Match Reports
Antrim Under 21 Hurling Championship Semi-Final
Dunloy 5-15 Cushendall 2-18
Dunloy staged a remarkable comeback in Saturday’s Antrim Under 21 Hurling semi-final to earn themselves a place in this weekend’s decider against Loughgiel.
Trailing by seven points with just seven minutes left to play Dunloy hit back brilliantly with a brilliant individual goal from right-half forward Chrissy Brogan, followed thirty seconds later by another cracking goal from Sean Dowds, after good approach work by full-forward Kevin McQuillan.
As the Cushendall defence suddenly struggled to contain the speed of Dunloy’s wing forwards Brogan raced through and kicked for goal, but it was turned over the bar by ‘dall keeper Eoghan Gillen and suddenly the sides were level.
As the excitement rose to fever pitch Cushendall substitute ‘Brick’ McCarthy pointed a long range free to edge the Ruairis back in front, but in a frantic finish Dunloy captain
Paul Shiels sent over a ‘65’ to bring the game to extra-time.
Cushendall regained the lead within seconds of the start of extra-time when Shane McNaughton pointed from play, but when Dunloy regained the lead with a Paddy Doherty goal soon afterwards they were in the driving seat. When they increased their lead to four points Cushendall seemed to be wilting, but a great run by Shane McNaughton created an opening for Ferghal McAteer who fired in his team’s second goal to cut the arrears to a single point.
That was as close as they were to get however as three unanswered points from Paddy Doherty pulled Dunloy four ahead again. They did close the gap to three with minutes left to play, but as they pushed forward in search of the equalising goal Doherty struck at the other end for his team’s fifth goal to seal an incredible victory.
Antrim Under 21 Hurling Championship
Dunloy 2-17 Ballycastle 1-7
Dunloy knock current champions Ballycastle out of Under 21 championship title race. Dunloy gained some measure of revenge for their defeat at the hands of Ballycastle in the final of last season’s competition when they beat them in Sunday’s opening round of the Under 21 Hurling Championship at Pearse Park, Dunloy.
In a game played in high wind, and at times driving hail, Dunloy were ahead from as early as the opening minute when Sean Doherty found the Ballycastle net.
The home side dominated proceedings and went on to lead by 1-5 to 0-4 at the break, despite having faced the gale-force wind but after the change of ends Ballycastle managed to pull themselves back into contention when they grabbed a goal against the run of play.
When Cormac Donnelly hit two fine long range frees between the posts and Kevin Barry McShane added another there was just a point between the sides, but Dunloy found their rhythm again after a series of points and a goal from Sean Dowds helped them record a thirteen point win.
Dunloy now progress to play Rossa in the next stage of the Under 21 Championship.
Under 10 Indoor Hurling League Div 2 Final
Sat 16 th Feb at Seven Towers Leisure Centre Ballymena
Cuchullians Dunloy Vs. Ruairi Óg Cushendall
Dunloy entered the game feeling they were evenly pitched against Cushendall and Ruairi Óg sought to reinforce this by slicing a ball at the Cuchullian net in the first few moments of play but Christopher McMahon was superb in nets and flicked the ball back into play. It was pucked by Keelan Molloy and narrowly missed the Ruairi Óg net. Ruairi Óg continued to slug it down the pitch but Bearnárd McLaughlin proved a solid force in defence.
A free in the last minute of the first half saw Eoin O’Neill slam the ball into the back of the ‘dall net.
Fergal Dillon came on in the second half in fighting spirit and replaced Bearnárd McLaughlin. This helped Dunloy to remain in domineering mode and Eamonn Smyth slammed Dunloy’s second goal of the match into the back of the ‘dall net in the first minute of play in the second half.
Ruairi Óg upped the ante least the young Cuchullian’s were getting complacent and Christopher McMahon was again put to the test and triumphed by pulling off another superb save. Keelan Molloy whacked Dunloy’s third goal into their opponents net leaving Ruairi Óg reeling and wondering was there any way back. Connor Kennedy replaced Eoin O’Neill and within his first touch at the ball narrowly missed the ‘dall’s net. The pace remained furious with Christopher McMahon having to pull off his fourth superb save this was closely followed by more action by Connor Kennedy, which unfortunately failed to change the scoreboard.
Keelan Molloy took a deserved rest in the last minute of the game being replaced by the team captain Bearnárd McLaughlin. This combination of solid defending, superb goalmanship and skill and agility of the mid-field and forward line meant Ruairi Óg’s never stood a chance and the young Cuchullians finished 3: 0 to the rapturous applause of the large contingent of proud parents and 2 of the teams hard working mentors Chris Kelly and Liam McMahon (Sean Mullan had club commitments elsewhere but can be proud of the young teams superb performance and the support and encouragement given by his fellow mentors Chris and Liam)
Team: Bearnárd McLaughlin (Cap.) Eoin O’Neill (1), Eamonn Smyth (1) Keelan Molloy (1), Christopher McMahon.
Subs Fergal Dillon (for B McLaughlin) Connor Kennedy (for Eoin O’Neill)
Match report Liz McLaughlin
ULSTER INTERMEDIATE SEMI-FINAL
CUCHULLAINS V NEWBRIDGE
CASEMENT PARK
SUNDAY 18TH NOVEMBER 12.30PM
Once Cuchullains slipped into gear, they motored past Newbridge in style winning 2-8 to 0-8.
The Antrim Champions took 21 minutes to raise the first flag as Newbridge controlled the opening quarter, but from there to the finish there was no doubt who would reach the final.
Once Kevin Mc Allister sent over a free kick to open Cuchullains account the game turned. Two more points were scored to level the game, before Johnny Mc Aleese broke the ball to Jerome Mc Allister who passed to Brendan Mc Garry in front of goal and he blasted home.
Dunloy were 1-4 to 0-4 up at the interval and a super save four minutes after the re-start prevented another Cuchullains goal. As Cuchullains controlled the second half they got another goal from Kevin Mc Allister as they finished strong.
Veterans give Dunloy the perfect ten
The brilliance of veteran forwards Alistair Elliott and Gregory O’Kane steered Dunloy to their tenth Antrim Senior Hurling Championship title in Sunday's Maneely McCann decider at Casement Park.
The road-hardened duo showed that age is no barrier as they hit 1-12 of their team’s total of 1-16 to seal the club’s first championship success since 2003. In doing so they wrote their names in the record books as they joined left-half back Sean Mullan (who also had a superb game) on ten medals each. Mullan’s record is even more remarkable, for while Elliott and O’Kane have missed games through injury or suspension during those ten successes, Mullan has played in every minute of every game in that amazing run, which stretches back to 1990.
But while Dunloy are basking in the success of another championship title spare a thought for Loughgiel who have come out on the losing end in a final for the fifth year in succession.
Once again they played their part in what was a superb game of hurling, but the vital break they needed to get over the line eludes them still. Their centre-half forward Liam Watson was one man who certainly didn’t deserve to be on the losing team as he gave a man-of-the-match performance, which yielded thirteen of his team’s sixteen points.
His first-half display was incredible as he hit all his team’s nine points to pull them back from 0-6 to 0-2 down to give them a 0-9 to 0-8 lead going in at the break.
At this stage there were many among the large crowd that felt that Loughgiel’s young team had weathered the storm and would go on to press home their advantage in the second-half, but Dunloy showed their class throughout the field to snuff out the Shamrocks challenge and go on to take title number ten.
Malachy Molloy moved in to centre-back to mark Watson and reduced the threat of the Loughgiel danger man considerably, and with Paul Shields superb at midfield and Elliott (who hit his team’s second-half goal), O’Kane, the Richmond brothers and Martin Curry all in fine form up-front they sealed the win with a goal to spare.
Dunloy end Ruairis reign to book final spot with Shamrocks
Dunloy 0-18 Cushendall 3-8
Dunloy Cuchullains rolled back the years at Loughgiel today (Sunday) to end Cushendall’s reign as Antrim County champions and book themselves a final place against arch rivals Loughgiel in two weeks time.
Without a title since 2003 many had felt Dunloy were a spent force, but their old hands like Alistair Elliott, Gregory O’Kane, Liam Richmond and Paddy Richmond showed there is life in the old dog yet as they led their team by example.
Team captain O’Kane was a revelation as he picked off a series of points from play and frees to guide his team to victory.
Dunloy looked the sharper during the opening half and despite playing against the strong breeze it was clear they were in a strong position whey they trailed by just a single point at the break. (0-6 to 0-5).
After the change of ends Dunloy gained a real foothold in the game, and with Paddy Richmond striking some delightful points they eased ahead.
However three goals at strategic points during the second-half kept Cushendall in contention, and the champions even had a chance to snatch it in the dying seconds when substitute Jackie Carson fired inches of the bar when a goal looked certain.
Dunloy go through to face Loughgiel in the October 7th final at Casement Park in a repeat of the 2003 decider, which the Cuchullains won by the narrowest of margins after a thrilling contest.
U16 Hurling: Loughgiel v Cuchullains
Dunloy Team: G.Dixon, P.Elliott, M.Smith, C.Gaston, M.Murphy, P.McKeague, J.Smith, C.McTaggart, D.Doherty, J.Dillon, O.Quinn, S.Dooey, D.McTaggart, C.Crawford, N.Elliott
The first half saw Dunloy finding it very hard to break down the Loughgiel defense only scoring one point from a 20m free taken by Nigel Elliott. With most of the first half play in the Dunloy defense good performances came from Michael Smith in full-back and Joe Smith in the half-back line. Loughgiel got two soft goals in this half but another goal and two points gave them a comfortable lead at half time.
Half Time Score: Dunloy 0-1 Loughgiel 3-2
The start of the second half saw Loughgiel right on the attack again and a good save from Ger Dixon in goals stopped them going further ahead. Half way through the second half came Dunloy's second score another free 45m out scored by Conor McTaggart. Little else came from Dunloy as Loughgiel kept adding scores. Dunloy's only point from play came from Conor McTaggart. Daniel Doherty tried hard in mid-field and Oran Quinn in centre-half but Dunloy found it hard against a solid Loughgiel defense.
Final Score: Dunloy 0-3 Loughgiel 5-07
Subs: Peter McQuillan for Joe Smith, Andrew Logan for Conor Crawford, Conor McGilligan for Nigel Elliott.
Scorers: Nigel Elliott 0-1 (free), Conor McTaggart 0-2 (1 free)
U10 North Antrim Final Success
After comfortably qualifying for the North Antrim U10 hurling finals last week, our hurlers, after a tense and tight contest with Glenarm held their composure to win the Section 3 title. This was a fantastic victory for our young lads and it was no more than they deserved as over the three weeks of competition they consistently showed the right level of hunger required to win.
Going into the game we knew we would be up against it as Glenarm had narrowly beaten us the previous week. This was compounded by the unavailability of Sean McAllister who at full back had been immense in the games leading up to today’s final.
The players however did not let these set backs phase them as they approached the game with great confidence. After going a goal down early on, Dunloy started to take control of the game and a great goal from Emmett Martin leveled proceedings. This was quickly followed up by Adam Mullan who took Dunloy into the lead before half time.
At the start of the second half, it was obvious that Glenarm weren't going to give up easy and they very quickly leveled the game. Dunloy however responded brilliantly and Diarmaid McLaughlin took Dunloy back into the lead with his first touch of the game after just coming into the game. In the remaining minutes before the final whistle it was clear that Dunloy were not going to hand back the advantage even through intense pressure from Glenarm to attempt to level the game for a third time.
The flicks and blocks that were put in this period to deny Glenarm any goal opportunities in the remaining minutes was testament to the work that these boys have been putting in. Dunloy really wanted this win and this was made evident by the elation shown by the whole team when the final whistle blew and the victory was secured.
Ryan Elliott, who was last minute replacement last week, showed all the skill of his father by putting in a very polished performance in goal, who was always getting behind the ball and making very intelligent use of the puck outs. Emmett Martin was a real anchor at full back and his strong clearances quickly put Dunloy into the offensive time and time again. Diarmaid Scott, Adam Mullan & Christopher Brogan who all played a part in midfield as in other weeks they worked tirelessly linking defense to attack. Up front Oran Shivers and Diarmaid McLaughlin played very important roles in this victory as they never let the Glenarm back line away with any easy clearances. It was indeed this pressure which brought about Diarmaids winning goal.
All in all this was a great win for Dunloy and was a just reward for the efforts our juvenile hurlers. Dunloy should take great confidence from this victory and push on to achieve more success in the future.
These boys have done our club proud, and should be congratulated at every opportunity, not purely for winning, but in the way the represented themselves and their club in the process. Well done boys ...take a bow.
North Antrim U10 Indoor hurling
Our U10 hurlers showed great consistency, skill and endeavor when they competed in the preliminary round of the North Antrim U10 Hurling Competition which was played on Saturday 24th Feb in Our Lady of Lourdes College Ballymoney.
In the seven team group Dunloy were eventually placed in third position which puts them into Section 3 of the next stage of the competition. Indeed with a bit more luck in front of goal we could and should have made it into Section 2 as they only lost one game out of the six games they played, but our three draws whilst very much in control of each of these games cost us in the end. This is something which these lads will only learn from.
The U10 squad was made up from our P6 players which consisted of Diarmuid McLaughlin, Sean McAllister, Diarmuid Scott, Adam Mullan, Emmet Martin & Oran Shivers. The way these lads worked tirelessly for each other, where each man took on his little bit of responsibility for the rest of the team was the most satisfying thing in the Dunloy sides performances. This in no way takes away the levels of skills shown throughout which was of a high standard.
Diarmuid McLaughlin played superbly in goal after an ankle injury in the first game ruled him out of outfield duties. Sean McAlister was a rock in defense throughout by his intelligent reading of the game and strong clearances left and right. Indeed one of those clearances produced the goal of the day. Diarmuid Scott, Emmet Martin and Adam Mullan all worked tirelessly and bravely in midfield, each player utilising their talents to the full and never giving up on any loose balls, helping both defense and attack at every occasion with each man getting their names on the score sheet. Oran Shivers like the rest of the side worked hard up front and on another day “shakey” would have scored more of the opportunities that came his way.
The next stage of the competition will be on Saturday 3rd March in Coleraine at 2pm. At this stage the top two sides out of seven will go forward to compete in the U10 finals the following Saturday 10th March in the Seven Towers Leisure Centre Ballymena. If the same effort is displayed this Saturday as it was last Saturday there will no doubt be in with a good shout for place in the finals. Keep it up boys.
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