Under 16 A Camogie Championship final
Loughgiel 2-14 Brídíní Óga 4-5
Loughgiel celebrate their win over Brídíní Óga in the Under 16 A Camogie final in Ballymena
By Seamus McAleenan
Brídíní Óga Glenravel have contested and lost three of the last four Under 16 A championship finals to Loughgiel, but in each of those finals they have put it up to the Shamrocks with arguably their best performance of the season.
In this game in Ballymena, the challengers were finishing very strongly but just ran out of time with three goals in the last ten minutes bringing them back to within just three points of the Shamrocks.
Loughgiel however were the better team overall, moving the sliotar quickly around the pitch and, particularly during the middle of the second half, picking off some fine scores from distance.
Roisin McCormick, while very well handled by first Shauna McDonnell and then when she moved to midfield by Beth McAuley, nevertheless managed to show a turn of pace to break away with ball and set up attacks.
Their defence was fairly solid as well with the half-back line of Aoife O’Mullan, Ciara Laverty and Meabh Henry particularly effective.
Up front Carla McGarry took some excellent scores when she moved out to half-forward and Orlagh Laverty picked off three scores at key times.
However the centre of the Glenravel defence was very solid throughout and cleared a lot of ball. They tried to crowd midfield and pick up the breaks, a ploy that perhaps worked well early in the game, but not when Loughgiel got going after the break.
As Loughgiel moved in the subs in the last 10 minutes, the Glenravel defence started to pick out their passes under less pressure and that contributed to the frantic finish as much as the pace of Aimee Traynor and Niamh Donnelly up front.
At the end of the first quarter, the teams were still on level terms at 0-3 each, but then Mary McKillen’s point started a run of four Loughgiel scores the most important of which was a 21st minute goal scored by Aine McErlean after Roisin McCormick had picked her out with a pin-point cross from the right wing.
However Brídíní Óga rallied well and Aimee Traynor had hard luck for a goal on two occasions before Niamh Donnelly finished the first half scoring by scrambling a goal, leaving it 1-7 to 1-4.
Although there was no scoring for the opening seven minutes of the second half, Loughgiel doubled their total over the next quarter of an hour, with Annie Lynn’s goal getting them off the mark.
The Shamrocks stepped on the gas after that and spaces began to appear at the back. However as the game drew to a close, Glenravel’s attack sprang back to life with Aimee Traynor’s solo goal in the 54th minute.
Then substitute Hannah McCann was on hand to finish twice from just left of the goals – but time ran out on them and Loughgiel’s Carla McGarry went on to lift the Cup.
Loughgiel : Fionnuala Laverty, Erin McMullan, Megan McGarry, Caitlin McCloskey, Méabh Henry, Ciara Laverty 0-1, Aoife O’Mullan, Orlagh Laverty 0-3, Mary McKillen 0-1, Shauna McKillop, Roisin McCormick 0-4, Annie Lynn 1-0, Caitlin Hargan, Carla McGarry 0-4, Aine McErlean 1-1.
Subs : Catherine Kelly for C Hargan, Carleen Sullivan for A McErlean, Ella Sullivan for A Lynn, Erin Kearney for S McKillop, Chloe Magill for O Laverty.
Brídíní Óga : Orla Donnelly, Cassie McQuillan, Jaime Woulahan, Rachel Coulter, Ciara McCormick, Shauna McDonnell, Maeve Mulholland, Bronagh Laverty, Beth McAuley 0-2 frees, Niamh McKay 0-2, Molly Woulahan, Alisha McPeake, Aimee Traynor 1-1, Niamh Donnelly 1-0, Clodagh Kerr.
Subs : Hannah McCann 2-0 for C Kerr, Orlaith Fyfe,
Zoe and Nicole, grandaughters of Antrim Camogie Board chairperson Imelda McLeod, present the Under 16 A championship cup to Loughgiel captain Carla Mcgarry after her team’s win over Brídíní Óga in Sunday’s final at Quinn Park, Ballymena