Cushendall 1-24 Slaughtneil 3-17
Cushendall won a tenth Ulster club senior hurling championship after an exhausting extra-time battle with Slaughtneil in the Athletic Grounds.
The Antrim champions outscored their opponents by five points to two in a tension-filled second period of extra time.
To lose after extra-time was the worst possible result for Slaughtneil, who were playing a 13thchampionship match in 11 weeks and have 13 players involved in an Ulster club SFC quarter-final against Scotstown (Monaghan) next Sunday.
Cushendall appeared to be cruising to victory when they opened up a 0-8 to 0-3 lead after 27 minutes.
Slaughtneil, lethargic and flat out of ideas early on, could not break down the Antrim champions' well-drilled defence and even with the breeze at their backs their forwards offered little.
Cushendall were smarter in possession and Neil McManus was hugely influential, hitting five first-half points including the opening point from play after 43 seconds.
He followed it up with a fifth minute free before Cormac O'Doherty got Slaughtneil on the scoreboard three minutes later.
Former Antrim veteran Karl McKeegan rolled back the years with two fine points from the wings to stretch Cushendall's lead before a McManus brace put them five points clear.
Chrissy McKaigue, one of 13 dual players chasing Ulster glory in both codes, showed great leadership to turn the match around for Slaughtneil.
He drove forward and clipped over a point in the 27th minute and within a minute, stroked over a long-range point.
O'Doherty tagged on a free in the last minute of normal time and suddenly, it was game on.
Slaughtneil started to get the ball into the forwards a lot quicker and when McKaigue's attempt at another point dropped short, Derry footballer Brendan Rodgers batted the sliothair down into the net.
O'Doherty tapped over an injury-time free to complete an astonishing turnaround for Slaughtneil, who scored an unanswered 1-4 in five minutes before the break to somehow lead by 1-7 to 0-8.
Cushendall started the second half brightly and drew level after seven minutes – but Slaughtneil responded with a Gareth O'Kane goal after Cushendall failed to clear their lines.
Cushendall didn't panic and Shane McNaughton, who did a lot more damage when moved from midfield to full-forward, scored a point and a brilliant goal from his brother Christy put the Antrim men ahead again by 1-13 to 2-9 after 43 minutes.
Slaughtneil were desperate to become the first Derry club to win an Ulster hurling title and they dug deep again, Brian Cassidy's goal in the 49th minute putting them ahead by 3-10 to 1-15.
Christy McNaughton's point and two McManus frees seemed to be edging Cushendall to victory but Cormac O'Doherty slung over an equalising injury-time free to take it to extra time.
Slaughtneil's exertions in both codes in recent weeks began to tell with Cushendall playing with superior intensity in the added 20 minutes.
Points from McManus, Conor Carson and Donal McNaughton put them in control again but they still needed goalkeeper Eoin Gillan to make a save right at the death to deny Mark McGuigan in a dramatic finish.
Cushendall: E Gillan; D Kearney, M Burke, A McNaughton; E Campbell (0-01), R McCambridge, S Delargy; S McNaughton (0-02), P McGill; A Graffin (capt), N McManus (0-13, 10f), D McNaughton (0-02); K McKeegan (0-02), S McAfee (0-01), C McNaughton (1-02)
Substitutes: C Carson (0-01) for Kearney (46), E Laverty for McKeegan (56), C McAlister for S McNaughton (57), A Delargy for C McNaughton (71)
Slaughtneil: O O'Doherty (0-01, f) ; M Kearney (0-01), S Cassidy, Shane McGuigan; K McKaigue, M McGrath, C McKenna; C McKaigue (capt, 0-02), P McNeill; M McGuigan, C O'Doherty (0-09, 9f), G O'Kane (1-01); B Rodgers (1-02, 1f), Se McGuigan, B Cassidy (1-01)
Substitutes: P Kearney for C McKenna (55) B Og Corbett for M Kearney (55), J Mulholland for M McGrath (60), M McGrath for O'Kane (69)
Referee: James Clarke (Cavan)
