2016 Christy Ring Cup Final
The 2016 Christy Ring Cup final was a hurling match played at Croke Park on 4 June 2016 to determine the winners of the 2016 Christy Ring Cup, the 12th season of the Christy Ring Cup, a tournament organised by the Gaelic Athletic Association for the second tier hurling teams. The final was contested by Antrim of Ulster and Meath of Leinster, with the game ending in a controversial 1-20 to 2-17 draw.[1]
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| Event | 2016 Christy Ring Cup | ||||||
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| Date | 4 June 2016 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | John O'Brien (Tipperary) | ||||||
| Replay | |||||||
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| Date | 25 June 2016 | ||||||
| Venue | Croke Park, Dublin | ||||||
| Referee | Cathal McAllister (Cork) | ||||||
| Attendance | 2,938 | ||||||
The final between Antrim and Meath was the second Ring Cup meeting between the two teams, with Meath failing to beat Antrim on the previous occasion in 2006. Antrim were appearing in their second final ever and were hoping to make a speedy return to the All-Ireland Senior Hurling Championship after being relegated in 2015. Meath were appearing in their very first final.
Antrim eased ahead with scores from Ciarán Clarke, from a ’65, James Connolly and Conor Johnston. In the 15th minute Johnston sent a bullet to the net after being picked out perfectly by Clarke’s cut-back from the end line. Niall McKenna, Connolly and Clarke, with a delightful effort from right on the sideline, were all on target for a 1-7 to 0-1 lead by the 19th minute. James Toher converted a series of frees for Meath and reduced the deficit to 1-10 to 0-7 at the break.
Meath were right back in contention when Neil Heffernan smashed home a brilliant goal five minutes into the second half. In the 70th minute, Kevin Keena squared the ball to fellow sub Seán Quigley, who smashed home a goal from 20 metres. Quigley added a stoppage-time point, and Meath had secured what appeared to be a sensational 2-18 to 1-20 victory.
However, while the Croke Park scoreboard and the TG4 television graphic had Meath as winners, many reporters at the game had it down as a draw in their notes. The scorers list for Meath recorded only 23 points in their 24 to 23-point win. The confusion appears to have arisen from an incident in the 63rd minute. Ahead 1-19 to 1-15, Antrim scored a point but the TG4 graphic moved the Meath score to 1-16 and left the Saffrons at 1-19. Referee John O’Brien from Tipperary later told TG4 that his report confirms the result in Meath's favour. After an appeal by Antrim, the game was deemed to have ended in a draw and Meath eventually agreed to a replay.[2]
Match details
Drawn match
Antrim  | 1-20 - 2-17 |  |
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| C Johnston 1-2, C Clarke 0-5 (1f, 1 '65), J Connolly 0-4, E McCloskey, N McKenna 0-3 each, E Campbell, C McKinley, S McAfee 0-1 each. | Report | N Heffernan, S Quigley 1-1 each, J Toher 0-5 (5f), A Gannon, J Keena 0-3 each, K Keoghan 0-2, S Heavey, K Keena 0-1 each. |
         Antrim
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     Meath
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References
- Cummiskey, Gavin (9 June 2016). "Meath and Antrim hurlers to meet again at Croke Park". Irish Times. Retrieved 10 June 2016.
- "Meath hurlers agree to play in Christy Ring Cup replay, just not this weekend". Irish Examiner. 8 June 2016. Retrieved 11 June 2016.