Offaly condemn 14-man Antrim to Leinster SHC relegation
Antrim lost Niall O'Connor to an early red card as their three-year stint in the Leinster Senior Hurling Championship was ended with a 3-15 to 1-16 defeat by Offaly in Tullamore.
Brian Duignan (1-7), Dan Ravenhill (1-2) and Killian Sampson (1-0) scored Offaly's goals to help the Faithful County retain their top-flight championship status for 2026 while condemning Davy Fitzgerald's side to the Joe McDonagh Cup.
Knowing that only victory would keep his team at hurling's top table, Fitzgerald received a pre-match boost when he was able to reinstate James McNaughton and Keelan Molloy to the starting line-up after suspension and injury.
However, having already conceded a second-minute goal from Offaly marksman Brian Duignan, the Ulster county's hopes were further hit when O'Connor was shown a straight red card after just seven minutes at O'Connor Park.
O'Connor was sent off by referee Michael Kennedy, who adjudged that the corner-back had stamped on Offaly forward Charlie Mitchell after consulting with his empires.
It was the third game in a row in which Antrim were reduced to 14 men following Declan McCloskey and McNaughton's dismissals in defeats by Dublin and Galway respectively.
To Antrim's credit, they worked hard to stay in touch after a disastrous start, but Offaly were able to move three clear through Dan Ravenhill's penalty after Mitchell went down in the square under Conal Bohill's challenge.
Antrim, who had the wind advantage in the first half, again showed resilience and levelled the score at 2-4 to 0-10 with four unanswered points, which included two from the returning Molloy.
Offaly, however, finished the half strongly with five of the last six scores to establish a 2-9 to 0-11 cushion at the break.
With Offaly initially unable to capitalise on their wind or numerical advantage, the second half was a low-scoring arm wrestle with the hosts maintaining their four-point lead before McNaughton - who finished with 1-8 - gave Antrim renewed hope with a brilliant goal.
McNaughton's 65th-minute strike brought Antrim back to within one, but after Stephen Rooney immediately denied Duignan with a superb goal-saving block, Sampson's green flag three minutes from time sent Offaly on their way to victory.
Antrim have been the escape artists in Leinster over the past few years, earning last-round wins over Westmeath and Carlow in 2023 and 2024 to stay up, but they drop out of the top tier after losing all five of their matches in Fitzgerald's first year at the helm.
Offaly: Mark Troy; Ben Conneely, Ciaran Burke, Sam Bourke; Ross Ravenhill, Donal Shirley (0-2), Jason Sampson; Cathal King, Colin Spain; Killian Sampson (1-0), Daniel Bourke (0-2), Oisin Kelly; Dan Ravenhill (1-2), Charlie Mitchell (0-3), Brian Duignan (1-7, 7f)
Subs: Jack Clancy for D Ravenhill '38, Eoghan Cahill for J Sampson '64.
Antrim: Ryan Elliott; Stephen Rooney, Paddy Burke (0-1), Niall O'Connor; Conall Bohill, Joe Maskey, Conor Boyd; Gerard Walsh (0-2), Eoghan Campbell; Ryan McCambridge (0-1), Nigel Elliott (0-1), Scott Walsh (0-1); James McNaughton (1-8, 8f), Eoin O'Neill, Keelan Molloy (0-2).
Subs: Cormac McKeown for McCambridge '55.
Referee: Michael Kennedy (Tipperary)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
News24
6 hours ago
- News24
URC semi-finals: Bulls v Sharks
Anthony Dibon/Icon Sport via Getty Images 1h ago Andrew Brace is our referee today. We are minutes away from kick-off. 1h ago The Sharks also have a late change, with flank Emmanuel Tshituka replacing Jurenzo Julius on the bench, which gives the visiting bench a 6-2 split. Simnikiwe Xabanisa/News24 1h ago Prop Simphiwe Matanzima, blue top, looks like he won't be coming off the bench as planned. He'd been ill during the week, was replaced by Alulutho Tshakweni on the bench, before being reinstated. Now it looks like he's not playing. Simnikiwe Xabanisa/News24 1h ago 1h ago 1h ago 1h ago Judging by how Leinster were going on this big screen at Loftus Park, all roads lead to Dublin... Simnikiwe xabanisa/News24 1h ago Whoever wins between the Bulls and the Sharks will travel to Ireland to take on Leinster. They easily dispatched Glasgow Warriors 37-19 in the first semi-final today. Go to top
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Lambourn storms to Derby triumph with 11th victory for Aidan O'Brien
'Everything in Ballydoyle is about Epsom,' Aidan O'Brien said on Saturday after the Derby, and perhaps a little superfluously, as Lambourn's 13-2 success in the colts' Classic had just sealed a clean sweep of the three Group One events at the meeting. Lambourn was not the first-string in the trainer's three-strong team – Delacroix, the 2-1 favourite with Ryan Moore in the saddle was only ninth – but like every other horse at the yard, he had been prepared like an Epsom horses from his first days at the yard. Like Minnie Hauk, Friday's Oaks winner, he had also been sent to Chester's May meeting, where the undulations and turns are similar to those at Epsom, to complete his preparation for Saturday's race, and having been sent straight into the lead by Wayne Lordan, his jockey, he gained another length or two on his field with a slick, assured passage down the hill and around Tattenham Corner. Advertisement Related: Lambourn wins the 2025 Derby in dominant fashion: horse racing – live Lazy Griff, who was one-and-a-half lengths behind Lambourn in the Chester Vase, had also been close to the pace from the off and briefly threatened to make inroads into Lambourn's lead from three out, but Lambourn found more when Lordan asked for a final effort and he was nearly four lengths in front of Lazy Griff (50-1) and Christophe Soumillon at the line. Tennessee Stud, another outsider at 28-1, was third for trainer Joseph O'Brien, the winning jockey aboard Australia, Lambourn's sire, in 2014. Lambourn, in fact, is a third-generation Derby winner for O'Brien, as Australia was sired by Galileo, the first of his record total of 11 Derby winners back in 2001. 'He's a lazy horse, and Chester is always great place for putting an edge on a horse,' O'Brien said. 'It makes them quick and wakes them up, there's a great atmosphere there and there on the turn. So we always think Chester really sharpens them up, it gives them quick feet and we always send good horses there. Advertisement 'Lambourn was second to Delacroix [in the Ballysax Stakes] first time out, and we took him to Chester and Ryan loved him at Chester, but he couldn't ride them all. I'd say he's probably an Irish Derby horse [for his next race], but he will get further as well. 'Ryan said he got taken out of his ground over halfway [on Delacroix] so his chance was over. Colin [Keane] said The Lion In Winter wasn't going forward, so it was maybe the track or the ground.' For Lordan, who picked up the ride on Lambourn when Moore opted for Delacroix, this was a first Derby victory and as close to an armchair ride as it gets around Epsom. 'He's a lovely, genuine horse,' Lordan said. 'When I jumped I just wanted to get him into a stride because he's a horse that stays well, and races lazily also. Advertisement 'He was enjoying it in front and his ears were pricked and I was able to go forward good and early. I did feel [going into the race] that he was a bit under-rated, because he's not a flashy horse, he just goes on the bridle and does his own thing. The other horses are good travellers and quicken, mine is just genuine and goes with the flow, but when you look for him, there's loads in there.' Lambourn is already priced up at a shade of odds-on for the Irish Derby later this month, while Charlie Johnston, the trainer of Lazy Griff, may pick between the Irish Derby or the Grand Prix de Paris for the runner-up before a run in the St Leger at Doncaster in September. A big squad of owners from the big Middleham Park Racing syndicate that owns Lazy Griff will be guaranteed wherever he runs. Perth 1.40 Emily Love 2.12 Away She Goes 2.47 Heart Above 3.22 Schmilsson 3.57 Stans The Man 4.32 Can't Beat History 5.07 Donso Star 5.42 True Destiny Advertisement Goodwood 1.50 Fine Interview 2.25 Stellar Sunrise 3.00 Miss Apres 3.35 Tattycoram 4.10 Aggagio (nb) 4.45 Hamish 5.20 Nariko (nap) 'We told as many people as would listen that we couldn't understand why he was such a huge price,' Johnston said. 'Lambourn was 13-2 yet this morning we were 100-1. It's safe to say the Chester form held up well. 'I'm surprised how well he handled the track because that was always my biggest concern, because he's quite a heavy-topped horse and we felt if the ground wasn't as soft as it was, he wouldn't be here.'
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Glasgow make two changes for Leinster semi-final
Glasgow Warriors have made two changes from the side that beat Stormers in the URC quarter-finals for Saturday's semi-final against Leinster. Fin Richardson replaces Murphy Walker as the starting tighthead prop, while Adam Hastings starts at fly-half with Tom Jordan shifting to 12 and Stafford McDowall dropping to the bench. Advertisement Scotland centre Huw Jones misses out again, as do forwards Matt Fagerson, Jack Dempsey and Zander Fagerson. Ireland and Leinster full-back Hugo Keenan will miss the game having not been included in the matchday squad. He is replaced by Jimmy O'Brien in the 15 shirt, while Tommy O'Brien starts on the right wing.. Dan Sheehan returns at hooker, with Ronan Kelleher dropping to the bench, while Scott Penny replaces the injured Josh van der Flier at open-side flanker. Glasgow have lost on their past two trips to Dublin, having been thrashed 52-0 by Leinster in April in the Champions Cup and beaten 13-5 in the final match of the regular URC season. Advertisement Glasgow XV to face Leinster: McKay, Steyn, Tuipulotu, Jordan, Hastings, Horne; Bhatti, Hiddleston, Richardson, Samuel, Cummings, Ferrie, Darge, Venter. Replacements: Matthews, Sutherland, Talakai, Williamson, Mann, Duncan, McDowall, Dobie.
