The seniors got back to the league this week after a long break due to the All-Ireland championship and had a share of the spoils in a tight encounter with Errigal Ciaran on Sunday afternoon in Ballinderry and also a few old faces with back playing in the senior side. In a shaky start for both teams, Stephen Coney was able to get Ardboe off the mark after two squandered chances on both sides but Errigal also settled hitting their first point minutes later from a free kick.
Frank McGuigan got his name on the score board firing over a wonderful point and judged correctly with a strong cross field wind in Ballinderry. Errigal did miss another scoring opportunity but soon drew things level adding their second score. At the begging of the second quarter Gavin Wylie was able to edge Ardboe in the lead again and Errigal hit their third wide after working the ball down to the other end. In the middle of the field, John McConville on his return from a short spell in was collecting a lot off ball but Ardboe’s next score came from a foul on Defender Eugene Devlin after a great run into Errigal’s half that Frank McGuigan easily converted. The Rossa’s extended their lead with Paul Coney collecting a breaking ball from the kick out and slotting over. But Errigal still kept in, it converting another point. A great catch in the middle from John McConville led to Ardboe’s next score with the mid-fielder laying the ball off to Nishy O’Neill who then was able to find Tommy McGuigan who fired over. Again Errigal responded quickly, getting their third point. And to towards the dying minutes of the first half Ardboe were awarded their first 45 taken by John McConville who t up Nishy O’Neill’s first point of the game and Ardboe’s last of the half. Errigal still kept the pressure on and got their fifth and last point of the half to leave two separating the teams at the break. Half Time 7-5.
In the second half Errigal Ciaran was able to keep the pressure on Ardboe and also take the lead and also got off to a kick start rattling over two early scores to bring things level. Gavin Wylie converted a free kick to put the Rossa’s in the lead again and another point from Nishy O’Neill and from Gavin Wylie were able to further extend that lead but for the next quarter, Errigal looked as if they were going to control it to the end striking over three points but the Rossa’s didn’t give up and Gavin Wylie hit two more free kicks and it looked as if in the last few minutes it was anybody’s game but on another storing run from defense Eugene Devlin got his name on the score board but Errigal leveled things in the last minutes and both teams traveled home with a point each.
Team: R. McElroy, E. Devlin (0-1), C. Mc Keown, R. Graham, S. Coney(0-1), F. Devlin, R. McGurk, J. McConville, G. Wylie(0-4), T. McGuigan(0-1), P. Coney(0-1), J Cummings, E. Martin, F.McGuigan(0-2) and N.O’Neill(0-2).
