St Anthony’s PS win hurling competition

Pictured at the Larne Primary Schools' Hurling Cup in Larne Leisure Centre are the St Anthony's Primary School team. Photo: Peter Rippon

The standard of hurling at the competition, which also included Corran Integrated, was the most impressive aspect of the day with only two goals separating the teams after four matches.

Each team played each other twice in a mini league, with the first three games ending in draws. The fourth match saw Corran beat St Anthony’s 3-2. After two draws and a defeat, St Anthony’s needed a win in their last game against St MacNissi’s to remain in the competition. They got the victory they required with a 2-0 success.

The last league game was the highest scoring of the day as St MacNissi’s emerged 4-2 victors over Corran. It meant the league stage of the tournament ended up with all three sides having played four, won one, drawn two and lost one. This meant the final line-up would be decided by goal difference with St Anthony’s and St MacNissi’s making it through.

Before that, the players took part in the individual rolling penalty competition. Corran Integrated’s Bailey Marshall, who was also the Player of the Tournament, won the shootout.

Everything went right for St Anthony’s in the first half of the final and by the interval they had a three-goal lead.

St MacNissi’s mounted a brave fightback in the second half which saw the boys in green score two goals to set up a nervy finish.

However, St Anthony’s held out to become the first-ever winners of the Larne Schools’ Hurling Cup with a 3-2 victory in the final.

Organisers hope to run the event again in 2015.