On a weekend of disappointing matches, the Ulster hurling final provided plenty of competitive action and ended in a welter of excitement with Derry winning a first provincial hurling title since 1909 (when they won the 1908 title).
For manager Kevin McNaughton this was the culmination of three years' work with the county hurlers.
From Cushendall, he is a cousin of his Antrim counterpart Sean. The final victory proved fairly dramatic with Oliver Collins hitting the winning point from a free in injury time before referee John McDonnell whistled up the match just after Antrim had won a 65. The win was doubly sweet as another championship defeat for the county would have placed a question mark over the team's future.
"I felt it was now or never," says McNaughton. "Last year we hurled them off the field at times before they rolled over us in the last 10 minutes. This year I was quite confident. When I came here I reckoned realistically you were talking about three years, one to get to know the players, two to get the whole thing going and three to win something."
The confidence was born of improving championship performances and a season spent in Division One of the NHL. It exposed the team to the best teams.
"For me the experience in Division One was crucial," he says. "The Tipperary performance sticks out. We started well against Waterford but played really well against Tipperary. That gave the players a lot of belief in themselves. We were beaten (5-20 to 1-12) but we had hurled one of the best teams in Ireland."
He remains sceptical about the effect the achievement will have on the game in Derry. "Unless you get more clubs playing, things won't improve drastically and in the long term, there's not going to be any more clubs which leaves the county with a narrow base from which to make progress."
And he felt no qualms about engineering the downfall of his own county. "No, I wouldn't be in a position to get the best out of the players if I had. It's hard playing against your own county but there's no point in travelling to Derry three times a week to feel sorry for Antrim."
