Hurling & Camogie

Meath inflict extra pain on Antrim in Christy Ring final

&nbsp;Antrim players and management after Saturday&rsquo;s Christy Ring Cup final replay defeat to Meath at Croke Park<br />Picture by PA
 Antrim players and management after Saturday’s Christy Ring Cup final replay defeat to Meath at Croke Park
Picture by PA
 Antrim players and management after Saturday’s Christy Ring Cup final replay defeat to Meath at Croke Park
Picture by PA

Christy Ring Cup final replay Antrim 5-17 Meath 4-21 (after extra time)

ANTRIM watched Meath lift the Christy Ring Cup for the second time in three weeks in Croke Park on Saturday, but this time there was no qualms about the final score.

In the original fixture, a scorekeeping error led to Meath believing they had won the game by a point when in fact the sides finished level.

As chance would have it, a point separated the teams at the end of extra-time with Steven Clynch scoring the decisive free in injurytime after a thrilling encounter.

It was a heartbreaking ending for Antrim, who had led 2-8 to 0-6 at half-time and Saffrons boss Dominic McKinley lamented the number of unforced errors his side made during the match.

However, ‘Woody’ also felt his side should have been awarded a penalty when substitute Conor Carson appeared to be bundled over in front of the Meath goal in the first period of extra-time.

“There were periods, when we reflect back, when we made very bad decisions and it cost us very dearly,” said McKinley.

“We gifted them the goals more than they worked them. We gave away a lot of frees – maybe they got their frees handier than we got ours.

“I would need to see the penalty again. Maybe if the referee had have been closer, he would have seen it, but it looked like two men pulling a boy down.”

An early goal from Ciaran Clarke got the Ulster champions off to the perfect start as Meath were forced to rely on frees from their captain James Toher to keep them in touch.

Conor Johnson hit two stunning points in quick succession as Antrim sought to make their superiority count on the scoreboard late in the half and the St John’s attacker popped up with a goal on the stroke of half-time to push Antrim eight ahead.

Meath needed a good start to the second half and they got just that as two points from Adam Gannon and a goal from full-forward Neil Heffernan reduced the gap to three points. Antrim seemed rattled by Meath’s stirring comeback and the Royals reduced the gap to a single point before Antrim landed their first point of the half on 48 minutes via Niall McKenna. However, the score failed to quell the Meath revival and another free from Toher had them level on 55 minutes and Heffernan’s second goal put them three ahead.

Toher extended the gap to four before McKenna hit three points without reply – although the second of those scores had to be verified by Hawk-Eye. The Sarsfield’s clubman then restored Antrim’s lead.

After being played through Clarke, McKenna buried the sliotar past McCann for his side’s third goal. The lead lasted for less than a minute as Meath replied in kind instantly with Clynch beating Eoin Gillan after the Saffrons ’keeper had come off his line to make a clearance.

Points from Toher (free) and substitute Sean Quigley put Meath three ahead in injury-time, but there was time for more drama. A 20-metre free from Clarke four minutes into added time was aimed at the Meath goal and, amid the confusion, Carson nipped in at the far post to direct the sliotar over the line.

A brace of Daniel McKernan points got extra-time off to a positive start for Antrim. However, Gavin McGowan’s goal helped Meath lead 4-17 to 4-15 at half-time in extra-time.

James Connolly bagged a fifth goal for the Saffrons before McKenna brought his tally to 1-5 as Antrim edged ahead once more – 5-17 to 4-18.

Meath managed one final surge and they timed their run perfectly as Clynch (free) and Toher hit points to level the game.

There was still time for a winner and, as Antrim sought to clear their lines, Eoghan Campbell was caught in possession and hooked by Joe Keena.

The Cushendall man then fouled the Royal county forward and Clynch stepped up to convert the free to seal Meath’s place in the Liam MacCarthy Cup for 2017.