Antrim Fire Stop & Seal Ltd senior championship final
Loughgiel 5-20 Ruairí Óg Cushendall 1-4
WHEN Caitrin Dobbin opened her account in the 14th minute of this Antrim Fire Stop & Seal Ltd senior championship final in Armoy on Saturday afternoon, all six Loughgiel forwards had hit the target and they led by 2-5 to 0-0.
Christine Laverty and Racquel McCarry were the goal-scorers in that flurry of first quarter activity that illustrated the range of scoring options facing a young Ruairí Óg team appearing in the club’s first senior final in 18 years.
If they managed to shut down one area another avenue to the posts quickly opened and the Shamrocks were able to move the sliotar around with accuracy and pace stretching the over-worked Cushendall defence with Lucia McNaughton emerging as the Player of the Match in what was essentially a superb team performance.
While the losers fought from start to finish with Colleen Patterson, Dervla Cosgrove and Orlagh O’Hara their main force in carrying ball forward, their defence was always under pressure.
Indeed the score-board had moved to 2-10 before O’Hara tapped over the first of her two frees and the teams turned over at 2-12 to 0-2, with Cushendall now having the wind in their favour.
However an early point from Roisin McCormick and a goal from Aisling McFadden didn’t allow the sea-siders to gain any momentum.
Racquel Murphy then hit her team’s fourth goal after a well worked free before Cushendall hit their best spell with an unanswered 1-2 between the 47th and 53rd minutes, the goal due to the quick reactions of Orlagh O'Hara who drilled a loose ball to the net from 10 yards.
However it was no more than a brief respite with Roisin McCormick racing through to crash home a fifth goal near the close, the team’s 23rd score from open play.
The Shamrocks have now achieved a perfect record in Antrim adult camogie this season and completed a senior five in a row as they set their sights on an Ulster title-fight with Slaughtneil.
Incidentally the last team to complete a five in a row in Antrim were Rossa who went on to take the first ever All-Ireland club title north in 2008. Slaughtneil’s three-in-row provincial and national bid could be under threat.
Loughgiel: M Coyle, C Campbell, L Connolly, F McVeigh, M Lynn, M Connolly capt, C Laverty, A Boyle, E McFadden, C Boyle, R McCormick 1-4, 0-1 free, L McNaughton 0-5, C Laverty 1-1, C Dobbin 0-3, R Murphy 2-2, A McFadden 1-3.
Subs: C Higgins 0-1 for C Boyle, E McMullan 0-1 for C Laverty,
Ruairí Óg: N Cosgrove, A McClafferty, C Kearney capt., C McKillop, C Patterson, L McMullan, C McNaughton, D Cosgrove 0-1 free, S McKillop, O O’Hara 1-3, 0-2 frees, E Leech, N McCurry, N McQuillan, S Cosgrove, B Abram.
Referee: Michael Hardy (Rasharkin)
Walsh's Hotel Derry Senior Championship Final
Slaughtneil Emmett’s 1-24 Swatragh 0-7
THERE were no surprises in Rossa Park in Magherafelt on Saturday afternoon as All-Ireland champions Slaughtneil, with an impressive display of point-taking, clocked up their fourth successive Walsh’s Hotel Derry senior camogie title and fifth in all.
Indeed they had already clocked up 1-12 before putting a shot wide of the target in the 27th minute, on their way to a 1-15 to 0-4 interval lead over a Swatragh side, who also shot wide just twice in the opening half albeit from considerably fewer openings.
By the 12th minute, five of the six forwards had contributed to an 0-8 to 0-2 lead. Odd one out Josie McMullan, midfielder Shannon Graham and defender Eilís Ní Chaiside were all to add their names to the score-sheet – with 25 of the 28 openings converted into scores.
To Swatragh’s credit they kept battling right to the end and they only allowed one goal opening when Therese Mellon cut in from the left wing to fire to the net from close range in the 18th minute just seconds after setting Tina Hannon up for the point of the game.
Hannon produced another top drawer performance particularly during the first half when she danced around the midfield / half-forward area picking up possession, breaking tackles and creating or taking scores. She ended with nine points, four from frees, while Siobhan McKaigue also picked off four excellent scores.
Swatragh simply couldn’t match the passing and movement of the champions. They scored four points in the opening half, a couple of those top of the range, but they depended too much on Grainne McNicholl to carry the fight and, with the second half wind behind them, they snapped at their shots and only managed three more scores.
After Therese Mellon had goaled to make it 1-9 to 0-3, the scoring was not as intense although all six of Slaughtneil points before the break were excellent scores, including the three in injury time, Eilís Ní Chaiside’s the pick.
After the break, Louise Dougan dropped back to protect her defence facing into the wind. She also landed three huge frees and picked up the Player of the Match award, although it could just as easily gone to either of the other half-forwards, a Cassidy or beaverish midfielder Shannon Graham.
Young Céat McEldowney had scored 2-3 in the opening round against Ballinascreen but impressed on Saturday as a corner-back, her versatility giving the management team plenty of food for thought as they move forward in search of a third successive provincial crown.
Slaughtneil: J Bradley, G O'Kane, B Ní Chaiside, C McEldowney, E Ní Chaiside (0-1), A Ní Chaiside, O McNeill, C Mulholland, S Graham (0-1), L Dougan (0-5, 0-3 frees), T Hannon (0-9, 0-5 frees), S McKeague (0-4), S Mellon (0-2), J McMullan (0-1), T Mellon (1-1)
Subs: B McAllister for O McNeill (HT), O Rafferty for S Graham (47), F Burke for T Mellon (56), N Glass for S Mellon (58)
Swatragh: N McQuillan, B Mullan, J McGuckin, C Turner, N McKenna (0-1), N Quinn, D O’Kane (0-2 frees), C McKeagney, B McCullagh (0-1), G McNicholl (0-2), M McNicholl, S Kearney, A Quinn, D McGuckin (0-1).
Subs: C Bradley for C McKeagney (49), A O’Kane for B Mullan (56)
Referee: Alan Nash
Glenshane Coach Hire Derry Intermediate Championship final
Bellaghy 1-12 Banagher 0-9
BELLAGHY never looked like losing this Glenshane Coach Hire Derry Intermediate final on Saurday after they went 0-4 to 0-1 up after 11 minutes, but they didn’t really take control until first half injury-time when Aisling McErlean broke free and crashed home the only goal of the game.
That put them 1-5 to 0-3 ahead and they pushed on to win their first county title since taking the senior crown for the last time a quarter of a century ago.
Banagher will look back on missed chances, particularly during the third quarter, and will wonder if they could have closed the gap had Shannon O’Connor popped over points from two 30m frees instead of looking for the net.
However Bellaghy were the better-balanced side and Grainne Convery carried a constant threat at full-forward, picking off two fine points in each half, while free-taker Roisin Gallagher displayed unerring accuracy on her way to totting up seven points.
O’Connor kept Banagher in touch from frees, but they didn’t have a similar threat from open play and their best players were all in defence; Aneice Duffy, Tamara Hasson and Caoimhe Lynch.
Two points from Convery and two frees from Gallagher put Bellaghy into an early lead, but they went 16 minutes without a score while the north Derry side pulled two points back.
Going into the break and only 0-5 to 0-3 down, Banagher looked in a good position – but the experienced McErlean changed the dynamic of the game with her goal and another two points each from Convery and Gallagher during the third quarter, allied with strong defence, left the Tones defending a 1-9 to 0-4 lead for the final quarter.
Banagher fought on and were rewarded with good scores from Andrena O’Kane, Cara Farren and Gemma McCullagh, but the game was gone from their grasp and Bellaghy were already looking towards this Sunday’s first round of the Ulster championship when they travel to Granemore.
Bellaghy: Aisling McErlean (1-1), Roisin Gallgher (0-7, 0-6 frees), Grainne Convery (0-4).
Banagher: Shannon O’Connor (0-4 frees), Cara Farren (0-2), Carla Farren (0-1), Gemma McCullagh (0-1), Andrena O’Kane (0-1).
Referee: EP Cassidy
NWP Bridie McMenamin Shield final
Naomh Treasa Dungannon (Tyrone) 1-6 John Mitchel’s Glenullin (Derry) 1-3
A DETERMINED Dungannon defence helped immensely in keeping the NWP Bridie McMenamin Shield in Tyrone for another season after a closely contested final in O’Neill Park on Sunday.
Naomh Treasa needed two low-scoring games against Dunloy last year to take their first provincial title and they used that experience to close out this final particularly after Roisin McErlean’s goal put them ahead in the 36th minute.
The Barkers, Aine McNulty, Catherine Casey and Cara Little time and again got over the ground ball and won possession while closing down the running game that Tiegan and Chloe Mullan employed last week to take out Loughgiel.
Glenullin’s best player Clare Rafferty released Chloe Mullan in the 24th minute and the wing-forward picked out Deirbhile McNicholl for their goal, but after that they could not engineer enough openings and were often hemmed into their own half.
That goal put the Derry champions 1-3 to 0-3 ahead. Roisin McErlean however tapped over her third point from a free before the break and then raced clear to reduce the gap between the sides to a single point a couple of minutes into the second half.
Her goal in the 36th minute was one the defence should have prevented. Soft goals happen in many games, but in a game of so few scores, this one was the key to success or failure. After it there was just one further score, a point for midfielder Laura Barker.
Glenullin had a few chances, but, under pressure, they were missed and the Shield named to the memory of a Tyrone stalwart was destined for another winter in the O’Neill county.
Naomh Treasa: E Colton, A McLaughlin, R Barker, M Barker, A McNulty, C Casey capt., C Little, M Cassidy, L Barker 0-1, A Morgan, M McHugh 0-1, R McErlean 1-4, 0-3 frees, C McNulty, G Rafferty, C Donnelly.
Glenullin: Máiréad Comer, S McLaughlin, S Henry, E O’Kane, C Mclvenna, C Rafferty, P Hasson, E Niblock capt, T Mullan 0-1, C Mullan 0-1, Michelle Comer, E Toal, L Harrigan 0-1, A Harrigan, D McNicholl 1-0.
Sub: G O’Hagan for L Harrigan.
