In the 5th Round of the Leinster SHC, Antrim triumphed over Carlow with a score of 4-22 to 2-22. The win was decided at Corrigan Park on Sunday, where Antrim’s ability to score goals secured their place in the Leinster senior hurling championship, unfortunately at Carlow’s expense. This victory keeps Darren Gleeson’s team, with Conal Cunning and James McNaughton scoring two goals each, in the top tier for a third consecutive year. Conversely, Carlow will now descend to the Joe McDonagh Cup, one year after they emerged from it.
Despite Carlow showing promise in the initial stages of the game, Chris Nolan’s second half red card, following a first half scuffle, impeded their performance. As a result, Antrim took advantage and asserted their place in the top division for another year. Early on, Martin Kavanagh of Carlow and Sean Elliot of Antrim went head to head on points before Carlow secured the subsequent three.
After a false start at a goal, Cunning redeemed himself merely minutes later, with an assist from McNaughton, laying the foundation for Antrim’s success. Carlow, however, did not let this unnerve them, establishing a lead by scoring a goal moments later, an excellent finish by the nimble Chris Nolan. Nolan, Kavanagh, James Doyle and Conor Kehoe beautifully utilised the wind’s assistance, all showcasing their scoring capabilities.
Antrim’s second goal, however, marked the shifting tide. Despite some inconsistencies, Antrim demonstrated a potential to score goals consistently. James McNaughton confirmed this by scoring a goal at the 20-minute mark, bringing the team within two points. A penalty four minutes later, when Sean Elliot was tackled by Paul Doyle, allowed Cunning to equalise the score.
Despite Carlow registering points from all six starting forwards and responding with three of the next four points, Antrim completed the first half leading with Cunning’s frees and Keelan Molloy’s lead goal. The stoppage time saw the score at 3-9 to Antrim and 1-14 to Carlow.
A brief altercation at the close of the first half resulted in Chris Nolan’s dismissal for picking up a red card, posing a greater challenge for Carlow at the start of the second half. However, Carlow managed to take the lead with early scores from Kavanagh and Conor Kehoe.
Antrim swiftly reclaimed control of the game, featuring successful long-range efforts from Keelan Molloy, Niall O’Connor, and Gerard Walsh. The gap was maintained at three or four points as Carlow persistently stayed within reach. With fifteen minutes remaining, a block from Ciaran Whelan on O’Connor led to a decisive goal from Kavanagh.
Antrim responded with a point from Conor Boyd and quickly followed it up with a goal of their own. A mere two minutes later, Seaan Elliott set McNaughton up for a spectacular goal. Whilst Carlow managed to keep the deficit minimal through Kavanagh, Antrim continued to find solutions, enabling them to extend their lead and ultimately secure the match.
ANTRIM’s lineup included: R Elliott; C Boyd (0-1), R McCloskey, P Burke (0-1); G Walsh (0-2f), N O’Connor (0-2), E Campbell; M Bradley, K Molloy (0-3); N Elliott (0-1), J McNaughton (2-3), N McKenna; C Cunning (2-7, 1-0 pen, 0-5f, 0-2 65s), C McCann (0-1), S Elliott (0-1). The substitutes were: P Boyle for M Bradley (62), J McLaughlin for C McCann (64), C McGarry for S Elliott (70+2), R McMullan for N Elliott (70+3), F McCurry for J McNaughton (70+4).
In the Carlow-based game, B. Tracey participated as well as P. Doyle, D. Wall and N. Boland. Others who were in the same squad were J. Kavanagh who scored 0-1, K. McDonald adding another 0-1, and T. Lawlor. Other contributors were J. McCullagh, P. Boland, C. Nolan managing 1-1, C. Whelan providing 0-1, and M. Kavanagh demonstrating remarkable outcomes with 1-11, 0-8f, 0-2 65s. C. Kehoe increased the score by 0-3, JM Nolan added 0-1, with James Doyle contributing another 0-3. J. Kavanagh was later substituted by F. Fitzpatrick in the 47th minute, while D. Murphy replaced JM. Nolan in the 65th minute, with R. Coady stepping in for C. Whelan in the overtime at 70+1. The referee for the match was J. Owens from Wexford.