NWP Ulster Junior club championship semi-final: Sunday October 21 at 2.30pm in Derrylaughan
Derrylaughan (Tyrone) v Loughgiel Shamrocks (Antrim)
This has been a phenomenal year for the Loughgiel club with qualification for Ulster competitions at three levels and they are strong contenders to reach this Junior final despite having to travel to Derrylaughan tomorrow (SUNDAY).
At the end of last month they had to dig out a result in the Antrim final after Brídíní Óga recovered from a bad start to take the lead early in the second half.
However the introduction of subs Anna Connolly and Annie Lynn added width and pace to the attack and Lynn scored 1-1 to secure a narrow victory.
That victory was secured though by a tight-marking defence that had not leaked scores until the final, with the half-back line of Eimhear McGarry, Katie McKillop andAoife O’Mullan particularly effective.
Five of the team collected All-Ireland minor medals over the past couple of seasons with Antrim including forwards Charley McCarry and Kirsty McKendry, both a scoring threat to the Tyrone side’s aspirations of progress.
Derrylaughan lost narrowly at the semi-final stage of this competition a year ago to eventual champions Crosserlough from Cavan. However they have lost a few players since then through maternity leave and there is a fairly inexperienced look about their team for this game.
Emma and Sian Fitzgerald, Aisling Corr and Emma Donnelly have been regulars for some time at county level and Bronagh Carney has settled well at centre-half back.
Overall though, Loughgiel look the stronger outfit and should go forward to next weekend’s final
NWP Ulster Junior club championship semi-final: Sunday October 21 at 2.30pm in Bellaghy
Bellaghy Wolfe Tones (Derry) v Crosserlough (Cavan)
BELLAGHY will not know until late tomorrow (SUNDAY) afternoon whether an extra game midweek will be a help or a hindrance to their Ulster club aspirations.
It proved to be a marathon quarter-final with Armagh champions Granemore, beginning last Sunday with a tough encounter that finished level courtesy of a Granemore goal in the sixth minute of added time.
Extra time resulted and Aisling McErlean pointed a side-line in added time to bring the teams to a Wednesday evening replay in Bellaghy where problems with the lights led to almost an hour’s delay in throw-in.
Bellaghy however broke free in the five minutes after the break with five points in a row. Despite conceding two goals directly from frees, Roisin Gallagher scored a fine solo goal to rescue the Tones near the end.
Last Sunday Crosserlough pulled away during the final ten minutes of their quarter-final against Bredagh, Sinead McKenna scoring four of the last five points.
The Cavan club are the competition holders and all over the pitch they showed a determination to hold on to their title with Erinn Galligan, Aoisha O’Reilly, the Finnegans and Sinead McKenna very prominent.
Bellaghy depend a lot on teenager Roisin Gallagher for scores – she is the free-taker – but there is always a scoring threat from veteran pair Aisling McErlean and Grainne Convery.
Their replay performance was an improvement on both the drawn game and indeed their Derry final win over Banagher. Perhaps home advantage can tilt the tie in their favour.
However they may well struggle with the physicality of the Cavan champions who can draw on last season’s experience to see them through.
NWP Ulster Junior B club final: Sunday October 14 at 2.30pm in Blackhill: Crossmaglen Rangers (Armagh) v Clontibret (Monaghan)
MONAGHAN champions Clontibret take on Crossmaglen in the inaugural NWP Ulster Junior B club final and this is an opportunity for both the finalists to add to provincial titles they have already won.
Crossmaglen were the first winners of the Ulster Intermediate club title in 2003, while a decade later Clontibret put back to back titles together in the new Bridie McMenamin Shield in 2013 and 2014.
However Crossmaglen dropped out of camogie since that provincial high point, but re-formed in 2012 and five years later they defeated Naomh Mhuire Port Mor to take the Junior title.
This year they have made the successful move to Intermediate defeating Derrymacash and Cullyhanna along the way before beating St Brigid’s 1-10 to 2-4 in the final.
They are a young team with ten minors who have experienced success through the age-groups and four played for Armagh in last year's All-Ireland minor success.
Clontibret have competed in Division 1 of the Armagh leagues along with Crossmaglen – although the league fixture between the pair had to be postponed earlier in the season and there is no guide as to form from it.
They are also quite young with quite a few minor players through the team while Marie Greenan, Orlaith and Ailbhe Boyle, Aisling McElvaney, Joanne McSkeane, Muireann Atkinson and Donna Moen-McMeel bring a level of experience.
Captain Aisling Greenan will miss the final as she is currently on honeymoon and that could tilt the game towards the Armagh champions.
Schools’ Camogie 2018-9
The semi-final line-ups for the different Junior grades of Ulster Schools’ camogie have been determined following the last of the group games this week.
In the top grade for Corn Eimhear, Cross and Passion Ballycastle’s bid for a fourth successive title and seventh in all is back on track with a comfortable victory over Our Lady’s and St Patrick’s Knock midweek. Last day out CPC had suffered a narrow defeat to St Louis Ballymena.
It all means that Ballycastle have topped the table and play St Mary’s Magherafelt in one semi-final, while Knock, last year’s Fontenoys’ Cup champions, will take on St Louis Ballymena in the other.
In the Fontenoys’ Cup, last Halloween’s beaten finalists St Killian’s Garron Tower were going well until St Patrick’s Keady halted them in the final group game.
The semi-final pairings therefore are St Patrick’s Keady v St Pius X Magherafelt and St Killian’s will take on the new St Conor’s College (arising from the amalgamation of second level schools in Kilrea and Clady.
Meantime in the Junior Medallion Shield, there is still a quarter-final to be completed at the start of the week, Our Lady’s Castleblayney v Our Lady’s Newry, with the winner then taking on Gleann na Ró, the north Derry combination team that won the Development competition this time last year.
The other semi-final is down for decision on Monday with St Colm’s Draperstown facing St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon.
