Darragh’s Joinery Antrim Intermediate final
Loughgiel players celebrate as the final whistle signals their victory over Bridini Oga Glenravel in Saturday’s Intermediate Champpionship final in Creggan. Pic by Dylan McIlwaine
Loughgiel 6-8 Brídíní Óga 1-4
Loughgiel won back the Darragh’s Joinery Antrim Intermediate title that St John’s took from them last year with a confident display against a Brídíní Óga side that battled hard but simply hadn’t got the cutting edge that the Shamrocks possessed.
Yet the game started as if it was promising something different with a length of the field move involving the McAleenans, Kirsten Edgar and Ashling Ward finished to the net by Torie Edgar with barely a minute on the clock.
That Glenravel didn’t build on that fantastic start however was down to how well Loughgiel’s defence settled with Katie McKillop a strong figure at centre-half back, while Katie Lynn dealt expertly with a number of other diagonal balls directed towards Torie Edgar in the first half.
That dominance in defence allowed their attack, and in particular Roisin McCormick and Charley McCarry, to stretch the Glenravel defence and Ciara Laverty finished three openings in the first quarter with goals to put her side in command of the game.
McCormick scored all the Loughgiel points in the opening half and they led by 3-4 to 1-1 at the break. It reflected how clinical the winners were in comparison to their opponents who snatched at chances after good approach work.
Loughgiel started the second half intending to finish the opposition off quickly – and they did! Roisin McCormick placed Charley McCarry for a goal in the opening minute with Therese McKinley and the McCormick sisters adding points, all inside the opening four minutes.
Caoimhe McAleenan responded with a free, but a left wing move from the Shamrocks was played into the path of Méadhbh McCormick who hit their fifth goal.
After that whirlwind start Glenravel came more into the game, and for perhaps a quarter of an hour pushed and probed at the Loughgiel defence, but failed to translate that pressure into scores.
Indeed there were few scores during the last 23 minutes – two frees from Caoimhe McAleenan, while Roisin McCormick pointed one for Loughgiel and a speculative high lob into the Glenravel goal area in the 54th minute caused a bit of confusion and Charley McCarry nipped in to tuck away her side’s sixth goal.
There wasn’t perhaps as big a gap in general play between the sides as the scoreline suggests, but by the same token Loughgiel knew how to put their less experienced opponents to the sword.
Loughgiel scorers : Eimear Boyle, Aoife O’Mullan, Katie Lynn, Louise McKillop, Maria Lynn, Katie McKillop, Eimear McGarry capt., Suzanne McKeown, Clare McKillop, Roisin McCormick 0-6, 0-3 frees, Méádhbh McCormick 1-1, Carla McGarry, Ciara Laverty 3-0, Charley McCarry 2-3, 0-1 free, Therese McKinley 0-1.
Subs: Brona McIntyre for S McKeown (53), Cara McIntyre for T McKinley (53), Lyndsay Higgins for C McCarry (55), Sarahanne McGarry for K Lynn (57), Megan McGarry for R McCormick (57).
Brídíní Óga: Aine Duffin, Lianne Kerr, Bernie Convery, Leona Traynor, Eimhear McAleenan, Ellen Hynds, Joanne McKeown, Laoise McKenna, Sian McNeill, Victoria Edgar 1-0, Shauna Kelly capt., Kirsty Laverty, Caoimhe McAleenan 0-4, 0-3 frees, Ashling Ward, Kirsten Edgar 0-1.
Subs : Clodagh McCann for S McNeill (40), Molly Woulahan for L Kerr (45).
Referee : Jimmy Totten (Cargin)
Pics by Dylan McIlwaine