THE Antrim Senior Hurling Championship threw its first sliotar in last weekend when St John's welcomed Rossa in the opening clash of the campaign and drama unfolded to leave both sides feeling that the chance of victory slipped away at the death.
Saturday saw Hightown host a big clash when Naomh Éanna suffered a hammer blow to Cushendall who really ramped up their championship hopes when they put the Glengormley side to the sword and walked away with a mighty victory.
Sunday ended in North Antrim when both Dunloy and Loughgiel returned to their parishes the happier after two victories with Dunloy hosting new boys Glenariff whilst the Shamrocks travelled to rivals Ballycastle and were made to work hard for their victory over the town.
Group One
St John’s 0-20
Rossa 1-17
At Corrigan Park
A late score from Sean Wilson helped the Johnnies secure a late and dramatic draw after a feisty derby encounter in the heart of West Belfast kicked off the 2026 Senior Hurling Championship.
The Johnnies began their reign as Antrim’s top-club with a tough derby battle with neighbours Rossa who looked to be set-up for a victory after they headed into the break with a five-point lead.
Daire Murphy’s net buster after 50 seconds had Rossa firmly in front and they added to their attack with multiple scores from Murphy and Aodhan O’Brien giving the Jeremiahs the upper hand in the first half of the game.
Oisin MacManus picked up where he left off in last season’s championship proving deadly from frees and virtually keeping St John’s in the tie with his dead-ball count of five in the first half.
The Johnnies sprinted to the changing room and returned desperate to change the course of the game.
Limited goal chances allowed Oisin MacManus’ frees to take centre stage and he continued to cause Rossa damage, and the momentum flipped with the away side struggling to get a foothold in the half until Liam McEnhill entered the fray and pointed with his first touch of a sliotar.
The game descended into chaos for the final moments and both sides exchanged scores with MacManus and Gerard Walsh hitting the penultimate scores before Sean Wilson tied the game in injury time.
The hosts thought they had the game wrapped up when Oisin MacManus stepped up for his 12th free of the contest, but his faultless free-taking took a stump at the worst moment as the final puck of the game soared inches wide of the upright and a draw was the final result.
Ballycastle 0-15
Loughgiel Shamrocks 1-19
At Pairc MacÚilin
Loughgiel got their Bathshack Senior Hurling Championship campaign off to a winning start at Páirc MacUílín on Sunday, but they were made to work all the way by a determined Ballycastle side.
The Shamrocks led by just a point at half-time, in a first half where neither side managed to find much fluency. Ballycastle’s pressure and tackling frustrated Loughgiel, who were guilty of leaving several chances behind them when the referee sounded the whistle.
The game’s decisive moment came shortly after the restart. Roan McGarry pointed from a free before Paul Boyle struck the only goal of the evening in the 32nd minute, racing onto a long delivery from Declan McCloskey before finishing emphatically.
Loughgiel added further scores from James McNaughton and Ryan McKee to open an eight-point lead, but Ballycastle responded superbly.
Eoin McAlonan, Conor Boyd and Cadhan Crawford all found the target before Boyd added another, bringing The Town back into contention. Croistai McAuley then landed two frees and Niall McKenna followed with another point, leaving only three between the sides.
Ballycastle needed a goal to complete the comeback, but Loughgiel’s defence held firm. Ruairi McCormick, Declan McCloskey and Ben McGarry were particularly impressive, while Cormac McFadden had earlier produced a superb save to deny Cadhan Crawford.
The Shamrocks finished strongly, scoring five times in the final eight minutes to finally shake off their opponents.
McAuley finished with six points for Ballycastle, while Loughgiel had ten different scorers and were worthy winners at the end of the game.
Group Two
Naomh Éanna 0-13
Ruairi Óg Cushendall 3-23
At Páirc Éanna
Cushendall put the Antrim SHC on notice after a comprehensive victory over Naomh Éanna at Hightown on Saturday evening.
The men from the Dall dominated from start to finish, despite finishing with almost as many wides as points, and showcased the quality of a young side featuring seven U21 players in the starting line-up.
The standout performer was Joseph ‘Pep’ McLaughlin, who produced a sensational display, finishing with 1-13 before being withdrawn with just under 10 minutes remaining.
His movement, touch, link-up play and scoring accuracy made him virtually unmarkable and he was at the heart of everything good Cushendall produced.
Naomh Éanna started brightly, with Cian O’Connor and Ruairi Donaghy finding the target, but Cushendall soon took control.
McLaughlin scored their opening goal after being played through by Ryan McCambridge and Sean McAfee, while Ed McQuillan and McCambridge added further goals before half-time.
Loughgiel overcame their rivals Ballycastle in McQuillan Park
Cushendall led by 13-points when the half-time break was called and were well worth their lead.
The second half followed a similar pattern. Naomh Éanna managed only four points after half-time, while Cushendall continued to score freely.
McLaughlin continued to show his outstanding scoring ability adding multiple points in the second half, with Charlie McAuley and Conor Woodhouse also contributing.
The only blemish for Cushendall was Eoghan Campbell’s red card in the 45th minute following an off-the-ball incident during a challenge.
However, the dismissal had little effect as Cushendall continued to dominate, eventually winning by 20 points.
Cormac Jennings top scored for Naomh Éanna with seven points, but they struggled to cope with Cushendall’s pace, power and relentless work rate.
Naomh Éanna now turn their attention to Dunloy, while Cushendall face Glenariffe in two weeks.
Cuchullains Dunloy 4-30
Glenariff Oisin 1-17
At Pearse Park
The Antrim Football champions have their sights firmly set on returning the Volunteer Cup back to their trophy cabinet and they got their hopes of an Antrim double off to a flyer when they made light-work of the Intermediate champions Glenariff Oisin’s on Sunday afternoon.
The game was far from an easy start as the hosts were on the backfoot inside a minute when Michael O’Boyle managed to find the net after just 12 seconds and set the tone for Dunloy to immediately raise their game.
A first half brace from Ciarán Elliot firmly showed a reaction, alongside a terrific performance from Keelan Molloy who tallied double figures for his side and was unplayable at times throughout the hour.
The hosts ramped up the intensity and despite the best efforts from the away side they trailed by 15 points when the half-time whistle blew.
The second half was almost a carbon copy of the first with Dunloy striking 2-13 in the second period with the goals coming from Conal Cunning and Nigel Elliot as they strolled to a huge victory over the new boys in Antrim’s Senior Championship.
Glenariff did have some positive signs, Michael O’Boyle showed his worth at senior level, but Dunloy proved too strong and their quest for a double now looks in good shape after an emphatic victory in the opening game.
The next round of fixtures begin the weekend of Saturday August 29th and tickets are available on the Antrim website.
Group One Fixtures:
(Saturday 29th August)
Ballycastle v St John's
Rossa v Loughgiel Shamrocks
Group Two Fixtures:
(Sunday 30th August)
Naomh Éanna v Dunloy
Cushendall v Glenariff Oisin
