Yesterday in splendid conditions for hurling considering the time of year, Ruairí Óg became Ulster Minor Hurling Champions for onlythe second time in their history when they ran out convincing winners against Cuchullains (Armagh) on a score-line of 5.15 to 0.03. Though the Armagh champions were strong in the tackle and their support play excellent, they could not match their Antrim counterparts in terms of stick-work, team play and score-taking, and these would prove to be the rocks on which their challenge perished.
From the throw-in, Ruairí Óg looked like a team who were fired up and in no mood to tolerate any notion of an upset when ace forward Alex Delargy found himself well positioned in front of the Cuchullain goalto fire over the first point of the game after only 32 seconds of play. Further points from Alex, Ryan Delargy, Christy Mc Naughtonand Cormac Mc Alister put the 'Dall men in a commanding 5pts to 1pt lead with Cuchullains registering their first score of the game in the 10th minute courtesy of no 13, Joseph Mc Elroy. Cuchullains contained the Ruairí Óg men in the first 20 minutes due to a combination of their own good hurling and a tendency by the men in maroon and white to over-elaborate when they hadworked the ball into the final third. Cuchullains made some excellent counter attacks of their own but the ploy of withdrawing a man from the full forward line meant almost invariably the C'Dall spare man hoovered up any breaking ball and initiated attack after attack for his own team. That was the case indeed when a Cuchullain's attack broke down in the 20th minute and Ruairí Óg moved the ball through the lines at pace to give several players an opportunity to score a goal before full forward Cormac Mc Clafferty finally obliged by squeezing a hard shot under the body of goalkeeper Jordan Murtagh.This was a vital score because it softened the resilience of the rear guard action by the boys from Armagh and at the same time honed the Cushendall attack into a much more potent, less wasteful force.It was also the cue for Christy Mc Naughton to show his prowess as a lethal finisher tagging on two more points and unleashing an unstoppable 20m free that the three defenders on the line had absolutely no chance of saving. Right on half time, in what was becoming one of their few forays into the 'Dall half of the field, Caolan Mc Quaid fired over his team's second minor from about 30m out. The referee then blew his whistle with the scoreboard indicating Ruairí Óg 2.07 v 0.02 Cuchullains.
Any ideas of a second half comeback by Cuchullains were dispelled as early as the 32nd minute by another beautifully taken Christy Mc Naughton goal that was intelligently crafted following a fluent array of passes by the Ruairí Óg offence after they had won possession in the middle of the field. Wearing no 13 but popping up all over the pitch, Ryan Delargy's athleticism, ball-winning and decision-making were a joy to behold all day long: he was Cuchullain's chief tormentor and nearly all Ruairí Óg's best moves either started with him or passed through him. However to suggest this was a one-man effort would be wrong - rather this was a team playing in complete harmony but with a ruthlessness that suggested from an early stage nothing other than victory would satisfy their hunger for another title. Every back won his own individual tussle, and despite the best efforts of Caolan Rice and Lorcan Oliver, Cuchullains had simply no choice but to surrender dominance in midfield due to the work rate and skill of the 'Dall midfielders. With the forwards on fire, a further five points without reply put Ruairí Óg firmly in the driving seat. In the 47th minute, the irrepressible Donn Whelan slotted home his team's 4th goal while almost immediately afterwards the very impressive Matthew Moore made a surging run from his half back berth to claim Cuchullain's only score of the second half.
With 50 minutes gone, Cushendall's management decided to ring the changes and used the full complement of substitutes in the concluding minutes. Ruairí Óg continued to knock over points with Christy Mc Naughton, Cormac Mc Alister and Conrad Mc Donnell all laying claims to minors. Indeed Conrad was also instrumental in setting up the fifth and final goal when his rasping shot crashed off the crossbar into the pathway of fellow substitute Conor Magee who calmly and coolly slotted the ball into the corner of the net. Final score: Ruairí Óg 5.15 v 0.03 Cuchullains
How they played:From 1 to 15 and including all five substitutes,the Ruairí Óg players combined brilliantly to produce an impressive team performance. Similar to his outing in the semi-final against Portaferry, Ryan Delargy put in an outstanding MOTM performance but with 2.07 to his name, Christy Mc Naughton is also worthy of special mention. Ruairí Óg captain Cormac Mc Alister indicated in his post match comments that the final score-line did not reflect how tough and physical the game had been and how good a hurling team Cuchullains were. Their star performers on the day were: Jordan Murtagh, Sean Muldoon, Tiernan Mc Ardle, Lorcan Oliver, Matthew Moore and JosephMc Elroy
Ruairí Óg: Colin Hayden, Eoin Mc Manus, Donal O' Hara, Seamus Mc Auley, Stephen Walsh, Paddy Burke, James Duffin (0,01), Donn Whelan (1.00), Joe Mc Curry, Pearce Bannon, Cormac Mc Alister (0.02), Cormac Mc Clafferty (1.01), Ryan Delargy(0.01), Alex Delargy (0.02), Christy Mc Naughton(2.07)
Subs: Ryan Mc Cambridge, Conrad Mc Donnell(0.01), James Mc Laughlin, Ruairí Kinney,Conan Brown, Conor Magee(1.00), Darren Mc Laughlin, Niall Mc Naughton, Fergus Mc Cambridge, Cathal Mc Donnell
Subs: Ryan Mc Cambridge, Conrad Mc Donnell(0.01), James Mc Laughlin, Ruairí Kinney,Conan Brown, Conor Magee(1.00), Darren Mc Laughlin, Niall Mc Naughton, Fergus Mc Cambridge, Cathal Mc Donnell
Cuchullains: Jordan Murtagh, Michael Cartmill, Tiaran Mc Ardle, Dermot Hicks, Aodhan Corrigan, Sean Muloon, Matthew Moore(0.01), Caolan Rice, Lorcan Oliver, Shaun Moen, Sean Mc Cann, Rory Mc Grath, Joseph Mc Elroy(0.01), Barry Coulter, Finnen Maguire
Subs: Conleth Lavery, Colin Mc Kenna, Cormac Toner, Conall Dougan, Caolan Mc Quaid(0.01), Tom O' Kane, David Ryan