Loughgiel 3-21, Dunloy 2-23
With one major upset in the Antrim senior hurling championship at the weekend when champions Cushendall were beaten by St John's, it seemed highly unlikely that lightening could strike twice when Dunloy and Loughgiel met in Cushendall.
But strike it did as favourites Dunloy were beaten by their great rivals to give this season's Volunteer Cup decider a very different complexion.
For 20 minutes of this game everything appeared to be going as planned for Dunloy and, when they opened up an eight point lead after 21 minutes, the Shamrocks looked a beaten docket.
The Reds dug deep, however, and rattled off five points in a row to close the gap to three before Seaan Elliott fired over in injury time to give Dunloy a four point cushion at the break.
The restart was delayed because a member of the crowd needed medical treatment but once things got going the Shamrocks burst from the traps and hit a goal and four without reply in the first seven minutes to move a goal ahead.
Dunloy finally got going again and closed the gap to a single point but a brilliant individual goal from James McNaughton started a run which saw them lead by eight points, a third goal brilliantly taken by Rian ‘Bubbles’ McMullan apparently putting them in full control.
However, Dunloy found another gear in the last ten minutes of normal time and boosted by the return of Coby Cunning, one year after a serious knee injury, and a brilliant Keelan Molloy goal, they drew level as the game went into injury time.
With the allotted five minutes added time almost up James McNaughton edged them back ahead with a pointed free but there was still time for Dunloy to hit the equaliser.
Extra-time seemed almost certain at this stage but from the puc-out Rian McMullan won possession and split the posts to the delight of his adoring fans.
Dunloy did have one last chance to take the game to extra time when awarded a late, late free but Seaan Elliott's long range effort tailed right off the target and their dream of a hurling and football championship double was in tatters.
The opening quarter of the game was fantastic viewing as the scores came thick and fast with scores from Betty McKee and James McNaughton answered by the brilliant Keelan Molloy.
A pointed free from McNaughton had the Shamrocks 0-3 to 0-02 ahead on four minutes, but a brilliant Nigel Elliott goal gave Dunloy the lead for the first time a minute later.
Rian McMullan and Roan McGarry came back with points for Loughgiel but they were answered by Molloy and Seaan Elliott to keep this contest on a knife edge.
Dunloy got on top during the next ten minutes and with the wind behind them Kevin Molloy, Sean Elliott, Aodhan McGarry and Tom McFerran picked off scores that apparently put them in control but a couple of pointed frees from James McNaughton were followed by two brilliant long range efforts inside a minute from half back Declan McCloskey to give their challenge a real shot in the arm.
When Betty McKee sent over a magnificent point from a sideline ‘cut’ the gap was back to three, but another pointed free from Seaan Elliott with the last poc of the first half sent the Cuchullains in at the break with a four point cushion.
On the restart the Shamrocks really made their intentions known when James McNaughton and Roan McGarry cut the deficit in half with two well taken points and when Dan McCloskey got in behind the Dunloy defence to fire home his team’s opening goal they were in front with just three minutes played.
And there was more to come from the men in red as Dan McCloskey added a point from a narrow angle and Bubbles McMullan followed with an excellent point.
Back came Dunloy with the Elliott brothers Seaan and Nigel hitting three of the next four scores to close the gap but the score of the game came a minute later when James McNaughton broke through the middle of the Dunloy defence and rifled a shot to the back of Ryan Elliott's net.
The see saw nature of this titanic battle continued when Seaan Elliott hit back with a point only to see Shamrocks' replacement Shan McGrath replied and when Bubbles McMullan showed extraordinary dexterity to somehow pull the sliotar to the Dunloy net this semi final appeared to be over as a contest.
However Dunloy certainly didn’t think that way and the introduction of replacement Conal ‘Coby’ Cunning, a year and a day following his terrible injury on the same ground, started to swing things back Dunloy’s way.
It was as if he had never been away and three points in a five minute spell along with one each from Seaan Elliott and Keelan Molloy left just a goal between the sides. Then Molloy got through for a goal to level matters in the last minute of normal time to tie up the scores and they certainly looked very much back in business.
The Shamrocks, however, never flinched and late points from the two men players were in line for man of the match, James McNaughton and Rian McMullan, sent them through to their second final in three years and their first against St John’s since 1989.
Loughgiel C McFadden; R McCormick, E Og McGarry, L Glackin; B McGarry 0-2, R McCloskey, Declan McCloskey 0-2; R McKee 0-2, D Patterson; R Fitzgerald, J McNaughton 1-7 , R McMullan 1-4; R McGarry 0-2, P Boyle, Daniel McCloskey 1-1
Replacements S McGrath 0-1 for Patterson , D McKinley for Boyle , C McCloskey for E Og McGarry
Dunloy R Elliott; P Duffin, E McFerran, O Quinn; A Crawford, R McGarry, Kevin Molloy 0-1; N McKeague, A McGarry; N Elliott 1-1, Keelan Molloy 1-5, T McFerran 0-3; E O’Neill 0-1, S Elliott 0-8 , P Shiels 0-1
Replacementss C Cunning 0-3 for Shiels , D Smith for McKeague , C McMahon for Smith , O McCallin for O’Neill , L McFerran for T McFerran
Referee:K Parke (St Enda’s)
