Battling Loughgiel miss out on final slot

Loughgiel exited this year’s championship at semi final stage but didn’t give up without a fight and were narrowly beaten by Cushedall by a single point. The game finished Cushendall 0-15 Loughgiel 0-14 with both teams fighting and tackling for everyball.

The men from the Glens were to prevail in the end and came out the better winning the semi final and booking their place in the final against McQuillan’s for the second year running.

This Antrim Senior Hurling Championship semi-final turned into a shootout between two legends of Antrim hurling, Neil McManus and Liam Watson.

Between them they scored 20 one of the games 29 points, 16 of them coming from the dead ball, as this battle went right down to the wire. With wind advantage, the champions Ruairi Ogs looked to have lost some of their edge from the previous Sunday and when they went in a point in arrears, they had left themselves a mighty second-half task.

Lady luck didn’t appear to be on their side when Conor Carson fired in a great ground stroke in the opening minute only to see his effort whizz past the post but it was McManus from the first of four first half frees who got his side away after three.

Following a Barney McAuley opener for the Shamrocks, the great shoot out began with Watson claiming his first in the eighth minute in reply to McManus’ sixth minute effort.

Three more from the champions, two from McManus and the other from Cormac McAllister saw a three point gap open but three more from the mighty Watson, the last from a well nigh impossible angle, and it was truly game on.

Sean Delargy got the ‘Dalls seventh and last point with seven minutes remaining during which period Loughgiel looked the much more organised side. McAuley, Watson and Joey Scullion points gave them a one point interval advantage, 0-8 to 0-7.

On the restart Watson whacked over two more from the dead ball in the opening three minutes and certainly the Shamrocks looked the form side.