Dioralyte Walsh Shield – Semi Final
Antrim 2-10
Kildare 0-17
ANTRIM began their 2026 hurling campaign with a single point defeat on Sunday afternoon at the hands of Kildare which saw them exit the Walsh Shield at the semi-final stage.
Kildare staged a late comeback to secure what looked an unlikely victory at the break as they registered three scores late on to win by the minimum.
The Saffrons lived to rue a heap of missed chances which saw the traveller's would reach double figures in the wides category, proving pivotal come the final whistle.
Neither side showed any great rhythm in their hurling game, and given the stage of pre-season that is no surprise.
Antrim looked to be on the ascendency in the second half when they managed to find the net twice in the early stages. Jack McCloskey and Paul Boyle both managed to drive their chances into the net with the latter's net buster looking to pave a pathway to victory for Antrim.
But as the game went on, the Lilywhites managed to weather the storm and rode their luck with Antrim's target failings continuing to plague them.
Some positives for Antrim was Dunloy forward Conal Cunning who returned to county action and finished top scorer for the Saffrons on the day, with all of his six points coming from placed ball.
Ruairi McCormick and Niall O’Connor were in fine form in defence, with Eoin O’Neill in midfield proving to be a handful for Kildare.
Domhnall Nugent made his much-anticipated return to the Antrim panel, this time as a shot-stopper where he earned an All-Star for his assured performance between the sticks for the Johnnies, and that form continued with the Saffrons.
Antrim's back line struggled to cope with Jack Sheridan on Sunday afternoon as the forward top-scored for Kildare, as he struck ten points from frees to maintain a thorn in Antrim's side.
With conditions worsening as the game progressed, the game turned into a scrappy affair with neither side able to take a real grasp on proceedings.
Kildare would take the first half by just a single point with the tensions brewing between both teams.
The opening six minutes of the second half saw Antrim score two goals and hit the upright with another chance as they started superbly.
Coby Cunning unselfishly passed inside to Jack McCloskey and from there he would make no mistake just two minutes after the restart.
Joe Maskey returned to the Antrim midfield on Sunday
Antrim's second goal came when Gerard Walsh clipped a side-line cut and finding Cunning once more in space.
The Dunloy man went for goal, but while his effort was saved superbly by Paddy McKenna between the sticks, Loughgiel forward Paul Boyle was on hand to put the Saffrons five clear in the 34th minute.
Paul Dolan soon struck back but Antrim carved out another goal chance with the next attack. Boyle once again making the break from midfield before finding Joe Maskey who saw his effort rattle the post much to the dismay of Antrim boss Davy Fitzgerald.
Kildare got their lift from the miss, and Antrim only managed to point on three further occasions for the rest of the game.
The home side got within two scores when Cormac McKeown saw a white flag raised in the 59th minute, the Antrim lead went to two points with four minutes of injury time announced.
Sheridan landed his tenth free of the contest before Travers raised a white flag from wide on the right to draw the sides level with all thoughts turning to a potential penalty shoot-out.
Antrim created one last chance to win the game after a fantastic passing movement which found James McNaughton in space. His effort fell wide of the posts and with time running out Kildare registered the winning score through O’Reilly with what was the last action of the contest.
Both sides will meet again in little under a month's time as Antrim now turn their attention to the opening league match with Wexford (away) on 24 January.
ANTRIM: Domhnall Nugent; Ryan McNulty, Eoin McFerran, Ruairi McCormick; Gerard Walsh, Joe Maskey, Sean McKay; Eoin O’Neill, Ryan McCambridge; Scott Walsh, Paul Boyle, Sean Duffin; Jack McCloskey, Conal Cunning, Joseph McLaughlin
Subs: Niall O’Connor for S McKay (30); Seaan Elliott for J McCloskey (39); Conor Johnston for J McLaughlin (39); James McNaughton for E O’Neill (44); Cormac McKeown for S Duffin (53)
Scorers: C Cunning 0-6 (6fs); J McLaughlin 1-1; J McCloskey 1-00; E O’Neill 0-1; R McCambridge 0-1; C McKeown 0-1
KILDARE: Paddy McKenna; Evan O’Briain, Rian Boran, Dan O’Meara; Paul Dolan, Cian Boran, Daire Guerin; Alan Goss, Cathal McCabe; Caolan Smith, Gerry Keegan, Tim Ryan; Jack Sheridan, Muiris Curtin, James Dolan
Subs: Jack Travers for T Ryan (41); Darragh Melville for J Dolan (47); Liam O’Reilly for E O’Briain (51); Michael Owens for D O’Meara (51); Tom Power for G Keegan (53)
Scorers: J Sheridan 0-10 (10fs); G Keegan 0-2; M Curtin 0-2; P Dolan 0-1; J Travers 0-1; L O’Reilly 0-1
Referee: Kyle Watters (Offaly)
