Antrim Downed in Newry
James McCartan's Down side made it two wins out of two in Group C of the Barrett Sports Lighting Dr McKenna Cup tonight, getting the better of Antrim on a 0-19 to 1-11 scoreline in Newry.
A dominant first half display helped the Mourne men take control at Pairc Esler, with recent recruit Martin Clarke again looking the part.
The former Aussie Rules player scored a sizzling 1-6 against Queen's on his debut last Saturday, and tonight he fired over four first half points.
Clarke's haul and notable contributions from Conor Laverty (0-3) and Peter Fitzpatrick (0-2) had McCartan's men leading Antrim by 0-13 to 0-4 at half-time.
The hosts' scores dried up somewhat in the second half as Antrim made better use of possession, landing six points in a row to put Down under some pressure.
Substitute Neil O'Connell also grabbed the game's only goal for Antrim, six minutes from the finish, but Down had done enough to hold on.
Paddy Cunningham took the top scorer's mantle with eight points, while substitute Paul McComiskey sealed the home win with three late points.
