Antrim Hurlers make History

Antrim hurlers made a little bit of history at Casement Park on Sunday when they became the first team from outside Leinster to win the Walsh Cup as they beat Offaly by 3-9 to 2-7.

In dreadful weather conditions the Saffrons secured a well deserved victory thanks to two goals from Eddie McCloskey and one from Cormac Donnelly to seal a five point win.

Facing a gale force wind in the opening half Antrim started very brightly and McCloskey’s first goal, brilliantly taken after receiving a Donnelly hand-pass, put them into a 1-2 to 0-1 lead.

Offaly settled down and a deflected goal Francis Corrigan and a brilliantly taken one from a narrow angle by Shane Dooley helped them to a 2-6 to 1-4 half-time lead.

Even with the wind and driving rain at their backs Antrim took a while to overhaul the visitors in the second half as dogged Offaly battled bravely to stem the tide.

The Faithful county were still in front with just twelve minutes of normal time left for play when the crucial score came, McCloskey again finding the target as he ran onto a massive puck-out by Ryan McGarry to drill the ball to the Offaly net.

From then on there was only going to be one winner and when ‘Hippy’ Donnelly deflected a high delivery to the net for number three the destiny of the Walsh Cup was secure.

ANTRIM – Ryan McGarry, Arron Graffin, Neilly McGarry, Sean Delargy (capt), Ciaran Herron, Karl McKeegan, Kevin Elliott, Neill McManus, Karl Stewart, Michael Magill, Liam Watson, Patrick McGill, Eddie McCloskey, Cormac Donnelly, Simon McCrory.
SUBS – PJ O’Connell for McCrory; Darren Hamill for O’Connell