Fixtures & Results 2012 - ACHL Div 3

Rasharkin and Cloughmills share the spoils at Fr Leonard Park

With four minutes remaining St.Mary’s Rasharkin enjoyed a comfortable five point lead, but the home side finished with a blitz to clinch a league point from the jaws of defeat. The Biddies finished the first half with a late rally to go in at the interval three points to the good, but the Dreen men hit seven without reply midway through the second half to soar into the lead. The points looked to be heading home with the visitors but man of the match Liam Cairns helped his side pull back the deficit to level matters and share the points right at the death.

Round two of the County Antrim Post Hurling League Division Three would see St.Brigid’s Cloughmills host St.Mary’s Rasharkin at Fr Leonard Park, both teams gaining maximum points in round one would be hoping to remain top of the table at 5 O’clock this evening, Cloughmills nine point winners against Armoy with Rasharkin six point winners away to Glenarm last week. These sides need no introduction having locked horns on three occasions last year, twice in the league where both sides collected points on the road, however, St.Brigid’s had the last say when they comprehensively defeated Rasharkin in the first round of the Intermediate Championship at Loughgiel, they went on to contest the Intermediate decider only to fall to Hannastown side Lamh Dhearg.

All Saints referee Liam Donnelly took up the whistle for this fixture which would do well to avoid the heavy April showers going around. The Cloughmills grounds man deserves a mention for having the playing surface is splendid condition for hurling.

Aidan Darragh started the scoring inside the first minute for Rasharkin when he coolly slotted over a thirty yard free. Brendan McMullan doubled the visitors lead a minute later before Aiddy Scullion pointed to give St.Mary’s the dream start. Liam Cairns opened Cloughmills account on the seventh minute when he flicked over a high ball from Aaron Smiley. The same player slotted a free three minutes later after Chris McKiernan was hauled to the ground. Conor Laverty pulled the sides level after eleven minutes when he fired over a great point from a very tight angle.

Cairns would push the home side into the lead midway through the half from the set piece but Rasharkin replied almost immediately when Joey Quinn picked out his brother Duirmuid with a cross field pass who drilled over from fifty yards. Cairns again split the posts after twenty one with an impressive strike right out on the touchline to nudge Cloughmills to the fore once again. Eamon McNeill was bundled over five minutes from time to give Aidan Darragh the chance to level proceedings and the nippy corner forward didn’t disappoint.

The game swung like a pendulum when Cloughmills Leon Connelly and Rasharkin’s Aidan Darragh traded points in the closing stages of the half. St Mary’s were looking for Liam Donnelly’s half time whistle when the Biddies finished the half with a brace of points from Liam Cairns, Conor Laverty and Leon Connelly. Half time score Cloughmills 0-9 Rasharkin 0-6.

Rasharkin managers Marty McGrath and Kevin Collins poked an instant reaction from their side following the half time team talk. Aidan Darragh, Eamon McNeill and Declan McKay each raising white flags to tie this fixture for the fifth time inside the opening two minutes of the second half. But back game St Brigid’s when Cairns punished St Mary’s indiscipline after seven and eleven minutes. Rasharkin’s centre forward Brendan McMullan led the comeback when he found himself on the end of a Thomas McMullan pass he watched his effort sail over the crossbar to reduce arrears to the minimum.  Declan McKay levelled the sides with the assistance of Conor Hasson and Philip Quinn.

Rasharkin’s Aiddy Scullion and Philip Quinn were instrumental in setting up Eamon McNeill to nudge St.Mary’s into the lead midway through the second half. Aidan Darragh was to stick over another free before Eamon McNeill, aided by Declan McKay, split the posts giving the visitors a three point cushion. The same player was then to score the point of the match after twenty three minutes of the second half; McNeill won possession of the puck out, skilfully rounded his man, soloed down the line and fired over with ease. Rasharkin were enjoying a real purple patch and when Aidan Darragh collected his side’s seventh point without reply with five minutes on the clock the points looked almost certainly to being going home to Dreen.

The home side did a Lazarus four minutes from time; Cairns slotted a free when Shan McKendry was fouled. Then came the lifeline the Biddies were after, Chris McKiernan lobbed a high ball invitingly into the Rasharkin square only to miss everyone and drop into the back of the St.Mary’s net much to the delight of the home crowd and leave the minimum between the sides. They had more to cheer about when man of the match Cairns slotted an equalizer right out on the wing and take his return to a remarkable nine points. Liam Donnelly who had a good day at the office brought proceedings to an end when the sides couldn’t be separated, level for six times during the hour.

Joey Quinn, Conor Hasson, Declan McKay, Thomas McMullan, Brendan McMullan, Duirmuid Quinn, Aidan Darragh and Eamon McNeill were the pick of Rasharkin, as Cloughmills can feel proud of the efforts from John McGuigan, Michael Devlin, Leon Connelly, Stephen Smyth, Chris McKiernan, Aaron Smiley, Conor Laverty and Liam Cairns.

This was a very entertaining game throughout with very impressive free flowing hurling from both teams, each side will now go into there third league game of Wednesday night unbeaten.

St.Mary’s Rasharkin: Brendan Kelly , James O’Mullan, Joey Quinn (Capt), Conor Hasson, Daniel Doherty, Conor McKeever, Damien McGaughey, Declan McKay (0-2) and Thomas McMullan, Philip Quinn, Brendan McMullan (0-2), Duirmuid Quinn (0-1), Aiddy Scullion (0-1), Eamon McNeill (0-4) and Aidan Darragh (0-6)

Subs: Daniel Hasson and Daniel McKay

St.Brigid’s Cloughmills: Aaron McNeill, Darren Morrison, John McGuigan (Capt), Martin Hegarty, Michael Morrison, Michael Devlin, Stephen Martin, Leon Connelly (0-2) and Stephen Smyth, Chris McKiernan (1-0), Aaron Smiley, Martin Dobbin, Shan McKendry, Liam Cairns (0-9)and Conor Laverty (0-2)

Subs: Ruairi Laverty

Referee: Liam Donnelly (All Saints Ballymena)