AIB All-Ireland Club Intermediate Championship semi-finals
Eglish (Tyrone) 0-10 Ahascragh-Caltra (Galway) 1-8
(after extra-time);
Clanmaurice (Kerry) 1-15 St Brigid’s (Laois) 2-10
IT was a case of being within touching distance of Croke Park for Eglish in Kinnegad as they matched Ahascragh/Caltra from Galway every step of the way.
It was drama from start to finish, with the sides level at 0-4 each at half-time, 0-7 each at full-time and 0-10 to 1-7 at half-time in extra time before Sarah Noone grabbed a late winner for the Galway side.
An early point from Oilibhia Farley and three points from Ciara Geoghegan, including two frees, accounted for the four Eglish points in the first half.
Ahascaragh/Caltra scored all their four points in the middle part of the half and they took the lead in the third quarter with two points from Aoibhe Glynn, one a free.
However, Farley and Leanne Donnelly from a 45 hit fine scores to edge Eglish ahead again. But three minutes into stoppage-time, Sarah Noone was the Ahascragh-Caltra heroine, pointing a free to make it 0-7 each.
Eglish took a two-point lead at the start of extra-time before Noone’s long-range free went all the way to the net. Ciara Geoghegan tied up the scores again just before half-time.
Eglish now had the breeze behind them but were short or wide with a couple of efforts and Noone took advantage to score the winner from a free 50 metres out.
That score sent the Galway champions through to a final meeting with holders Clanmaurice from Kerry, who beat St Brigid’s of Laois a little more comfortably than the 1-15 to 2-10 scoreline suggests.
AIB All-Ireland Club Junior A Championship semi-finals
Granemore (Armagh) 2-9 Oran (Roscommon) 1-3;
Modeligo (Waterford) 1-6 Knockananna (Wicklow) 1-16
GRANEMORE, the All-Ireland title-holders, are back in the final after beating Roscommon’s Oran in Ballyshannon on Saturday.
The Armagh side had a gruelling enough battle in the opening half, during which they only scored once from open play, the last of their five points coming from Corinna Doyle. The other four came from free-taker Rachael Merry, a couple of those when the same player was closing in on goal and pulled down.
Oran kept the Granemore defence under pressure throughout the first half and a goal from Claire Curley left them trailing by a single point at the change of ends, 1-1 to 0-5.
Granemore had the breeze behind them in the second half and it opened well for them with Merry tagging on a fifth point and then Fiadhna Loughran bagging a goal to open up a gap between the team.
Oran responded with their best spell of the half during which they hit points through Anna Hussey and free-taker Hazel Kelly to make it 1-6 to 1-3.
However, Merry grabbed a second goal for the Ulster champions in the 46th minute and they ground out the result with Corrina Doyle and Merry adding points each from play before a late free from Merry completed the scoring.
In the other semi, 2022 beaten finalists Knockananna from Wicklow were comfortable winners against Waterford champions Modeligo.
AIB All-Ireland Club Junior A Championship semi-finals
Naomh Treasa (Tyrone) 3-7 Annacurra (Wicklow) 0-4;
Ceann Creige (Glasgow) 3-11 Pádraig Pearses (Roscommon) 0-1
DUNGANNON’S Naomh Treasa, the 2020 All-Ireland Junior B champions, are back in the final.
They took the lead with a goal in the fifth minute from inspirational midfielder Róisín McErlean and stayed ahead for the rest of the semi-final against Wicklow champions Annacurra in Kinnegad.
Annacurra midfielder Sarah Doyle had opened the scoring and she was to prove the main threat to the Tyrone side’s aspirations, but she lacked the support that top-scoring McErlean got from defenders Bronagh Barker and Áine McNulty and Beth Jones in the forward line.
Jones (two), McErlean (two) and Cara Little all pointed before Little really stretched Naomh Treasa’ lead with a goal a couple of minutes before half-time for them to turn around with a 2-5 to 0-2 lead.
Sarah Doyle doubled hers and Annacurra’s first-half tally on the re-start, but they never really were able to breach the Dungannon side’s defence, although Eimear Colton had to make a good save to keep her line intact.
McErlean pointed twice before bringing her tally to 2-4 with a second goal five minutes from time.
In the other semi, Glasgow side Ceann Creige caused a shock with a comprehensive 19-point defeat of Pádraig Pearses.
Bridie McMenamin Shield final
Éire Óg (Tyrone) 1-13 Greenlough (Derry) 0-7
A SUPERB performance from defender Ailise Coyle guided Éire Óg to the Bridie McMenamin Shield in Carrickmore.
The last Tyrone side to collect the title was Naomh Treasa, who won back-to-back titles and then went on to collect the All-Ireland junior B crown and this very young Carmen side also look capable of stepping up a level.
The home side were the dominant team over the hour, even during the opening half that finished with Aoibhin Daly and Conla Kerr cancelling each other out with three frees each.
Niamh McElduff’s point in the sixth minute proved the difference at 0-4 to 0-3, but you wondered at the break if the seven wides, many from frees, would be costly for Éire Óg.
After the break, however, points from Daly and McElduff opened the gap to three as Greenlough’s shooting became wayward.
By the time Kerr got their first score since half-time in the 46th minute, Daly had stretched Éire Óg’s total to 0-9 and the wily Sorcha Gormley had claimed the only goal of the encounter.
Kerr reduced the gap with three frees, but late in the game, Daly brought her personal tally to 10 points and sub Áine Sherry added a 13th point for her side to run out comfortable winners.
