh
12Niall Magee (sub for No. 12)Óisín Gleann Airimh
13Cadhan CrawfordMac Uilin
14Thomas Mc LaughlinRuairi Og
15Oisin McCallinCú Chulainn, Dún Lathai

Subs – James McDonnell (St Paul’s), Fintan McKinney (Naomh Eoin), Conor Donnelly (Mac Uilin), Reece Cunning (Cú Chulainn, Dún Lathai), Ben O’Kane (Cú Chulainn, Dún Lathai), Roan McGarry (Na Seamróga)

by thesaffrongael

Antrim decisive winners over London

Ulster LGFA Junior Championship

Antrim 4-21 London 1-06 

Antrim senior ladies progressed to the ulster junior football final with this comprehensive 24 point victory over London… 

The girls showed intent from the first whistle and with one minute on the clock Maria O Neill had the ball in the London net … 

Antrim were full of energy and some of the football they were playing was absolutely fantastic… 

Midway through the first half the impressive Lara Dahunsi hit a two pointer and this was followed by another Maria O’Neill goal and some excellent point taking from the boot of Caitlin Taggart who was proving a handful for the London rear guard … 

Aileen Mc Donnell also rattled over two great scores and after a brilliant passage of play Theresa Mellon raised another white flag… 

The second half followed a similar pattern to the first with Antrim dictating proceedings and after an eye catching move Ciara Brown finished to the net.. 

Aisling Mulholland and Emily Kearns were making some great interceptions at the back and indeed the two girls combined well to set up Ciara Maguire who split the posts and Alssya Davison then raised another white flag with Laura Agnew also getting her name on the score sheet… 

Antrims last score was an absolute sublime two pointer from inspirational captain Bronagh Devlin who lead by example for the full 60 minutes… 

Every girl can be so proud of their preformance in this game and the football that Antrim played was nothing short of exceptional at times … 

Antrim now play Derry in the ulster final … 

The game will be played at Brewster Park on Saturday 16 May with a 1 pm throw in… 

Would be great for these girls to have a big support on the day ..  

Scorers … 

Maria ONeill 2-1

Lara Dahunsi 1-2 1 x 2 pt

Bronagh Devlin 0-2 1x 2pt

Caitlin Taggart 0-4 

Aileen Mc Donnell 0-3 

Ciara Brown 1-0 

Ciara Maguire 0-2 

Laura Agnew 0-1 

Alyssa Davison 0-1

Theresa Mellon 0-1

by thesaffrongael

St. Gall’s stay on course with Dominant Win over St. Paul’s

ACFL Division 1

Naomh Gall 0-17 — 0-08 St. Paul’s

Naomh Gall maintained their unbeaten run and kept the pressure on league leaders Creggan with a professional nine-point victory over St. Paul’s at Milltown on Wednesday night. Despite missing several key regulars, the Milltown men showed the depth of their panel to pull away in the second half of this ACFL Division 1 encounter.

Clinical Quinn Leads the Way
The standout performer for the hosts was Daniel Quinn, who was in scintillating form. Quinn finished with a personal haul of 0-07, including four dead-eyes from frees, punishing any St. Paul’s indiscretion in the scoring zone. He was ably supported in the full-forward line by Bara McCaffery and Cece Walsh, who notched two points apiece to keep the scoreboard ticking over.

Midfield Control
The engine room battle was won by the pairing of Manus McCrossan and Conal Murray, providing a solid platform for the St. Gall’s attack. In a defensive effort that restricted St. Paul’s to just eight points,John McCaffery not only anchored the backline alongside David Ball but also pushed forward to register a fine point of his own.

Impact from the Bench
The strength of the St. Gall’s bench was evident in the closing stages. Cormac Austin made a significant impact upon his introduction, contributing two points—including a well-taken effort—to kill off any hope of a St. Paul’s fightback. Marty Murray and Ethan Walsh also found the range to ensure a comfortable finish for the home side.

Looking Ahead

With this result, St. Gall’s remain neck-and-neck with Creggan at the summit of the table. Their ability to secure a result of this magnitude while missing several starters will be a major plus for the management as the business end of the season approaches.

Naomh Gall: Chris Kerr; Christopher Hale, Aodhan McDonagh, Garrick Adams; John McCaffery (0-1), David Ball, Gerard O’Neill; Manus McCrossan, Conal Murray; Ethan Walsh (0-1), Daniel Quinn (0-7, 4f), Martin Murray (0-2); Bara McCaffery (0-2), Cece Walsh (0-2), Aaron Mackel.
Subs used: Cormac Austin (0-2).

by thesaffrongael

St Patrick’s Masterclass Secures All-Derry Final despite Spirited CPC Effort

Cross and Passion College (CPC) faced an incredibly formidable opponent in Friday’s Clare Cup Camogie semi-final at Slemish Park, Ballymena, ultimately bowing out to a truly outstanding St Patrick’s Maghera side.

St Patrick’s produced an absolute master-class in the opening half, playing a brand of camogie that would be difficult for any team to contain. Operating with supreme efficiency across every blade of grass, they built a commanding 4-14 to 0-1 lead by the interval. Rachel McElhinney led the early charge with two clinical goals, supported by further strikes from Holly McErlean and Annie Kelly. Despite the relentless pressure from the Maghera girls, CPC kept their work rate high, with Elena McQuillan getting them on the scoreboard with a hard-earned point before the break.

Showing tremendous character and refusing to let their heads drop, CPC came out fighting in the early stages of the second half. Their persistence paid off when Kayleigh McFerran raised a green flag with a well-taken goal, and McQuillan confidently struck her second point of the afternoon to give the Ballycastle side a much-deserved lift.

However, they were simply up against a St Patrick’s team operating at the very peak of their powers. Moving seamlessly into another gear, Maghera showcased exactly why they are championship contenders. McElhinney completed a phenomenal personal performance by doubling her goal tally, while substitute Niamh Tumelty proved the depth of the squad by rattling the net with her very first possession. The undisputed highlight of the second half, though, was an awe-inspiring display of scoring from Catherine McCloskey, who fired home an incredible 2-9 to cap off a flawless team performance.

 The result confirms a mouth-watering All-Derry final between two great rivals, as St Patrick’s Maghera will now face off against St Mary’s Magherafelt in an eagerly anticipated showdown in two weeks’ time.

TO VIEW MORE PICS CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW

https://myalbum.com/album/po6JtjPYZbDBPL