Club News

23/03/03 Dunloy take spoils in first senior hurling game of the year

What a beautiful day for hurling? Thankfully the sizeable crowd which had made their way to Corrgian Park to watch the match were not to be disappointed, despite Dunloy almost leaving the park when the referee failed to appear. Just in the nick of time a replacement referee arrived, and it would have been a shame if he hadn't because the spectators were treated to an exciting game of hurling.

Dunloy were treated to a guard of honour out onto the pitch by the St. John's senior hurlers, in recognition of their fantastic acheivement in reaching the All-Ireland Club Hurling Final however once the ball was thrown in that was the end of the hospitality for the North Antrim men - that is after St. John's had let them in for an easy 2-1 0-0 lead within five minutes of the game. It is widely acknowledged that Dunloy have classy forwards in spades, and they certainly wasted no time in making their presence felt as they romped in the lead with 2 goals in quick succession and a further point.

'Gerardo' Hamilton battles for the ball against close attention from Dunloy and County Antrim midfielder Conor Cunning

It looked like an embarassing cricket score was on the cards - but St. John's fought back superbly to not only get themselves back into the match but also take the lead.

Locky McCurdy, playing at his influential best in full forward, caused county legend Gary O'Kane all sorts of problems and when his goal came in the 16th minute it was justly deserved. The ball was pucked high into the Dunloy goal, a quick scramble for it saw the ball jump up invitingly for Locky who drilled it into the back of the net. The points also began to come in thick and fast, Gerard Hamilton, looking extremely dangerous once in possession, sent one over to bolster the home side, Neil Reynolds cut the ball skillfully over the bar from a sideline ball and then Gerard McFall started sending over his frees - a good habit he was to repeat for the rest of the game (amassing some 8 points in total). He added another point from play and then Stephen Thompson jumped on the bandwagon also putting over a superb point from the slightest of angles on the left wing. The ball also fell for Kevin Rafferty who then shot from close in and everybody, including himself, expected his shot to rip the net, however it rocketed over the bar much to the dismay of the St. John's supporters - whereas Dunloy were managing to take their goals with ease the luck just was not with the St. John's forwards.

When halftime came the sides were level with neither looking like they were going to surrender any ground. Indeed it was a tenacious display from both sides - both fighting for every inch and making things as difficult for the other side as possible.

In the second half matters were very even for a number of minutes but it was St. John's who took the initiative Gerard McFall taking his free well. Another free was awarded up the St. John's forward line however, the decision changed to a throw in after a minor scuffle and Dunloy managed to send the ball up the other end of the park and, as so often before, they sent the ball to the back of the net to go 2 points in front.

St. John's did not give up and battled back with a few more points to close the gap, but then the fatal blow came with 5 minutes of play left when Dunloy scored yet another goal and with little time left St. John's could not find the reserves to close the gap another time. Not that there was any lack of opportunity for the forwards, on a few occasions in the second half the ball was scrambled out of the Dunloy defence and had a bit of luck been with them they would've still been able to win the game despite the poor goals which fell fortuitously for Dunloy.

The youngest members of the team produced great displays - John Mead (making his senior debut) played well and soaked up a lot of pressure from the older more experienced county players Dunloy had to offer - he bounced straight back from a point blank strike across him courtesy of Liam Richmond - Gerard Hamilton was one of the highlights in the forward line for St. John's along with Locky McCurdy and Neil Reynolds fought hard throughout the game (though still needs to try to get the mental side of his game a little more finely tuned).

Defensively St. John's played consistently throughout, the 4 sloppy goals putting a disappointing glint on their efforts - the half back line again were strong and solid and the full backs provided plenty of skill and good play to repel the Dunloy forwards.

The final result was St. John's 1-13 Dunloy 4-8, a defeat, but plenty of positives can definitely be taken out of it.

 

		St. John's
		C. Cunningham
J. J. Hartigan		M. O'Neill	C. Clarke
C. Gannon		R. Heenan	G. Clarke
		J. Mead N. Reynolds
G. McFall		K. Rafferty	D. O'Hara
G. Hamilton		L. McCurdy	S. Thompson
(Subs: C. Thompson for L. McCurdy, N. McCallin for K. Rafferty)