Johnnies send shock waves through North Antrim hurling

St John’s 2-16, Loughgiel 1-18

IN a year full of twists and turns, there was yet another one at McQuillan Park, Ballycastle, on Sunday when the Antrim senior hurling championship was forcibly removed from North Antrim.
The Volunteer Cup is on its way to Corrigan Park, where it will find things strange having spent most of its life in the green Glens.
Like the Dunloy footballers, whose 86 year wait came to an end recently, St John’s 52 year wait for hurling honours has also concluded.
The North Antrim giants - Cushendall, Dunloy and Loughgiel - must be eating their hearts out but the Shamrocks did have their chance and blew it.
A single point defeat is hard to swallow but close run things have certainly been a speciality of the Johnnies, and, in fairness, they have done something which no North Antrim hurling enthusiast could have imagined.
They led this final from start to finish and while the Shamrocks did poke and prod, they were beaten by the better side on the day.
They have been known as the nearly men of the Saffron county for close on two generations but this one point success has finally broken that hoodoo.
Despite the closeness of the contest St John’s led from start to finish. A brilliant first half playing against the elements laid the foundations for their victory while the goals in either half from Donal Carson and Oisin MacManus proved pivotal.
The Shamrocks will look to the first half when they were second best for long periods. At a time where they should have been looking to build a lead and have something to work with in the second half, they couldn’t live with the intensity and work rate of St John’s.
The Corrigan Park men took a three point lead into a second half and while they put their support through the ringer towards the end of the hour, there’s no doubting they were worthy winners.
Despite playing against the wind, St John’s settled much quicker playing a precise short game. Oisin MacManus and Conor Johnston hit the opening scores of the game while a couple of converted frees from Shea Shannon gave them a four point lead after ten minutes.
Loughgiel were getting the sliotar into the inside forwards but such was the organisation of the St John’s defence, the Shamrocks were getting no joy. The Johnnies stretched their lead to five with Conor Johnston’s second of the game while Paul Boyle finally got the North Antrim sides opening score in the 14th minute.
The Shamrocks looked like they were coming to terms with the way St John’s were set up and despite MacManus’ second point of the game, Loughgiel fire over three unanswered scores from McNaughton, Ruairi McCormick and Boyle and they suddenly began to look like themselves.
Shannon’s third free of the match briefly halted their charge but Loughgiel landed three more unanswered scores, two from McNaughton and the other from Rian Mullan and suddenly the sides were tied by the twenty ninth minute.
And it probably should have been better for the Shamrocks but McNaughton’s goal bound effort was well saved by Domhnall Nugent.
The opening goal of the final came in the last minute of the half from Donal Carson. Aaron Bradley collecting the sliotar and delivered the ball cross field towards Carson. The Johnnies inside forward collected and turned his defender before setting off for goal. He had plenty of defenders for attention and had work to do but he finished superbly to give Cormac McFadden no chance between the sticks.
McNaughton and Shannon traded pointed but the Shamrocks found themselves three back, 0-8 to 1-8, at the change of ends.
The North Antrim side badly needed a chance to reorganise and set out a game plan on how to deal with the elements for the second half and despite Conor Johnston opening the scoring soon after the restart, the Shamrocks fired over three unanswered points in as many minutes from Dan McCloskey and a couple of McNaughton frees to leave the minimum between the sides.
The Johnnies then hit a three unanswered scores themselves and this was probably the winning of the game. They had a sniff of a goal chance when MacManus went close before Shannon split the uprights for his fifth point and it was a brilliant piece of improvisation from Oisin Donnelly that created their second goal.
Gathering the sliotar, he was swarmed by Loughgiel defenders before playing a blind pass over his shoulder to MacManus. He made no mistake to open a six point lead by the ninth minute with the writing beginning to appear on the wall.
Both sides swapped pointed frees from McNaughton and Domhnall Nugent before the Shamrocks appeared to have found a way back into this final. With the game decidedly slipping away from them after some uncharacteristic misses from McNaughton placed balls, Shan McGrath was on the end of a brilliant three man move that cut through the heart of the Johnnies defence and he made no mistake.
With just three between the sides now going into the final quarter it was crunch time with the challenges getting bigger by the minute with neither side prepared to give an inch.
The Johnnies defence were doing anything they could to stop Loughgiel and dragged down players on a couple of occasions when they looked like they were through on goal with McNaughton taking advantage of the opportunities offered while Conall Bohill, Conor Johnston, replacement Michail Dudley and Aaron Bradley got scores at the opposite end.
Three points separated the sides going into injury time with the Shamrocks still in search of that elusive goal that would reignite their challenge but a couple of converted frees frees from replacement Christy McGarry was all they could manage as St John’s held out.
Conor Johnston was at his impish best for the winners with Donal Carson, Oisin Donnelly and Conall Bohill all outstanding while in defence Ryan McNulty, Enda McGurk and Ciaran Johnston all played a major part in the Johnnies climbing their Everest.
It was Peter McCallin who took the sponsors Man of the Match accolade as he was instrumental at the heart of the St John’s defence with a sublime performance.
The Shamrocks were just not themselves with James McNaughton once again a shining light for the Shamrocks but that light shone fleetingly throughout the hour. He top scored for Loughgiel with ten points while replacement Shan McGrath’s goal looked to breathe fire into their championship hopes half way through the second half but that was as good as it got.
Only time will tell whether North Antrim hurling has capitulated to the city sides but knowing the Loughgiels, Dunloys and Cushendalls of this world the Volunteer Cup may only be on a short term temporary loan.

St John's: Domhnall Nugent (0-1); Ryan McNulty, Ciaran Johnston, Jack Bohill; Conal Morgan, Peter McCallin, Enda McGurk; Sean Wilson, Aaron Bradley (0-2); Oisin Donnelly, Conor Johnston (0-4), Conall Bohill (0-1); Donal Carson (1-0), Shea Shannon (1-4, Oisin MacManus (1-2)
Replacements: Michail Dudley (0-1) for S Wilson; Michael Bradley for D Carson; Ronan Donnelly for Ciaran Johnston; Daragh McGuinness for O MacManus

Loughgiel: Cormac McFadden; Tiernan Coyle, Enda Og McGarry, Liam Glackin; Ben McGarry, Rory McCloskey, Declan McCloskey; Ryan McKee, Ruairi McCormick (0-1); Rian McMullan (0-1), James McNaughton (0-10), Darragh Patterson; Roan McGarry, Paul Boyle (0-2), Dan McCloskey (0-1)
Replacements: Shan McGrath (1-1) for D Patterson; Christy McGarry (0-2) for R McCormick; Ronan Fitzgerald for R McGarry

Referee: Colum Cunning (Dunloy)