Now Ballycastle historically may be the kingpins of Antrim hurling, long before the rise of modern giants Dunloy and Cushendall, but they have adapted well to the big ball game. It is hard to fathom how they were placed in Division 6 as they have the look of a team who would be comfortable certainly a few grades up the ladder.

Included in their ranks is ex-Bellaghy star Joe Cassidy, who was bracketed with Enda Muldoon as the future of Derry football, after starring on the 1995 minor side who reached the All Ireland final, before giving a memorable display on an All Ireland U21 winning team in 1997. Joe’s career may not have lived up to that early star billing but he is still a formidable player.

Joe performed well on the night but he was also facing a hyped up opponent in Kieran Storrie. Kieran recently became a father for the first time with the arrival of little Oliver, and as though keen to prove that he would be a watchful father, he never let Cassidy out of his sight. Kieran was all over Joe like a rash, and can take great pride from his own display.

Despite playing with the breeze St Comgall’s found themselves 4 points behind after 10 minutes as they were punished for some loose passing and poor decision making. Missing regular centre half Chris Noade due to an unseasonal flu, this certainly disrupted the usually assured local defence.

When St Comgall’s finally clicked they were effective with their short passing game, supplemented by clever running off the ball in support of one another. Ballycastle however were the strongest, most physical and aggressive team the local lads faced this year and they made it difficult for St Comgall’s to execute their game plan. At half time the visitors led by 0-8 to 0-2 despite playing against a strong breeze.

The second half witnessed a spirited revival by the home side. Sean Gillen’s running on the left opened up space for the forwards to exploit and Clarke Fennelly benefitted with a few excellently struck points from play as well as a few from placed balls.

The big turning point in the game however occurred with the introduction of Conor McLornnan as a substitute. As often happens Conor made the selectors rue their decision to omit him by crashing home two goals within ten minutes of entering the fray. If only we could all enjoy hindsight before an event!

St Comgall’s now applied all the pressure with Ballycastle being restricted to a single score in the last fifteen to twenty minutes of playing time.