23 April 2011
Ballycastle won the North Antrim Feile na nGael ‘A’ title when they beat Cushendall by 3-9 to 1-3 in Saturday’s final in Cushendall.
A superb display from corner-forward Tiarnan ‘TT’ Butler was the highlight of the game as he displayed a wide range of skills to grab a goal and five points, all of them right out of the top drawer. However this was far from a one man show as there were many stars on the Ballycastle team with Conor Boyd, Diarmuid McShane, Caolin McCaughan, Peter McGarry, Ronan Lavelle and team captain Ben Dallat also contributing handsomely to the victory.
Cushendall also had their stars in Christy McNughton, Paddy Sharpe and Emmet Laverty but hard though they tried they could not stem the Ballycastle tide.
Ballycastle started strongly and despite playing against the breeze went ahead with a goal from corner-forward Conor Boyd in the third minute. TT Butler then took centre stage and sent over three superb points, followed by a fine effort from Caolin McCaughan to put the young McQuillans in control, but Cushendall did pull one back before the break with lovely point from corner-forward Emmet Laverty.
TT and Diarmuid McShane added points soon after the restart before Christy McNaughton pulled one back for the Cushendall when he soloed from deep in his own half to send over from fifty yards out.
That score signalled a better spell for Cushendall and they put the Ballycastle defence under some pressure, but the siege was lifted when Conor Boyd grabbed his second goal from a rebound after Cushendall goalkeeper Seamus Og McCurry had made a fine save from a TT Butler ‘rasper’. One minute later TT worked his magic again when he calmly flicked the ball to the Cushendall net and Diarmuid McShane struck two excellent individual points to seal a fine win and book a place in the county Feile final against St John’s in two weeks time.
BALLYCASTLE – Bennie Connor, Sean McAuley, Jack Brown, Colm McCook, Paddy Bonnar, Ben Dallat, Peter McGarry, Sean McAuley, Ronan Lavelle, Junior Allen, Ryan McCook, Diarmuid McShane, Conor Boyd, Terence McShane, TT Butler.
CUSHENDALL – Seamus Og McCurry, Liam Gillen Patrick Doherty, Conor McAteer, Fergus McCambridge, Patrick Sharpe, James Allen, Christy McNaughton, Scott Walsh, Michael Quinn, Ciaran Emerson, Eoin Magee, Seamus McAuley, Michael Delargy, Emmett Laverty.
REFEREE – David Higgins (Dunloy)
In the B final which was played as the curtain raiser Glenariffe Oisins had too much power for Glenarm and run out convincing winners with top score Ciaran Leech giving a man of the match performance.
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