Casement SC Antrim Junior Hurling Championship, Group Two
Gort na Móna 1-20 St Brigid's 1-4
GORT NA MÓNA powered to victory over St Brigid's in Group Two of the Antrim Junior Hurling Championship at Davitt Park on Friday to guarantee their place in the knockout phase of the competition.
On a night that felt almost like late autumn than late summer, the Turf Lodge side were just that bit crisper and sharper throughout with Desi McClean the conductor of the orchestra, creating a host of scores for others before showing his finishing prowess in the second period.
It was quite simply a dreadful night for hurling, the driving crossfield wind and rain making a mockery of the fact it was an evening in late August.
However, it didn't seem to perturb the Gorts who opened brilliantly with Aaron Hicks driving over in the opening minute after being teed-up by McClean.
McClean may have landed just one of his team's 11 first-half points, but he had a hand in the majority with everything going through the corner-forward whose touch and vision was fantastic despite the slippery ball and ground.
The points flowed for the Turf Lodge men in the opening quarter with Darron Boyd and Neill Henry on song from placed balls, while Nail Healy and McClean chipped in from play as they took a 0-8 to 0-0 lead.
St Brigid's were struggling to get much going in attack and it took until the 17th minuter when they got off the mark through an Oisin McDonnell free.
The South Belfast side enjoyed a little bit of pressure but couldn't find the scores aside from another McDonnell free.
Nail Healy prepares to strike with Niall Murtagh closing in 
The Gorts would respond to reassert themselves with Neil Henry converting two late frees after Boyd thumped over from play as they took a 0-11 to 0-2 lead into the half.
Like the first half, Gort na Móna were first on the board in the second period within the opening seconds, but on 33 minutes, St Brigid's grabbed the goal they needed to ignite their challenge as Jack Paddy grabbed a loose ball and sped towards goal. His shot from the left was saved by Martin Ward, but Oisin McDonnell was on hand to whip the rebound to the net.
They were unable to build on this, however, as the Gorts steadied with Nail Healy replying with a point before Desi McClean tapped over a free.
Darron Boyd flashed a shot across the face of goal, but the Gorts did get their goal on 42 minutes to put this game to bed and it came from a Neill Henry penalty after McClean had been dragged down on his way to goal.
Manus McMullan checked in with one of his own and although McDonnell and David Prenter landed back-to-back scores for St Brigid's, they were too far adrift at this stage as the rain poured with the last rays of daylight fading to dark.
Fittingly, it was McClean who saw out the game with the final two points, the first of which was the best of the game as he flicked up a low pass in the right corner and split the posts from the tightens of angles.
Oisin McDonnell finds the net for St Brigid's 
It was ultimately a good evening for the Gorts who are now through to the quarter-finals.
That is because of Cloughmills' 0-15 to 0-9 win over All Saints at Rasharkin at the same time, which means that St Brigid's are now unable to climb off the bottom of the table regardless of what happens in the battle of the Biddies in the final round due to various head-to-head permutations.
Cloughmills are assured of top spot with the meeting between the Gorts and All Saints to decide second and third places.
GORT NA MÓNA: M Ward; J Monaghan, G McKenna, C Healy; D Hughes, P McHugh, N Gibson; Neill Henry (1-7, 1-0 penalty, 0-4 frees, 0-1 65), A Hicks (0-1); D Dixon, D Boyd (0-2, 1 free), N Healy (0-4); M McMullan (0-1), M Carlin, D McClean (0-5, 2 frees).
Subs: E Loughran for A Hicks (48), T O Cadlaigh for M Carlin (51)
ST BRIGID'S: B McGurk; M Burke, P Heaney, C Quinn; J McCarney, B Hallihan, R McDonnell; R McErlean, N Murtagh; O McDonnell (1-3, 0-3 frees), J Pardy, N Duffy; D Prenter (0-1), J McGuckian, C Lundy.
Subs: N Finnegan for M Burke (27), F Cleary for C Lundy (37), T Engman for J McGuckian (51), G Gilleece for N Duffy (56)
REFEREE: Brendan Toland (Lámh Dhearg)
