05 July 2011
Dunloy retain Senior Feis Cup, Cushendall clinch first McMullan Cup while Loughgiel win at the double
Last weekend’s Feis na nGleann, which was hosted by the All Saints Ballymena for the first time in its 107 year history, turned out to be a great success with a range of titles in hurling, football and Camogie being decided.
Dunloy retained their Senior Feis Cup Hurling crown when they scored a comprehensive 4-15 to 0-11 win over Cushendall. When these two sides met in last year’s final it took extra time to decide the destination of the trophy but this time around the Cuchullains were clear winners as they turned in an impressive display.
With both teams missing their county players (because of next weekend’s crucial All Ireland qualifier against Limerick) Cushendall were obviously hardest hit but let’s take nothing away from Dunloy who showed impressive form. With Conor McKinley, James McKeague and Chris Kearns rock solid in defence and Colm Cunning and man of the match Sean Dowds dominating midfield they provided a solid platform for victory.
With all six forwards getting on the scoreboard the Cushendall defence were hard pressed, though they defended heroically and kept within touch until just before half-time when Kevin McQuillan rattled a Paddy Richmond cross to the Cushendall net to give his side a 1-9 to 0-5 interval lead.
The second-half saw more of the same as Dunloy always held the upper hand and two goals from the evergreen Paddy Richmond sealed an impressive win.
Scores
Dunloy
Paddy Richmond 2-2, Sean Dowds 0-7, Nigel Elliott 1-1, Kevin McQuillan 1-1, Paudie Shivers 0-3,Greg O’Kane 0-1.
Cushendall
Paddy McGill 0-3, Paddy McNaughton 0-2, Fred McAuley 0-2, Donal McNaughton 0-2, Sean Delargy 0-1, Eunan McKillop 0-1.
Teams
Dunloy C Brogan, M McClements, C McKinley, C Cunning, C Kearns, J McKeague, K Martin, C Cunning, S Dowds, P Shivers, L Richmond, G O’Kane, N Eliott, P Richmond, K McQuillan.
Cushendall R Kearney, S Delargy, O Scullion, T McAllister, E Heggarty, D McNaughton, S McKillop, P McNaughton, M Burke, P McGill, J McManus, E McKillop, F McAuley, B Delargy, A McNaughton.
Referee Owen Elliott - All Saints
Hosts All Saints win football title
All Saints 2-12 Rasharkin 0-9
Hosts All Saints Ballymena won the Feis Cup Senior Football title when they beat Rasharkin by 2-12 to 0-9 in Saturday evening’s final at Slemish Park.
It was the perfect result for the Ballymena club who were hosting Feis na nGleann for the first time in its 107 year history. Most of the club’s energy and focus over the weekend may have been channelled into making sure the four day event went smoothly, (and it has to be said they did an excellent job overall) but there was always one eye on the football final and this victory put the icing on the cake.
The home side got off to a dream start and were seven points to the good after just eight minutes thanks to a goal inside the first minute from centre-half forward Tiernan Walsh and four excellent points, three of which came from left-half forward Michael McCarry.
Rasharkin finally broke their scoring duck on fifteen minutes when midfielder Benny Hasson pointed, but back came All Saints two minutes later when the evergreen Peter McCann rifled the ball high into the Rasharkin net to give his side a nine point lead.
Still nine points to the good at the break the game was the Saints to lose, though there were a few anxious moments in the second-half when Rasharkin hit back with three unanswered points, two from Brendan McMullan and one from Benny Hasson to cut the gap to five.
To their credit All Saints responded well to the mini crisis and Peter McCann calmed things down with a well taken point from play.
Rasharkin’s Brendan McMullan cut the gap back to five again but an All Saints flurry brought points from the excellent Michael McCarry, Paddy McAleer and Tiernan Walsh to seal and impressive victory.
ALL Saints : Paul McCann, Darragh Walsh, Seamus McAfee, Ryan Lyness, Damien Kelly, Andy Kelly, Terry Logan, Paddy Logan, Peter McNicholl, Liam Cassley, Tiernan Walsh, Michael McCarry, Paddy McAleer, Sean McCambridge, Peter McCann.
Rasharkin: Donal McLernon, Cahir O’Kane, Sean Hasson, Michael Hasson, Conor Hasson, Duirmuid Quinn, Thomas Doherty (Capt), Benny Hasson and Cathal Mooney, Declan McKay, Joey Quinn, Connor Gribben, Donal Doherty, Ryan Doherty and Brendan McMullan.
McMULLAN CUP – UNDER 16 HURLING
There was success for Cushendall in the McMullan Cup final (Under 16 Hurling) when they beat St Enda’s to collect the famous trophy for the first time since 1995 when current county veteran Karl McKeegan was a lad. The Ruairi Og did contest the first ever juvenile hurling final at Feis na nGleann in Glenariffe back in 1966 but they had to wait twenty-nine years for their first success.
On Sunday evening, in the game that preceded the Senior Final, they tasted success for the second time with a 5-12 to 2-11 win over St Enda’s, the goals coming from Gillan Jennings, Cormac Ross, Cormac McClafferty, Darren McLaughlin and Christy McNaughton.
JUNIOR FEIS CUP HURLING
Chopper McGarry rolled back the years in the Junior Hurling final when he steered Loughgiel Shamrocks to victory over Cushendall in a one sided final which ended 2-18 to 2-4. He may have lost a bit of pace but the great hurling skills which made him one of the sweetest strikers of a sliothar in the country is still there as he contributed a goal and five points in his side’s win.
Scores
Loughgiel Brendan McGarry 1-5, Tiernan McFadden 1-1,Shane McKee 0-4, Aidan Campbell 0-3, Benny Dillon 0-2, Paudie McFadden 0-1,Conor Campbell 0-1, PJ O’Mullan 0-1.
Cushendall John Carson 1-1, Michael Kearney 1-0, Laurence McKeegan 0-2,Sean Birt 0-1.
Teams
Loughgiel T O’Mullan, S McAuley, M McFadden, B Scullion, B McFadden, R McFadden, C Carey, N Gillan, C Campbell, S McKee, B Dillon, A Campbell, P McFadden, B McGarry, C O’Connell.
Cushendall C McAllister, M McManus, S Quinn, C Scullion, V Mort, J McAuley, J McKillop, M Robertson, D McErney, L McKeegan, S Birt, C Traynor, P McMullan, M Kearney, A Quinn.
Referee Gary Brown Glenaravel
Cushendall Camogs taste success
The action got underway at Feis na nGleann on Friday evening when Cushendall beat Tir na nOg Randalstown in by 4-8 to 0-9, the goals coming from Orla O’Hara (daughter of Cushendun Emmets legend ‘Soddy’ O’Hara) who got 2, Laura McMullan and Tessa McDonnell.
Loughgiel were winners of the Senior Camogie crown as they beat Ballycastle by 2-11 to 2-2, Aisling McFadden and Joanne Campbell getting the goals while Racquel McCarry grabbed five points.
The Under 16 Hurling B final was the highest scoring game of the weekend with Sean Stinson’s beating Glenarm by 7-12 to 3-7 in a highly entertaining game.
FEIS PLUS....................
The action continued at Slemish Park on Monday evening, and while it wasn’t officially part of Feis na nGleann it felt exactly the same as the three previous days.
In the Darragh Cup final (North Antrim Minor Hurling Championship) big Dominic Delargy gave a man of the match display as he led the Ruairi Og to victory over Ballycastle. The big number 14 created havoc in the Ballycastle full-back line and was involved in all six of his team’s goals. Brilliantly taken goals on either side of half-time by Ballycastle full-forward Sol McCaughan had put Ballycastle in the lead for the only time in the game, but every time McQuillan’s got within touching distance Big Dominic weaved his magic and steered the Ruairi Og to another Darragh Cup success. Amazingly since the trophy was first put up back in 1992 (in memory of former Cushendall juvenile star John Darragh) either Cushendall or Loughgiel have won it every time.
Dunloy take Countess of Antrim Cup in thriller
The final game of a sixteen game extravaganza saw North Antrim’s two fiercest rivals Dunloy and Loughgiel in opposition in the Countess of Antrim Cup final (Senior Reserve Hurling) and proved as good a game as any over the four days.
The exchanges were ‘teak tough’, to put it mildly, as Dunloy got the better of their old sparring partners with substitute Cormac Gaston grabbing a late winning goal for the Cuchullains to seal a bruising encounter.
With former Antrim stars like Malachy Molloy, Damian McMullan and Conor Cunning on show the Cuchullains had the better of a low scoring first half which ended with the Dunloy men 0-5 to 0-3 in front.
A brilliant goal from Malachy Molloy midway through the second-half seemed to have given Dunloy the edge, but some great hurling by Seamus Dobbin and Dan McCloskey saw Loughgiel edge their way back, and when Ronan Carey fired over the equaliser in the final minute, extra time seemed certain.
However a long range free from Dunloy goalkeeper Damian McMullan was finally finished to the net by Cormac Cunning to clinch victory for Cuchullains, though it took a great save by McMullan from a Chopper McGarry ‘rasper’ deep in injury time to deny the Shamrocks a draw.
