NWP Recycling Ulster Junior Club Championship final: Crosserlough (Cavan) 1-10 Loughgiel Shamrocks (Antrim) 2-6
THERE are several reasons why Crosserlough held on to their NWP Recycling Ulster Junior club title in Moy on Saturday afternoon.
You could point to Loughgiel’s failure to push on from an interval lead of 2-3 to 0-5 gained playing into the strong breeze, that same breeze dying during the second half, a penalty save from Charley McCarry, the Cavan side’s judicious use of Ciara Finnegan at sweeper until the last five minutes when she was pushed up front to score 1-1, even a bit of fortune near the end.
The main reason however was the sheer will of Crosserlough to hold on to the Phil McBride Cup that saw them come from four points down in the last five minutes to snatch victory through two Sinead McKenna frees in injury-time.
All Crosserlough key players delivered particularly during the second half – Erinn Galligan, Ciara Finnegan, Sinead McKenna – while Loughgiel struggled to convert territorial advantage into scores.
The Shamrocks managed just three points between the 16th and 56th minutes, and each time Crosserlough cancelled the score with a point of their own inside a minute.
Charley McCarry pointed a free in response to Crosserlough’s 56th minute goal, Ciara Finnegan catching a high hopeful ball from Sinead McKenna on the edge of the square and hand-passing to the net.
But the Shamrocks were powerless as Crosserlough finished strongly.
Ciara Finnegan fired over a great point on 58 minutes and then Sinead McKenna took points from the two pressure frees in injury-time, the second dropping over off the inside of the post.
It was all in contrast to the opening half when Loughgiel dominated despite McKenna firing over two excellent opening points. Kirsty McKendry pointed a free and then in the 7th minute Ciara Laverty picked up a Shauna Devlin pass, cut in from the corner and lifted the net.
There was more trouble for Crosserlough at the end of the first quarter with Laverty hoovering up a poor poc out and sent Charley McCarry clear to hit the net.
2-2 to 0-3 down Crosserlough struggled to get a foothold in the game. Although they conceded just a single point during the second quarter and scored twice through Niamh Reilly, their situation didn’t look promising at the break.
But champions are often hard to separate from the trophy they have held for a year and that determination shone through during their second half to eventually take them over the line.
Crosserlough: A Smith, A O'Reilly, S Coyle, L Cahill, K McGonnell, E Galligan capt, E O'Reilly, A O'Reilly, O Smith, N Reilly (0-3, 0-2 frees), L Day, S McKenna 0-6, 0-3 frees), C Finnegan (1-1), A Finnegan, E McVeety.
Subs: L Ellis for A O’Reilly (20), H Boylan 0-1 for E O’Reilly (48).
Loughgiel: E Boyle, M McGarry, K Lynn, A Doran, E McGarry, K McKillop, A O’Mullan, L McKillop capt., C McKillop (0-1), H McKeague (0-1), K McKendry (0-2 frees), S Devlin, C Dobbin, C McCarry (1-1), C Laverty (1-1).
Subs: A Connolly for K McKendry (31), A Lynn for C Dobbin (52), C McIntyre for S Devlin (57).
Referee: Malachy McToal (Derry)
NWP Recycling Ulster Intermediate Club Championship final: Clonduff Shamrocks (Down) 1-15 Eglish (Tyrone) 2-9
CLONDUFF could afford to shoot nine second half wides, four from frees, and still halt Eglish’s bid for a fourth successive NWP Ulster Intermediate title in Moy on Saturday.
Although the Tyrone side has unearthed a new exciting scoring talent in 16-year-old Reagan Eglish and had strong performances from Brenda Horsfield, Ciara McGready and Leanne Donnelly, they could not get enough ball inside their opponents’ half for most of the second half.
That meant that the Down champions had done enough by half time when they trailed by 1-7 to 0-7 and their half-backs and Paula O’Hagan were able to keep supplying ammunition for the forwards so that they were still tagging on points despite some wayward shooting.
Orla Maginn took the opening score on the first attack, but Reagan Fay responded with two fine points before she rattled the crossbar in the fourth minute and Julie Lagan followed through to force the sliotar over the line.
However when Paula O’Hagan made the score 0-5 to 1-5 in the 23rd minute, five different Clonduff players had registered points, while only Reagan Fay and Leanne Donnelly (with two frees) were responding.
By half time the score-board had moved to 1-7 to 0-7 with two Paula O’Hagan frees and a monster free from Brenda Horsfield and a fourth point for young Fay.
Over the first 23 minutes of the second half, Eglish could only muster a Donnelly free, while Clonduff got two more players on the score-sheet and had moved five clear at 1-13 to 1-8, the goal coming in the 47th minute when a Paula O’Hagan effort at a point from long range was blocked down to Meagan O’Reilly who blasted home from 10 metres out.
There was a late flurry from the Tyrone side. Amy Barrett’s shot was batted clear by Karen Haughey, but Reagan Fay picked up the rebound and cleverly played in Leanne Donnelly to hit the net.
Donnelly added another point but in between the O’Hagans, Nicola and Paula, had already sealed Clonduff’s second provincial title.
Clonduff: K Haughey, E Rafferty, J Boden, N O'Hagan (0-1), E Wilson, F Carr, C McGilligan, B Fitzpatrick, C Cowan (0-1), K McGilligan (0-1), O Morgan (0-1), P O’Hagan (0-6, 0-5 frees), SL Carr (0-3), O Gribben (0-1), I O’Hare (0-1).
Subs: M O’Reilly (1-0) for C Cowan (15), R Mulholland for O Morgan (50), S Murphy for K McGilligan (59).
Eglish: L Gallagher, L Mason, C Jordan, S Hughes, A Barrett, B Horsfield (0-1 free), A Jordan capt., L Donnelly (1-4, 0-3 frees), C McGready, R Fay (0-4, 0-1 free), K Cuddy, S Jordan, C Muldoon, J Lagan (1-0), D Galvin.
Subs: A Donnelly for D Galvin (ht), Annette Jordan for C Muldoon (40)
Liatroim Fontenoys’ Cup final: Tuesday 11.30am in MUSA Cookstown: St Patrick’s Keady v St Conor’s Kilrea/Clady
ST CONOR’s, the new East Derry amalgamation of existing schools in Clady and Kilrea, have certainly made a mark in camogie over the past six weeks to reach the school’s first Ulster final today (TUESDAY) in Cookstown.
Although beaten by St Killian’s Garron Tower in their first outing in early September they managed to string together three successive victories to make the semi-finals where they again met St Killian’s last year’s runners-up.
Again it looked as if the Tower girls would take control, but after a nervous start St Conor’s grew in confidence and eventually won a see-saw battle on a final score-line of 5-10 to 2-13.
Captain Hannah O’Hagan was outstanding in that game, but once the team settled a number of players stood out, particularly Anna Marron, Therese McIlvar and Shannon O’Neill.
When they met St Patrick’s Keady in a group game, St Conor’s got the better start, but faltered during the second half and eventually lost by eight to the south Armagh school who are so far undefeated.
Aiobheann McClelland and Corrina Doyle won Armagh senior championship medals with Granemore back in September while Clodagh Gaffney, Niamh Murphy and Kate Crilly have been able to drive the Keady team during this competition.
Unbeaten and with more experience of this level of Schools’ camogie, St Patrick’s keady have to start as favourites. However given the manner in which St Conor’s overturned their early defeat to St Killian’s there is every chance of an upset here.
St Patrick’s: M Callaghan, G O’Donnell, A Farrell, C Murphy, A McClelland, C Gaffney, A Keenan, A McKearney, N Murphy, E Quinn, S Burke, K Smyth, K Crilly, O Mallon, C Doyle
Subs: M Doyle, E Molloy, M O’Toole, O Hughes, K Doyle, C Loughran, A Mallon, E Gilmartin, O O’Connor, A McKee, N O’Callaghan, A Doran, E Rafferty, E Hagney
St Conor’s: E Harkin, E Graham, J Henry, N Bradley, S McAtamney, A Marron, G Quinn, T McIlvar, E McCloskey, Shannon O'Neill, H O'Hagan, C McGuigan, Sian O'Neill, U McCloy, C O'Kane
Subs: E Convery, S Mullan, B McFerran, C Glendining, M Bradley, S Kelly, R Reid, N Mullan, C O'Hagan, E Payne, EM McDonnell, O McKeefry, A O'Neill, E Henry, MT McGlinchey, L McGlinchey
