Bathshack Antrim Senior Hurling Championship, Group Two
O'Donovan Rossa 1-19 Cushendall 3-16
CUSHENDALL'S eye for goal proved decisive as the defending champions claimed victory at a sunny Rossa Park on Sunday to claim an opening victory in Group Two of the Antrim Senior Hurling Championship.
There is little margin for error in this section and the Ruairis left noting to chance with a pair of early goals and although the hosts remained within striking distance, a third major from the exceptional Jospeh McLaughlin with 55 gone eased nerves.
A goal from a 20-metre free by Gerard Walsh did give Rossa late hope, but it wasn't to be their day as Cushendall travelled back to the Glens with a deserved victory.
McLaughlin was in fine form, but his performance was probably usurped by Fred McCurry who landed five from play as he helped maintain a decent gap in the second period.
After the early exchanges that saw Rossa grab points from Dominic McEnhill and Walsh, the Ruairis got on the board through McCurry before the first of their goals arrived with five gone.
Just before Ciaran Neeson buried past Donal Armstrong, he had a similar chance that deflected off a post and out but the home defence hadn't heeded that initial let-off as this time Neeson gathered Ruairi McCollum's delivery to bury.
After Aodhán O'Brien replied with a point for the hosts, goal number two arrived as McLaughlin's graft in the left corner saw him win a turnover and zipped a ball into the paw of Andrew Delargy on the opposite side of goal to roll low and home.
Those majors could have been demoralising for the hosts, but not so, as they stuck to the task and kept pace with McEnhill, Walsh and Diarmaid Rogan from frees aiding another sublime O'Brien point to get the hosts to within a goal after Ryan McCambridge and McLaughlin scored following a second from the latter having been teed-up by the menacing presence of Dom Delargy at the edge of the square.
Fergus McCambridge also chipped in for the Ruairis who would take a 2-9 to 0-9 lead into the break, but Rossa were still in the mix.
Pearce Short rides the challenge of Ruairi McCollum 
McEnhill would repeat with the first score of the second period, but Eoghan Campbell would hit back with the first of his three in the second period in typical fashion as his trademark burst from the back saw him swap passes and drill over on the support run.
He added another and McCurry drove over, but Rossa hung in with replacement Eoghan McMenamin and another obscene O'Brien score kept those two goals in it.
Nevertheless, they would also pass up some decent opportunities to see their wides' tally out to 10. In fairness, Cushendall were guiltier with a dozen past the posts over the hour which may have made life a little easier on themselves.
That six-point gap remained until Rossa hit three on the spin through Declan McCartney, O'Brien and Walsh to narrow it to four after McCurry's fifth.
Four was the margin as the hosts began to believe but then came a huge moment on 55 as substitute Sean McAfee was upended on route to goal. Referee Barry Winters called the foul inside the penalty area and McLaughlin ticked away the award.
Still, Rossa hung in with Walsh and Shannon landing to bring it back to five late on before Campbell's trademark say him sling over that third score of his.
It seemed that was all she wrote, but a 20-metre free buried to the net by Walsh gave Rossa a sniff of a late smash and grab, yet one final deliver from a free by the same man ended in Cushendall hands as they cleared the danger and grabbed the victory.
ROSSA: D Armstrong; C McGuinness, C Orchin, C Boyle; Stephen Shannon (0-1), D McCartney (0-1), G Walsh (1-4 frees); Seaghan Shannon, D Rogan (0-1f); S Beatty, P Short, A O'Brien (0-5, 1f); D McEnhill 90-4), E Trainor, T Morgan (0-2).
Subs: E McMenamin (0-1) for D Rogan (HT), C Shannon for Seaghan Shannon (43), J Connolly for P Short (53), R Murray for S Beatty (58).
CUSHENDALL: C McAlister; L Gillan, P Burke, M Burke; Scott Walsh; E Campbell (0-3), R McCollum; F McCurry (0-5), Alex Delargy; Andrew Delargy (1-0), R McCambridge (0-1), F McCambridge (0-1); C Neeson (1-0), D Delargy, J McLaughlin (1-6, 1-0 pen, 0-3f).
Subs: Stephen Walsh for Scott Walsh (HT), A McNaughton for Alex Delargy (31), S McAfee for Andrew Delargy (47), P McGill for F McCambridge (56).
REFEREE: Barry Winters (Dungannon)
