Antrim senior camogie final: Loughgiel 3-11 Ballycastle 2-5
LOUGHGIEL Shamrocks are still top of the Antrim camogie tree after collecting their seventh successive title and 23rd overall at sunny Portglenone on Sunday evening.
Not for the first time, Róisín McCormick was the star turn with a match-winning 2-9 including 1-3 in the opening eight minutes, after Clare McKillop and Caitrin Dobbin combined to set her up for the goal.
A minute later Caitrin Dobbin extended the Loughgiel lead and it looked ominous for Ballycastle at that point.
However Maeve Kelly eventually won and converted a free in the 11th minute and when the same player cut in along the end line and forced the sliotar over the line a couple of minutes later the Ballycastle challenge began to take shape.
They were just 1-4 to 1-2 in arrears at the water break and kept pace with the Shamrocks for the second quarter with just three points between the teams, 1-7 to 1-4 at the change of ends.
McCormick had scored 1-6 of that first half total and in the 34th minute she picked up possession in the corner, bounced off a couple of tackles and fired home a second Loughgiel goal almost identical to Kelly’s strike in the first half.
When Caitrin Dobbin cut in from the other wing to score a third goal, the result was more or less in the bag and the Shamrocks’ midfield, half-back line and sweeper Ciara Laverty cut out any chance of a second Ballycastle revival with the main scoring threat Maeve Kelly forced to forage deep in defence.
However Nuala Devlin managed to grab a late consolation goal for Ballycastle who had beaten Loughgiel in the round robin series of the championship last month. That result merely put the Shamrocks on their guard and there was little chance of a repeat score-line as Loughgiel march through to another provincial final which has been deferred until early January.
Loughgiel: E Boyle, M McGarry, C Higgins, Ciara Laverty, E McFadden, M Connolly capt, S Devlin, A Boyle, L McNaughton, R McCormick 2-9, 0-4 frees, A Connolly, E McMullan, C Dobbin 1-1, Christine Laverty, C McKillop.
Subs: K McKillop for A Connolly (43), R Murphy for L McNaughton (50), O Laverty 0-1 for S Devlin (59)
Ballycastle: B Ellis, NA Donnelly, C McShane, E McShane, B McCaughan, K Donnelly, E Laverty, M O'Neill, N Donnelly capt 0-2 frees, A Donnelly, C Wright 0-1 free, N Devlin 1-0, M Kelly 1-1, 0-1 free, E Connor, N O'Neill 0-1
Subs: R McBride for N O’Neill (44), T O’Neill for E Connor (50), O Donnelly for C McShane (50).
Referee: Joe Baldwin (Down)
Antrim Intermediate final replay: Tír na nÓg 4-11 Rossa 3-6
IF the drawn game was a dour affair between the free-takers, the weekend replay of the Antrim Intermediate final was very open and entertaining – although you would not have been betting on Tír na nÓg to win it when they trailed Rossa 2-1 to 0-1 at the first water break the goals coming from Riona Matthews and Eimear Byrne, writes Séamas McAleenan.
But Rossa’s momentum was broken by the water break and then an injury to their centre half back Muireann Quinn and they never recovered. Tír na nÓg took advantage by pressurising the Belfast side's half back line to such an extent that they led by 1-7 to 2-2 at the change of ends with the goal from Emily Falloon.
Natalie McGuiness from placed balls drew the sides level at 1-8 to 2-5 after 40 minutes but from then until the end it was all Tír na nÓg.
Emily Falloon finished a superb team move with her second goal, Michaela Heggarty added a point and then Niamh Martin picked up on a mistake by the Rossa defence to grab a third Randalstown goal.
Although Natalie McGuinness from a free pulled a goal back for Rossa, Randalstown were on a roll and Áine Devlin’s long range free went all the way to the net in the 58th minute to take Tír na nÓg through to next month’s Ulster series on a 4-11 to 3-6 scoreline.
Tír na nÓg: Emily Faloon 2-1, Aine Devlin 1-6, 1-5 frees, Niamh Martin 1-0 , Michaela Hegarty 0-3, Caitlin McGaughey 0-1.
Rossa: Natalie McGuiness 1-5 frees, Eimear Byrne 1-0, Riona Matthews 1-0, Orlagh McCall 0-1 free.
The Elk Complex Derry Senior semi-final: Slaughtneil 2-11 Ballinascreen 1-8
Slaughtneil’s huge wealth of experience saw them through a tough enough challenge from Ballinascreen in the semi-finals of The Elk Complex Derry senior camogie championship at the weekend.
With the teams playing with a sweeper in each defence any scores from play had to be well-worked – and they were – but these were rare and the scoring was dominated by the excellent free-taking of Louise Dougan and Áine McAlister.
However Slaughtneil’s breaks from deep were a constant threat and central defender Aoife Ní Chaiside opened the scoring with a goal in the 4th minute.
Another Aoife (Doyle) was Ballinascreen’s threat from play and she took her goal very well in the 11th minute. She also fired over a fine point in the 29th minute. But those were her team’s only scores in the opening half with three frees from Louise Dougan, two more from Olivia Rafferty and a point from Shannon Graham putting Slaughtneil in control 1-6 to 1-1 at the change of ends.
During the third quarter three more frees from Dougan threatened to open a gap, but a good point from Rachel Kelly was followed by three frees from acute angles from Áine McAlister and the ‘Screen were still in with a chance.
Dougan and McAlister exchanged further points from frees before Slaughtneil’s second goal in the 55th minute. A massive Dougan free from inside her own half dropped on the edge of the ‘Screen area and was deflected to the net. The champions were over the line once more.
Slaughtneil: Louise Dougan 1-6 frees, Aoife Ní Chaiside 1-0, Olivia Rafferty 0-2 frees, Shannon Graham 0-1, Cliodhna Mulholland 0-1.
Ballinascreen: Aoife Doyle 1-1, Áine McAlister 0-6 frees, Rachel Kelly 0-1
The Elk Complex Derry Senior semi-final: Swatragh 5-14 Lavey 2-7
IT WAS tight enough in Bellaghy until just after half time, but Swatragh then pulled away from Lavey to comfortably book their spot in Sunday's Derry senior final against parish rivals Slaughtneil.
The Davitt's opened up a five points’ lead approaching the interval with the McNicholl sisters prominent in the scoring that included a rather fortuitous goal from a mishit free from Gráinne McNicholl.
However Lavey were working hard all over the pitch and a Catriona Toner goal helped them close the gap to a single point by the break following a fine pass from Eimear Murphy.
Any momentum Lavey had though was broken by the half time break and the third quarter was dominated by Dara McGuckin and Shannon Kearney with Swatragh scoring five unanswered points to put them 1-12 to 1-6 ahead.
Mairead McNicholl then made and finished Swatragh's second goal and Dara McGuckin added to Lavey suffering with three goals inside five minutes to complete a powerful personal performance.
The final score-line may flatter them, but Swatragh was the dominant side and well worth their place in another final.
Swatragh: Dara McGuckin 3-1, Mairead McNicholl (1-4, 0-2 frees), Grainne McNicholl 1-3, 1-1 frees, Oonagh Bradley 0-2, Shannon Kearney 0-2), Bronagh McCullagh 0-1, Carla McKeagney 0-1,
Lavey: Attracta Bennett 1-5, 0-3 frees, Catriona Toner 1-1, Maria Rafferty 0-1 free.
