Gaelic Games

Image source, Inpho

Antrim kicked off their National Football League Division Four campaign with a thumping 7-17 to 1-3 victory against Kilkenny on Sunday.

The Saffrons scored six goals in the first half to hold a commanding 6-10 to 1-0 lead at the break.

Lara Dahunsi and Nicole Jones both scored two goals whilst Luisne Adams, Maria O'Neill, and Aoife Turley also found the net.

Elsewhere, All-Ireland junior champions Fermanagh beat All-Ireland intermediate champions Leitrim 3-13 to 2-9 in Kiltubrid.

Goals from Eimear Smyth and Aoife McCabe gave Fermanagh a 2-5 to 0-6 advantage at the break.

Leitrim responded with goals from Muireann Devaney and Roisin McHugh as they cut the gap to three in the second-half, before Blathin Bogue's strike sealed the opening day win Fermanagh.

Derry fell to a 5-14 to 1-8 defeat at the hands of Longford, whilst Sligo beat Wicklow 1-13 to 1-3.

Division Four Results:

Antrim 7-17 Kilkenny 1-3

Fermanagh 3-13 Leitrim 2-9

Sligo 1-13 Wicklow 1-3

Longford 5-14 Derry 1-8

Image source, Inpho

Errigal Ciaran's extra-time hero Joe Oguz said he owed his team-mates in the 20 minutes of added action in the All-Ireland Club Football semi-final against Dr Crokes after not being at his best in normal time.

The midfielder fisted the Tyrone side's last point in the first period of extra-time before hammering a sensational goal which seemed to finally break the resistance of the two-time All-Ireland Champions.

"I was annoyed with myself for my normal-time display," said Oguz after Errigal Ciaran's dramatic 2-18 to 1-18 triumph.

"Every other man had got us to extra-time, I just had to put in a performance in extra-time."

After taking a pass from Ruairi Canavan, Oguz ran 20 metres before finding the top right-hand corner of the Crokes net thanks to a stunning shot with the outside of his right boot.

"When we are doing the drills in training, we are often told 'go for the crossbar'," said Oguz of his goal.

"It's either going to go in or go over the crossbar."

Despite the heroics of the Canavan brothers who accumulated a combined 1-13, Errigal Ciaran only took the game to extra-time thanks to a long-range point from wing-back Peter Og McCartan in the final moments of second-half injury-time.

It was the second successive match that the previously unheralded McCartan had notched a vital score after he hit the winner in the Ulster final against Kilcoo.

Oguz's midfield partner Ben McDonnell said he was mightily relieved by McCartan's score after he had squandered a chance earlier in injury-time.

"I was happy to see it go over because I missed one before it. Now it's all over, I owe him a few pints," smiled McDonnell.

"We joked about the Ulster final that he probably wasn't the man we'd want in that position but he stood up again. Fair play to him for having the guts to kick that point."