25 September 2011
County champions Loughgiel produced a stunning finish to Sunday’s Antrim Senior Hurling Championship final as they hit 1-4 without reply in the last ten minutes to clinch a victory which seemed to be slipping from their grasp.
When Cushendall went four points clear seventeen minutes into the second-half of this highly entertaining final it appeared they were on course to cause an upset and dethrone the reigning champions. However the Shamrocks never panicked and a point from a Liam Watson free closed the gap to three by the fiftieth minute. Five minutes from time the game was turned on its head when Watson rifled a penalty to the net to square the match and suddenly there was no stopping Loughgiel as man of the match Barney McAuley edged them in front before Joey Scullion and James Campbell sent over points to seal the win.
With the breeze behind them in the opening half Cushendall dominated play, but they squandered a succession of chances as nerves seemed to affect their finishing. The Ruairi Og did manage to pull 3-1 ahead by the twelfth minute but without being at their best Loughgiel were able to stay in touch and two great points from distance by midfielder Barney McAuley had them level by the end of the opening quarter.
An exchange of points by Loughgiel’s Liam Watson and Cushendall’s Conor Carson maintained the deadlock but as the first half drew to a close Shane McNaughton hit two great points for Cushendall to edge them 0-7 to 0-5 clear. It appeared the 2008 champions would go in at the break with an advantage but Loughgiel’s ability to make the most of their chances shone through again and two late scores from Benny McCarry and Liam Watson brought them back on terms at 0-7 apiece by the short whistle.
With wind advantage to come in the second-half Loughgiel must have been very pleased with their position as play resumed, and when they hit the front within thirty seconds of the restart with a point from a Watson 65 things looked good for the men in red. After Shane McNaughton had brought Cushendall back on terms again in the thirty-third minute the Shamrocks edged back ahead with well struck point from distance from Joey Scullion to give his side a 0-9 to 0-8 lead.
The game was starting to turn however and with Shane McNaughton and Conor Carson in excellent form up front for the Ruairi Og they scored six of the next seven points (four of them from McNaughton) to open up a four point gap.
Loughgiel’s bid to put titles back to back for the first time in forty years seemed to be some danger, but the confidence gained from last season’s success stood them in good stead when the chips were down and they stormed back to claim a famous win and take their title haul to seventeen.
LOUGGHIEL – DD Quinn, Paul Gillan, Neilly McGarry, Ronan McCloskey, James Campbell, Martin Scullion, Johnny Campbell (capt), Barney McAuley, Mark McFadden, Liam Watson, Declan Laverty, Eddie McCloskey, Benny McCarry, Joey Scullion, Damian Laverty.
SUBS – Shay Casey for D Laverty; Tony McCloskey for M McFadden.
CUSHENDALL – Ronan Kearney, Terry McAlister, Odhran Scullion, Sean Delargy, Martin burke, Donal McNaughton (capt), Arron Graffin, Karl McKeegan, Aiden Delargy, Brian Delargy, Conor Carson, Eunan McKillop, Paddy McGill, Declan McKillop, Shane McNaughton.
SUBS – Paddy McNaughton for E McKillop; Francis McAuley for A Delargy; John McManus for B Delargy.
REFEREE – Owen Elliott (All Saints, Ballymena)
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