Electric Ireland Ulster Minor Hurling Championship semi-final: Antrim 4-17 Down 1-8
ANTRIM coasted through to the Ulster Minor Hurling Championship final following an emphatic 18-point win over Down at Owenbeg on Sunday.
Ryan McKee, James McNaughton, Conal Cunning and Christy McNaughton all plundered goals for the defending minor champions in a one-sided first half. Antrim’s fourth major came on the stroke of half-time to give them a 4-8 to 0-4 lead.
Any faint hope of a Down comeback was extinguished after corner-forward Jordan Murphy was shown a second yellow card early in the second half. Cormac Coulter, who hit 1-5 of Down’s 1-8 tally, managed to bag a consolation goal for the Ards men midway through the second half, but Antrim were always in control of proceedings.
The Saffrons will take on Derry in a repeat of last year’s minor decider and Antrim boss Ciarán Kearney was satisfied with his side’s performance yesterday.
“In the first half, certainly, we were very dangerous,” said Kearney.
“We have a very quick full-forward line and we were hoping we could utilise that. We have very good runners out the pitch – the likes of James McNaughton and Keelan Malloy. We got the benefits of that in the first half with four well-worked goals, but we’ll need to up our game against Derry in the Ulster final.”
Conal Cunning hit two points in quick succession before a wonderful run from James McNaughton helped create Antrim’s opening goal, which was finished by McKee after just five minutes.
Down’s first point arrived via a Coulter free on eight minutes, but Antrim were bossing the midfield exchanges and Gerard Walsh and Donal Carey were dealing well with the threat of the Down forwards.
A fine strike from McNaughton gave Antrim their second goal and a nine-point lead after 15 minutes and midfielder Malloy could have netted moments later, but his shot flew over Adrian Mee’s crossbar.
Malloy had a hand in Antrim’s third goal when he set up Cunning on 23 minutes as Antrim’s grip on the game tightened further.
Coulter’s pointed frees were scarcely enough to keep Down in the contest, while Antrim were totally ruthless in the first half. When James McNaughton’s shot fell short, Christy McNaughton reacted quickest to Mee’s fumble to skilfully flick the sliotar into the net to put his side 16 points clear at half-time. McNaughton almost had a second goal on the restart, but Mee made an excellent, point-blank save.
Murphy’s dismissal for a second booking afforded Antrim the luxury of an extra man. However, Down managed to engineer a goal after Ronan Beattie’s shot was saved by Ryan Elliott and Coulter netted from the rebound to cut the gap to 4-10 to 1-6 in Antrim’s favour.
A fifth free from Coulter minutes later was to be Down’s last score as Antrim hit an unanswered 0-6 in the closing 10 minutes, including three long-range frees from the impressive Walsh.
Antrim: R Elliott; G Walsh (0-3, 0-3 frees), D Carey, C Carson; O McKenna, J Maskey, S Duffin; C McMullan, K Malloy (0-3); J McNaughton (1-3, 0-2 frees), C McNaughton (1-2, 0-2 frees), C Patterson (0-1); C Cunning (1-3), J Daniels, R McKee (1-0); Subs: D McShane (0-2) for Daniels (42); C Leech for Patterson (47); D McLaughlin for C McNaughton (50); D McKernan for McKenna (52); C Blair for Carey (55).
Down: A Mee; M Mee, C Monan, D McCartney; O Duggan, L Savage, E Coulter; J Doran, M Fisher; C Coulter (1-5, 0-5fs), P Loughrane, R Beattie (0-1); J Murphy (0-1), R Ward, A Doran (0-1); Subs: P Miskimmon for Ward (37); D Rooney for Duggan (42); S McKey for McCartney (42); D Magorrian for Loughrane (53).
Referee: J Connors (Donegal).
