It's sweet 16 for Cushendall as they tame Dunloy and conditions for Antrim crown

ON SONG: Neil McManus of Ruairí Óg Cushendall. Pic: INPHO/Andrew Paton

Antrim SHC final: Cushendall 1-16 Dunloy 2-12 

CUSHENDALL were celebrating a sweet 16th Antrim Senior Hurling Championship title on Sunday as they weathered the storm that bit better than Dunloy in Ballycastle.

On a horrible day for hurling, the defending champions found themselves six adrift at the break despite playing into the gale and managed to take over in the second period.

Cushendall would have been very happy with how things began as they led 0-3 to 0-2 after 10 minutes with frees from Neil McManus and Dunloy's Seaan Elliott accounting for all the scores.

Dunloy did get into a flow with Keelan Molloy and Paul Shiels on target with Joseph McLaughlin landing Cushendall's first from play, but the goal DUnloy needed came on 20 minutes as Eoin O'Neill read a long delivery from Kevin Molloy to get in behind and bury.

He could have had another but his whipped effort was saved for a 65 that Elliott converted with Keelan Molloy then stretching the gap to seven.

It wasn't a huge gap considering the wind and they had goalkeeper Ryan Elliott made a stunning save from a Neil McManus penalty. McManus did land the 65 and at the break, this left six between them with Dunloy 1-8 to 0-5 ahead.

It took a while for Cushendall to find their range in the second half, but they began to eat into the lead with McLaughlin, Fred McCurry, Fergus McCambride, Paddy McGill and a monster free from goalkeeper Cononr McAlister bringing them to within one.

They hit the front as Ed McQuillan cracked home, but Dunloy hit back in kind soon after as Seaan Elliott buried a penalty after older brother Nigel had been impeded.

But the Ruairis powered on with five of the next six to lead by a goal late on and although Paul Shiels clipped over a pair of late frees for Dunloy, it was a goal they needed as Cushendall claimed the Volunteer Cup for a 16th time.

Scorers for Cushendall: N McManus 0-7 (5f, 2 65s); E McQuillan 1-0; J McLaughlin 0-2, F McCambridge 0-2; F McCurry 0-1, E Campbell 0-1, R McAteer 0-1, P McGill 0-1, C McAlister 0-1 (free) 

Scorers for Dunloy: S Elliott 1-4 (1-0 pen, 0-2f, 0-2 65s), E O'Neill 1-1, Keelan Molloy 0-3, P Shiels 0-3 (2f), A McGarry 0-1

CUSHENDALL: Conor McAlister; Liam Gillan, Paddy Burke, Martin Burke; Scott Walsh, Eoghan Campbell, Ruairi McCollam; Fred McCurry, Ryan McCambridge; Ronan McAteer, Neil McManus, Fergus McCambridge; Ed McQuillan, Sean McAfee, Joseph McLaughlin.

Subs: Paddy McGill for S McAfee (40), Alex Delargy for F McCurry (53), Ciaran Neeson for E McQuillan (58), Andrew Delargy for R McCambridge (60+3) 

DUNLOY: Ryan Elliott; Phelim Duffin, Ryan McGarry, Oran Quinn; Eoin McFerran, Kevin Molloy, Nicky McKeague; Paul Shiels, Tom McFerran; Seaan Elliott, Aodhan McGarry, Keelan Molloy; Eoin O'Neill, Anton McGrath, Nigel Elliott.

Subs: Chrissy McMahon for A McGrath (44), Gabriel McTaggart for A McGarry (53), Paudie Martin for T McFerran (55) 

REFEREE: Ciaran McCloskey (Loughgiel)