Allianz Corn Sceilge All-Ireland Schools' Senior A Championship final: Loreto Kilkenny v St Patrick’s Maghera (Saturday, St Peregrine’s Blanchardstown, 2pm)
ST PATRICK’S, Maghera shook schools’ camogie to the foundations when they eliminated the holders of Corn Sceilge, Presentation Athenry, from this competition a fortnight ago in Swatragh to set up a final with Loreto Kilkenny on Saturday.
It was confidently expected that Athenry would make the final, while the other semi-final, between the teams that had brought last year’s junior final to a replay, would be the more tightly-contested. The game in Callan lived up to expectation and was a thriller.
Loreto, who had lost that junior final but are annually the team to beat in the All-Ireland, raced into a 1-4 to 0-1 lead. Ursuline’s from Thurles pulled it back to 1-7 to 0-7 at the break and then went into a 2-10 to 1-10 lead by the 43rd minute.
Loreto looked in bother, but moved Amy Clifford to full-forward for the last quarter and she scored 2-2 to bring her side back into the game. Kilkenny still needed an injury time point from first half goal scorer Julie Lennon to complete the comeback with a 3-13 to 3-12 win.
That performance had similarities with what unfolded in Swatragh.
Athenry scored the first three points, but the teams were level at 0-4 each at the break. Maghera then hit two quick goals through Caoimhe Kearney and Caoimhe Chambers in the third quarter. Unlike Kilkenny, Athenry couldn’t get back into the game.
It was an unexpected result for Maghera. At Ulster level the previous couple of weeks they never looked like losing each game, but at the same time didn’t impose themselves on their opponents and certainly Kearney and Chambers never really got the room to use their pace.
It was more a case of gradually pulling themselves clear. The course of the other semi-final would suggest that, even if they do open a gap on Loreto, they can’t be ruled out as there is so much power in that attack from Lennon, Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh, Rachel Dowling, not to mention Clifford’s impact and threat if she has to be moved up.
Three years ago, Keher-Murtagh and Dowling were two of the goalscorers in a heavy defeat for Maghera in the semi-final in Lavey with captain Evanne Martin the only Maghera survivor from that day.
The Creggan girl, an All-Ireland minor medallist with Antrim, has moved from half-back to midfield in a team that is very much here to stay. They lose very few for next season’s campaign and from the 18 players used in the semi-final, no fewer than seven turned out with the Juniors to beat Gort last weekend.
This is Maghera’s fourth final and the fifth time they have encountered Loreto in the championship. Their first was in the 2011 final when they couldn’t prevent the Kilkenny side taking their second title, while the closest Maghera came was in the 2013 semi-final that went to a replay.
As with the semi-final, Maghera will go into the final as underdogs, but if they go about their business as they did a fortnight ago, they stand a great chance of taking another step forward for themselves and Ulster camogie.
All-Ireland Schools' Senior C Camogie Championship semi-final replay: Coláiste Laurel Hill v Coláiste Abhann Rí Callan (Saturday, Meelick, 1pm)
LAUREL Hill grabbed a late equaliser a fortnight ago in Callan and forced three or four excellent saves from the Kilkenny side’s goalie Jenny Saunders.
They hold more aces this time with a home venue and should line themselves up for a strike at Gort Community School in the final.
All-Ireland Schools’ Senior D Championship final: Ardscoil Mhuire Ballinasloe v St Declan’s Kilmacthomas (Sunday, Johnstown, 3.30pm)
NEITHER Ardscoil Mhuire Ballinasloe nor St Declan’s Kilmacthomas were stretched in their semi-finals a fortnight even though both were playing away from home.
The game is being played on Sunday as Kilmacthomas coach and former Allstar Niamh Rockett is playing for Waterford in Birr on Saturday and should be celebrating wins on both days
