Dunloy ... 3-12 Cushendall ... 1-8 After the opening 10 minutes this Antrim hurling decider at Casement Park yesterday was never in doubt. Experienced Dunloy swept to a comfortable victory over a disappointing Cushendall.
After only seven minutes the winners lost target man Ally Elliott with a severe hand injury and just before half-time their skipper Gary O'Kane had to limp off. O'Kane was doubtful for the match because of thigh muscle trouble and lasted only 29 minutes.
Entering the second quarter it was 1-2 to 0-4 before the holders opened up to rifle over five points in six minutes with just one in reply. Cushendall did hit back with points by Aidan Delargy and Jackie Carson before the interval as Dunloy went in at the break 1-7 to 0-7 ahead.
Cushendall badly needed early scores in the second half but they didn't get them. It was Dunloy who buckled down to business to fire over three unanswered points and a second goal from Martin Curry to almost kill off the game.
Substitute Brian McNaughton got the losers' solitary second-half point on 46 minutes and their goal by Conor McCambridge from a close-in free, on the hour, was only a consolation score. In fact, it wasn't really even that as Dunloy got their third goal by Eamon McKee deep into injury time.
It was a disappointing final with a solid Dunloy defence, in which man of the match Malachy Molloy stood out, giving the Cushendall attack no time on the ball.
Midfield broke about even but the Dunloy attack carried too much ammunition for the losers' rearguard despite the best efforts of Charlie McAllister and Martin McClafferty.
Liam Richmond, Martin Curry and Greg O'Kane were hot handfuls, while Darren Quinn who had played in the minor final earlier, went in to score two late points. Dunloy will meet Lavey in the Ulster semi-final on October 20th.
DUNLOY: G McGhee; D McMullan (0-1,f), S Mullan, F McMullan; P McMullan, Gary O'Kane, M Molloy; C Cunning, C McGuckian; Greg O'Kane (0-5, 3f), L Richmond (0-3), N Elliott; M Curry (2-1), A Elliott, P Richmond. Subs: E McKee (1-0) for A Elliott, inj (7 mins), M McClements for Gary O'Kane, inj (29 mins), D Quinn (0-2) for N Elliott (51 mins).
CUSHENDALL: R Kearney; O Scullion, C McAllister, Ciaran McCambridge; K Elliott, K McKeegan (0-1), M McClafferty; Conor McCambridge (1-0,f), M McCambridge; A Delargy (0-3,1f), R McNaughton (0-2), B McNaughton (0-1); KM McMullan, J Carson (0-1), S Delargy. Subs: B McNaughton for McMullan (35 mins), D McKillop for Carson (39 mins), E McNaughton for S Delargy (51 mins).
Referee: T McIntyre (Loughgiel).
