Hurling

Ring, Rackard, and Meagher Cups round-up

25 May 2018 - 2:42PM

Ciaran Clarke impressed for Antrim.

The Christy Ring, Nicky Rackard and Lory Meagher Cups continued with a busy schedule on Saturday.

CHRISTY RING CUP

Antrim are the first team through to the 2016 Christy Ring Cup semi-finals after they overcame a strong challenge from Roscommon in Dunloy.

Jerry Fallon’s accuracy helped Roscommon edge an evenly-matched first half by 0-8 to 0-7 and they twice moved four clear after the restart, but with Ciarán Clarke continuing his prolific form, Antrim stayed in the hunt before drawing level through a Conor Carson goal.

Points by Clarke (two), James Connolly and Eddie McCloskey and a second goal from Nigel Elliott made it 2-4 without reply for Antrim, who went on to secure a 2-14 to 1-12 win.

Less than 12 months on from reaching the final, a Derry team depleted since then are headed for the relegation play-off against Wicklow after a wasteful performance saw them lose out to Down at Owenbeg.

Alan Grant and goal-scorer Oisín McCloskey got Derry off to a bright start, but Danny Toner, Aaron O’Prey and Oisín McManus helped keep Down in touch, leaving them just a point down (1-7 to 0-9) at half-time.

Brook Byers fired to the net after the restart for Down and the teams went on to be on level terms seven times from then to the end. Shane Farren, Sé McGuigan and Ruairí Convery put Derry within touching distance of a first win of 2016, but they finished with 14 wides and points from James McGrath, Conor O’Prey and Scott Nicholson got Down over the line by 1-18 to 1-15.

Kildare got their campaign up and running with a comfortable win in Arklow against a Wicklow team that had three players sent off in the closing stages.

The first half developed into a battle of the free-takers: Kildare’s Gerry Keegan and Wicklow’s Christy Moorehouse, before a Martin Fitzgerald point sent Kildare in leading by 0-7 to 0-6.

Keegan, Ross Bergin and Mark Maloney stretched the visitors’ lead after the restart and although Moorehouse took his tally to eight points – Wicklow’s only other score coming from a Stephen Kelly ’65 – Kildare progressed by 0-17 to 0-9.

In Sunday's Christy Ring Cup match, Meath triumphed by 2-17 to 1-16 over London. There was little between the teams for most of the contest, but Meath scored an unanswered goal and two points in the final ten minutes to snatch a hard-fought victory.

NICKY RACKARD CUP

Mayo are through to the Nicky Rackard Cup semi-finals at the first attempt after a 0-22 to 1-11 win over Armagh in Ballina.

Kenny Feeney, Cathal Freeman and dual star Keith Higgins were among the first-half scorers for Mayo as they claimed a 0-11 to 1-3 lead, despite Ryan Gaffney getting the only goal of the game for Armagh.

Mayo were 12 clear late on, with Feeney continuing his accuracy from frees, meaning that late scores from David Carvill and Conor Corvan were little consolation for Armagh.

Fingal are also through to the semi-finals after they finished the right side of a high-scoring shoot-out for the second time in a week, this time against Monaghan in Castleblayney (2-19 to 3-14).

A goal and two points from Stephen Lambe helped Monaghan lead by 1-5 to 0-3 approaching the end of the opening quarter, but Fingal rallied with an unanswered 2-2: the goals coming from John Matthew Sheridan and Darren Renahan. With Sheridan and his fellow corner-forward TJ Howard tormenting their opponents, Fingal led by 2-9 to 1-9 at half-time and they moved four clear by the 57th minute, only for a brace of goals by Deaglán Crowe to move Monaghan ahead.

Fingal won the last ten minutes by 0-5 to 0-2, however, with Sheridan adding a brace to finish with 1-9 (a point more than his 0-11 tally against Longford).

Longford stayed in contention with a high-scoring win at home to Tyrone. Two points from Damian Casey and a goal by Matthew Mulgrew got Tyrone off to a good start, but Longford hit back with 1-4 in a row; the goal from Paddy Farrington.

Another major from Cathal Mullane was cancelled out by Casey, but Kevin Conneely and Mullane in quick succession moved Longford seven clear. Ryan McKernan scored the seventh goal of the first half, but Tyrone still trailed by 4-10 to 3-9 at the interval.

Casey hit a string of scores after the restart on his way to a tally of 1-11, but with Joe O’Brien (0-11), Mullane and Farrington chipping in for Longford, the hosts stayed four clear by the end: 4-18 to 3-17.

Donegal survived a scare from Fermanagh in Letterkenny to get their first win of 2016. Seán Corrigan was the main man for Fermanagh in the early stages, both in the scoring stakes and when setting up Rory Porteous for the opening goal.

Seán McVeigh responded to bring Donegal level, but a JP McGarry strike had Fermanagh 2-5 to 1-6 up at half-time, by which stage the hosts had lost Justin McGhee to a second yellow card.

Donegal’s 14 men dominated the early stages of the second half, however, led by Lee Henderson, Danny Cullen and goal-scoring substitute Kevin Campbell. A Corrigan goal kept Fermanagh in touch, but a Ciarán Mathewson strike was enough for Donegal to advance on a 3-15 to 3-11 scoreline.

LORY MEAGHER CUP

Louth lead the way in the Lory Meagher Cup after securing their second win in part one of Saturday’s double-header across the Irish Sea. Shane Callan, Nigel Stanley and Diarmuid Murphy were among the main men for Louth, who changed ends leading by 1-8 to 1-6, in spite of the best efforts of the likes of John Reddan and Pádraig Crehan for Warwickshire. The Wee County stayed ahead to seal a 3-13 to 2-10 win that puts them on the brink of a place in the final.

Leitrim also left Páirc na hÉireann with a win after they got the better of Lancashire. Pádraig O’Donnell returned for Leitrim and his free-taking duel with Paddy Duggan was a feature of the first half, at the end of which the Connacht side led by 0-9 to 1-4, even after Kelvin Magee found the net for Lancashire.

O’Donnell and Duggan both found the net in quick succession as the game built to a close finish, until Leitrim finished strongly, helped by scores from Colm Moreton and Gavin O’Hagan, to get their first points on a 2-18 to 2-10 scoreline.

RESULTS:

Saturday, April 30

Christy Ring Cup

Round 2A

Antrim 2-14 Roscommon 1-12

Round 2B

Derry 1-15 Down 1-18

Wicklow 0-9 Kildare 0-17

**Nicky Rackard Cup **

Round 2A

Mayo 0-22 Armagh 1-11

Monaghan 3-14 Fingal 2-19