Ulster Senior Club Championship semi-finals: Clann Eireann (Armagh) 2-13 Moneyglass (Antrim) 0-7; Errigal Ciaran (Tyrone) 1-8 Bredagh (Down) 4-8
CLANN Eireann booked their place in a first ever Ulster senior decider while Bredagh will make a return for the second time in three years after both sides came through their semi-finals yesterday.
The Armagh champions were much too strong for last year’s beaten finalists Moneyglass, while a strong second half performance saw Bredagh finish with nine points to spare over Errigal Ciaran in Dunmoyle.
Gregory McGonigle’s side put in a polished performance over the 60 minutes and were fully deserved of their 1-6 to 0-3 half-time lead.
They were very controlled and organised, while Moneyglass struggled to put together any real passages of play as they were closely followed by their opposition players who gave them little time on the ball.
The Antrim champions, playing into a strong sun, were guilty of a number of wides and balls dropping short which did not help their cause either.
Clann Eireann got the ideal start after three minutes when Niamh Murray struck home from the penalty spot, Moneyglass goalkeeper Anna McCann was adjudged to have fouled Meabh McCambridge as she tried to clear her lines.
Tiarna Grimes and Niamh Henderson, Murray (free) and Dearbhla Coleman all pointed to give the home side a 1-4 to no score lead after 17 minutes.
They did lose Aoibhinn Henderson to the sin bin shortly after although they managed the game well to keep Moneyglass at arm’s length. Prenter opened her side’s account from a free in the 22nd minute but captain Niamh Henderson got her second of the day in the 27th minute.
Orlaith Prenter, who was receiving some close attention from Clodagh McCambridge, added two more points from frees to try to keep her side in the game as Murray had the final say of the half from a free to put her side six ahead at the break.
The sides shared the first four points of the second half before 1-4 without reply in four minutes all but sealed Clann Eirean’ns first ever final appearance. Niamh Murray got three of the four points while Aoibhinn Donohue got a 47th minute goal.
Prenter got her and Moneyglass’s sixth point, their first and only score from play in the 51st minute while captain Cathy Carey also got on the scoresheet with a 60th minute point from a free as Niamh Coleman wrapped up an impressive performance from Gregory’s McGonigle’s side.
Just a point separated Tyrone champions Errigal Ciaran and Bredagh at half-time, the visitors leading 0-5 to 0-4. They led 0-3 to 0-1 but three unanswered points edged the home side front before back-to-back points gave the Down champions the narrowest of leads.
They found the back of the net on the resumption through Laoise Duffy and a point from captain Eilish Ward opened up a five-point lead that soon became seven, 2-6 to 0-5, when the impressive Viv McCormack grabbed their second goal of the afternoon.
However, Errigal continued to battle and Claire Canavan’s goal brought them back to four, but Bredagh’s response was emphatic and McCormack struck gain in the 52nd minute to all but end Errigal’s hopes of comeback before Ward coolly converted their fourth goal from the penalty spot deep into injury time.
The final will be a double header with the junior decider on Sunday, November 19.
Ulster Intermediate Club Championship semi-finals: Castleblayney Faughs (Monaghan) 1-9 Steelstown (Derry) 3-13; St Joseph’s Glenavy (Antrim) 4-12 Ballyhaise (Cavan) 2-9
STEELSTOWN and Glenavy will contest this year’s Ulster Intermediate Club final after both game through their semi-finals on Saturday.
It is a second provincial final in three years for the Derry champions, but they needed a strong second half performance against Castleblayney in Monaghan to see off last year’s Ulster junior winners. Just a point separated the sides at half-time, Steelstown leading 2-3 to 1-5, Aoife Collins with a fourth minute goal and Caoimhe O’Kane finding the back of the net in the 18th minute after Emer Ruddin had given Castleblayney a 1-2 to 1-0 lead with their major on 13 minutes.
The home side were back on level terms, 2-3 to 1-6, after the resumption but four points without reply for Steelstown opened up a 2-7 to 1-6 lead. Dara McKeever struck for Steelstown’s third goal in the 50th minute to make it 3-8 to 1-7 to help seal a 10 points victory.
Glenavy hit 1-3 without reply before half-time to lead Ballyhaise 1-8 to 1-3 at the break on their way to a first ever provincial final.
The home side trailed 1-2 to 0-3 after the first quarter, Elaine Brady finding the back of the net in the 10th minute but the sides were level after 18 minute before that strong finish to the half for Glenavy, which saw Ana Mulholland goal, gave them a five point cushion.
Ballyhaise hit the first three points of the second half, bringing them to within two points but Glenavy replied with 1-2, Aoibheann Monaghan with a 41st minute goal, to lead 2-10 to 1-6. The visitors came to within two again, Philippa Walters with a 44th minute goal, but late goals from Grainne McLaughlin and Ellen Morgan helped to seal Glenavy’s place in the decider in two weeks’ time.
Ulster Junior Club Championship semi-finals: Carryduff II (Down) 1-8 Lavey (Derry) 3-8; Tyholland (Monaghan) 2-12 Dungloe (Donegal) 3-10
LAVEY and Dungloe had to dig deep to seal their places in the Ulster Junior Club Championship final to see off their opposition yesterday.
It’s a remarkable achievement for both the Derry and Donegal champions who up until a few weeks ago had never kicked a ball in a provincial championship competition and now find themselves the last two teams standing.
Two late goals helped Lavey to a seven points win over Carryduff in Ballykinlar while Dungloe had to withstand a late Tyholland comeback to hold out for a one point win in Cremartin.
Just a goal separated Tyholland and Dungloe at half-time, the Donegal side leading 2-7 to 1-7. Ulitah Boyle’s fifth minute goal was cancelled out by Zara Gillanders for Tyholland but Patrice Boyle’s major for Dungloe in the 20th minute gave them a three point half-time advantage. Boyle struck again in the first minute of the second half and they added another two points to lead by eight with the half just five minutes old. Tyholland though hit the next four points and an Aine McGuire goal from a free in the 55th minute brought them to within two points. A Lisa Ward point left the minimum between them as Dungloe held on.
Teenage sensation Carla Collins hit a second half hat-trick and finished with 3-3 as the Derry side scored 2-1 in the final minutes to book their place in the decider. At that stage just two points separated the side, Lavey overturning a 0-6 to 0-3 half-time deficit. They scored 1-4 without reply to move into a 1-8 to 0-7 lead, Collins’ 37th minute goal from the penalty spot giving them the lead for the first time.