Camogie: Derry Championship, Ulster Junior Championship and Antrim Senior Camogie Championships

Slaughtneil retained the Derry Senior Camogie Championship crown with a 2-8 to 1-4 victory over Ballinascreen, while Dungiven were crowned intermediate champions with a one-point victory over Kilrea, 2-7 to 2-6.

Defending champions Slaughtneil showed their intent early in the game, testing Kathyrn McNamee on two occasions but she stood strong to deny Louise Dougan and Mary Kelly.

The Emmet’s were eventually rewarded for their efforts when Eilís Ní Chaiside hit home after a ball in from Shannon Graham and Graham was once again the creator when she played Siobhan McKaigue in for a point.

Aine McKenna got ’Screen off the mark when she pointed a free. She was on hand again to hit over when Mary Jo McCullagh was fouled. 

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Ballinascreen pushed forward, but found their efforts shut down by Aoife Ní Chaiside and Gráinne Ní Chatháin.

Midfielder Shannon Graham was hugely influential for Slaughtneil and she was at the heart of their second goal. 

Graham picked out Dougan in space down the right side of the pitch and she found Mary Kelly on the edge of the square who duly hand-passed beyond McNamee.

Points from Ní Chaiside and McKaigue extended Slaughtneil’s lead to seven, but a point from Eimear McKenna brought the gap back to six at the break.

Mary Kelly opened the second half scoring with a fine point and Jolene Bradley ensured her side retained their seven-point lead by denying Patricia Farren.

The pace of Mary Jo McCullagh and Eimear McKenna was stretching the Slaughtneil back line. 

When Mary Hegarty was adjudged to have been fouled inside the small square, Bronagh McGillian stepped up and gave her side a lifeline.

Louise Dougan pointed two frees to keep Ballinascreen at bay and they received a boost when McGillian’s second penalty was saved on the line. 

An Eimear McKenna point brought it back to five, but two pointed frees from Louise Dougan ensured back-to-back titles fro Slaughtneil.

Despite the treacherous weather conditions, the Derry intermediate final certainly lived up to its billing. An inspired second half performance from Kilrea setting up a thrilling end which saw Dungiven claim a single point victory on a 2-7 to 2-6 scoreline.

It was all equal at 0-4 apiece with 15 minutes gone, but a late first-half surge saw Dungiven take a 2-4 to 0-4 lead into the break.

Aine Crossan and Orlaith Mullan grabbed the goals, while four Karen Kielt frees keet Kilrea in the game.

The second half saw Dungiven start brightly with Orlaith Mullan pointing, but a Dervla Thompson goal brought Kilrea back into the game.

With four between the sides, Kilrea pushed forward searching for scores to get them back on level terms and a Karen Kielt goal from a 21-metre free left just one between the sides.

A Shauna Quinn point from the placed ball left two between the sides, but Karen Kielt brought it back to one when she pointed a free.

Orlaith Mullan pointed after some fine build-up play from Aine Kelly to make the difference two once again, but Jessica Hickenson set up a nervy finish when she pointed. 

With time against the Pearse’s, Dungiven held out for the win and captain Eimear Mullan said her side showed great character to see off Kilrea.

“It was very tough out there, Kilrea really pushed us but we never gave up and showed great character to hold out,” she said.

“Our manager Geoffrey McGonigle has really pushed us this year and thankfully the hard work has paid off.”

Crosskeys Inn Antrim Senior Camogie Championship semi-finals: 

Loughgiel Shamrocks 1-9 O’Donovan Rossa 0-7; Dunloy Cuchullain’s 4-9 Geraldines’, Portglenone 1-10

A little bit of McCarry magic at the end of each half helped Loughgiel Shamrocks stay on course to claim a second three-in-a-row of Antrim senior camogie titles.

With the teams locked on 0-3 apiece and with two minutes to play in the opening half, Rossa conceded a free 20 metres out from their own goal. Racquel McCarry blasted it through the cover to find the net.

Then with two minutes of normal time remaining and Rossa back to within a point of the winners, she sliced a sideline cut over the bar for a two-pointer and followed it up by firing the puck-out straight back over the bar to put her side out of reach at 1-8 to 0-7.

Her injury-time point from a free brought her personal tally to 1-8 and in a tense, tight game like Saturday’s semi-final, that accuracy was 

critical.

Rossa kept in touch with Loughgiel throughout, but will look back at a number of wides, some from frees more than 45 metres out during a period of dominance in the second half.

Jane Adams contributed all three first half scores for Rossa and two more frees in the second with Natalie McGuiness and Mairead Rainey breaking the cover for points to bring it to a single point difference.

However, Rossa couldn’t keep the momentum going and Loughgiel will face neighbours Dunloy in the final on October 8.

Dunloy, meanwhile, hit three goals in the opening 25 minutes against Portglenone and those were enough for them to make the final for the first time in eight seasons.

Nicole O’Neill scored the first, winning a puck-out and sending a high ball to dip under the crossbar.

Michaela Elliott claimed the other two, one from a goalmouth scramble and the other by blocking an attempted clearance from the goalie.

Portglenone stayed in touch, mainly through the accuracy of Katie McAleese. But they were 3-7 to 0-7 down at the break and their feisty start to the second half was 

cut down by Jacinta Dixon poking the sliotar over the line in Dunloy’s first proper attack in the 38th minute.

Catherine O’Kane fired home a late penalty award for Portglenone, but there was no chance they would deny Dunloy a first final meeting with Loughgiel in 15 seasons.

Ulster Junior Camogie Club Championship

Glenraven and Kilclief joy.

BRÍDÍNÍ Óga, Glenravel seniors continued where they left off in the quarter-final of the Ulster junior championship in Armagh last week to reach the final with a convincing 6-16 to 1-1 win over Tyrone champions Naomh Treasa, Dungannon in the semi-final in Glenravel on Sunday, writes Niamh Archibald.

As was the situation a week earlier, the Glenravel side’s teamwork and stick work stood out from the throw-in and they hit six unanswered points in the opening quarter to take control of the semi-final.

Indeed, during that period they were constantly on the attack and could easily have scored goals, but were narrowly wide on at least two occasions.

Their lead stretched to nine points before Roisin McErlean opened the visitors’ account in the 20th minute with a vicious shot from 15 metres that Erin McAleese turned over her own bar.

The home team hit back immediately with Victoria Edgar rounding her marker and sending Ashling Ward through for a goal.

A couple of minutes later Ward dribbled in soccer-style before firing home a ground shot for an interval lead of 2-10 to 0-01.

Naomh Treasa’s slim hopes faded within 30 seconds of the re-start when Kirsty Laverty found Edgar free and she lashed the sliotar to the roof of the net.

Three more points were added and the substitutes had begun to appear by the time Ward fired home her third and fourth goals at the three-quarter point.

Shauna Kelly scored the sixth Brídíní Óga goal in the 53rd minute, while Dungannon’s most dangerous attacker – teenager McErlean – fired home a 20-metre free in the 59th minute for a consolation score.

In the second semi-final, Down champions Beann Dearg, Kilclief came from 0-5 to 1-0 down at the break to defeat Denn of Cavan by 3-3 to 0-6.