Antrim Hurling

[NAG1]

Colonel, my apologies must have read it wrong and was actually thinking of kieran and still stand by my statement.

[Milltown Row2]

After last night's county committee meeting an appeal/request from Lamh Dhearg to be entered into Div 2 Hurling was approved - 9 team Div 2 this year - knock on coming lower down the leagues - Cushendun now avoid relegation and stay in Div 3.

in JHC there was no re-draw as St. Brigids Belfast pulled out of adult hurling, and so Cloughmills took their spot in the first round.

WHAT!!!!

Lamhs are a good team  and strong for div 3 but what da fook does that say about rules and regulations. if your relegated then you stay down until you win or league structures change, but change for everyone. will st Johns now ask to go up to div one now?

[drici]

Late free sinks Carlow in Antrim
ANTRIM 1-11 CARLOW 2-07




Carlow's Eddie Byrne gathers the ball ahead of Aaron Graffin and Neil McManus during the game in Casement Park on Sunday.

By LEO McGOUGH


Tuesday February 23 2010

WHEN you lose an important match by a solitary point the tendency is to focus on the one's that got away, every missed opportunity haunting the vanquished. In the wake of Carlow's heartbreaking first round NHL Division 2 defeat in Casement Park, Belfast we too will analyse the 'what ifs' of a hard fought contest but first let's focus on the positives.

Top of that list would have to be the visitors second goal, as good a team score as the red, yellow and green have ever concocted.

It came fourteen minutes into the second half when trailing by three points, Craig Doyle won possession on half way, close to the stand wing side-line.

'Styler' delivered a long ball down on the Andersonstown Road end posts where Damien Roberts caught the dropping ball on the 20m line. 'Lester' quickly slipped a handpass to the supporting Andrew Gaul to his left and the 'Duke', in turn, hand-passed across goal to the lurking Paudie Kehoe who first timed to the net from the edge of the small square.

Considering a tentative Carlow had trailed 1-4 to 0-1 after 13 minutes and looked set for a bit of a hiding, that goal which levelled proceedings with 20 minutes to go was just reward for the brave manner in which the visitors battled their way back into contention.

Carlow finished the 'hour' with 12 wides, exactly half of which came from placed balls, Paudie Kehoe wayward with three mid-distance frees, Shane Kavanagh winging a long range effort the wrong side of the posts while Mark Brennan and Damien Roberts, from either wing, saw well cut line-balls sail tantalizingly over the end-line.

Hasty shooting accounted for five of the six wides from play while Carlow's only non-shot wide arose when an Eddie Byrne hand-pass to Paudie Kehoe might have yielded a goal only for the heavy sod to the bounce out of the sliotar which rolled over the endline.

That was in the 6th minute of the second half, a minute later Paudie Kehoe saw his overhead flick on a Craig Doyle cross canon off the upright low down.

While admittedly that was a half-chance, the same could be said of Antrim's lone goal, a 12th minute major that bolstered the home county's early dominance.

Unsure first touch on the stand side conceded a 45m line-ball that Neil McManus cut immaculately into the goalmouth, where a ground schemozzle at the far post ended with the sliotar somehow trickling over the line.

That goal supplemented a brace of early points from Neil McManus (a superb long range strike from play) and Shane McNaughton while McManus had also converted a 65. Carlow's lone reply had been an excellent Mark Brennan point from the left wing after Eddie Byrne had fashioned the opening but when within a minute of the goal McNaughton rifled over a sweet point to put the Glensmen 1-4 to 0-1 clear Carlow looked in big trouble.

However Andrew Gaul, in the 15th minute, turned a Mark Brennan hand-pass into a 40m right wing point, his delightful strike off the stick without handling; then Gaul and Byrne won a brace of 45m frees that Paudie Kehoe pointed the margin was down to three.

Carlow survived a double scare in the 23rd minute, captain Eddie Coady preventing an almost certain 'goal' with a crucial intercept and within seconds Craig Doyle got in a vital hook to baulk another shot.

Five minutes later the Carlow backs crowded out the impressive Neil McManus after a loose defensive pass had created the danger though Simon McCrory popped over a point from the resultant short clearance.

With the electronic scoreboard flashing 35 minutes, Carlow won a free on their own 65 which centre half back Eoin Nolan landed down on Antrim square, the sliotar breaking slightly to the right of goal from where Craig Doyle, that opportunist supreme, rattled the net with a rising first time pull.

Liam Watson, in stoppage time, pointed a close range free to give the hosts a 1-6 to 1-4 interval advantage.

Those hopes rose considerably when Paudie Kehoe's well-worked 49th minute goal levelled proceedings, that after he had opened the second half scoring with a point from a 50m free only to see Simon McCrory and Liam Watson (a smashing point from a narrow angle) tack on Antrim scores.

If Carlow could have had two goals in those early second half exchanges, it must be conceded that so too could Antrim, Dessie Shaw taking a rolling ball off the line in the 44rd minute, then getting in an important block when his clearance returned.

Though Carlow's goal tied the sides, Antrim, from the puck-out, won a 60m free that Neil McManus slotted, then Liam Watson from close range restored put the hosts two-up. Great work by Colin Hughes set up Andrew Gaul for a lovely left hand point before the sides were level for the second time in the 63rd minute, the 'Duke' winning a free that Shane Kavanagh, from half way, close to the side-line, arrowed straight between the posts.

It was helter-skelter from there to the finish, Damien Robert's line-cut for the lead drifting wide of the far post, Neil McManus putting an Antrim free wide before a Simon McCrory shot that looked to be dipping over the bar was brought down by Carlow goalkeeper David Miley. Just as a draw was being accepted all round as a fair result Carlow full-back Shane Kavanagh was blown for charging as he attempted to clear from the 20m line. The resultant free in front of the posts was tapped over by Liam Watson. Two minutes of normal time and a further minutes injury time was played but the valiant visitors were unable to get within striking distance of the opposition posts.

- LEO McGOUGH

[bredaghgael86]

Anyone got confirmation on the leagues then? Only changes the lambs up and cushendun stay? That's a shock they managed to pull that off. Isn't the chairman...........
Oh never mind. 

[johnneycool]

Anyone got confirmation on the leagues then? Only changes the lambs up and cushendun stay? That's a shock they managed to pull that off. Isn't the chairman...........
Oh never mind. 

That had nothing to do with it

[the colonel]

Isn't the Secretary originally a .....................

Too ironic!!

[imtommygunn]

Are Bredagh still in 4 then??

[Milltown Row2]

look this changing of the teams is a bad move. how this went ahead is beyond me.

whats next?? can Rossa ask to go Div 1? can we drop a league and play in div 3? just silly

[Guillem2]

Does nobody know what the league are yet? End of February and it's all a mystrey.

I'll take a guess based on whats been said here:

Div 1 8 teams. Loughgiel, Cushendall, Dunloy, Ballycastle, Glenariff, Portaferry, Ballygalget, Ballycran

Div 2 9 teams - Rossa, St Johns, St Galls, GNM, St Pauls, Randlestown, Ahoghill, Carey, Lamh Dreag.

Div 3 8 teams - Glenarm, Sarsfields, Armoy, Rasharkin, St Teresas, Cushendun, Cloughmills, Glenravel.

There are still plenty of questions about Div 4!
Are St Bridgets Belfast gone from the league?
What about Larne? Will they be able to field?
Have Ballela (Down) and Colmcilles (Tyrone) been accepted into the league?
Will any reserve teams play in Div 4?

I guess it will be 8 teams - Bredagh, St Agnes, St Enda's, Ballymena, McDermotts, Davitts, Ardoyne, Creggan.

[drici]

End of February and it's all a mystrey.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0RnD0eyDQsw

[bredaghgael86]

Fcuk it, seems like teams can now pick what league they want to be in, so we will see cushendall, loughgiel, dunloy, ballycastle, glenariff and the 3 ards teams this year.    In all seriousness is would it not be fair for all teams to know the craic by now? i heard ballela have been accepted to div4, though that was a few weeks ago.  didnt know that NCC had applied too. how about just puttin all the teams in a hat each week.  play whoever your drawn against.  would be just as organised as this.

[Antrim Coaster]

Guillem. Why would Larne not be able to field? They're ready to take their place in Div 4 along with the rest. St Bridget's, Belfast have withdrawn their hurling team from the league and JHC. The remnants of the Mitchels hurlers who played for them the last couple of years have transferred to McDermott's.

[aontroim]

Dates for club hurling fixtures are out - no actual fixtures as yet, but looking at the dates, the cutoff for leagues is a month earlier this year and looks like most games will be played before end of the summer months in hurling which is good to see.

Someone has decided that the Divisional sides in the SHC should get a fair crack and so the JHC/IHC now takes place in July and is over well before the SHC starts - bit of common sense being used for once.

[maxpower]

had a look at the dates myself and things look good for the year, seem to be 3/4 matches each month which is great.  Agreed with you ref the Championships, only issue there would be if a team drew their QF they'd have to play Championship 3 weeks on the bounce which might hinder their chances of winning the semi final,

[the colonel]

From county site from todays game V Kildare- Antrim 1-19. Kildare 2-7

A much improved second-half showing by Antrim saw the Saffrons record their second win in two starts when they beat Kildare by 1-19 to 2-7 in Division 2 of the National Hurling League in Newbridge.
Antrim made heavy weather of it in a low scoring opening half conceding a soft goal in the fourteenth minute when Mark Fitzgerald's shot for a point went all the way to the net. The Lily Whites, under the management of former Kilkenny captain Andy Comerford added two more points through Tony Murphy and David Harney to put Antrim in a spot of bother.
However with Neill McManus beginning to play a commanding role Antrim began to improve and a pointed free by McManus, plus one each from play by Liam Watson and Shane McNaughton meant they trailed by just one at the break.
With the breeze at their backs in the second-half Antrim showed a marked improvement in their play and four unanswered points from Watson (2), McManus and McNaughton put them three clear.  Mark Fitzgerald pulled a point back for the home side but two more points from McManus and McNaughton pulled the Saffrons four clear by the fifty-first minute.
There was a set-back for Antrim when Kildare were awarded a penalty and centre-back Richie Hogan came up to blast it to the net but Antrim hit back within a minute and a great individual goal by man of the match McManus put them firmly back in control.
That score all but ended the Kildare challenge as Watson and McManus added a series of good scores to wrap up a convincing win. Manager Dinny Cahill will be pleased with the win but he will know that the first-half showing will not be good enough next time out against Laois at Casement Park. However if Antrim can maintain their second-half form then that clash with Laois in two weeks time could prove very interesting indeed.