NWP Recycling Ulster senior camogie semi-final
Antrim 1-10 Derry 2-8
By Seamus McAleenan
Sunday’s NWP Recycling Ulster senior camogie semi-final in Ahoghill delivered the expected result, a win for holders Derry, but no-one forecast that Antrim would push them to the final whistle. They achieved that by bringing an intensity to their play especially during the first half when defence held strong as wing-forwards Lucia McNaughton and Áine Donnelly carried the game to Derry. Kelly Marie Heggarty and Aine McAllister held the line well for Derry particularly during the opening half and the holders were that little bit more physically stronger than a younger Antrim side. Overall however both sets of players contributed well to a keenly contested game in which seven different players from each side kept the score-board turning.
In the end though Derry had that little bit of experience over the Saffrons, probably encapsulated in the opening goal when the Antrim defence had at least two attempts to clear the sliotar before a half-hit ground shot was pounced on by Grainne McGoldrick.
At the other end points in each half from both Caoimhe Wright and Áine Donnelly could easily have been green flags as both were through one-on-one with Niamh McQuillan.
The opening half was a cagey affair, more notable for the intensity of the tackling and blocking rather than for open play. Antrim went three up with a couple of excellent scores from the Donnelly sisters and Lucia McNaughton, before Derry found their feet with a burst of 1-2 inside four minutes, their total at the break with Antrim now on 0-4.
Antrim then started the second half with a burst of 1-2 inside the opening six minutes, points from Katie McAleese (free) and Orlagh O’Hara either side of a neat goal from Caoimhe McAleenan when a point effort from O’Hara was blocked out for the Brídíní Óga player to sweep one-handed to the net.
However over the next ten minutes, Derry cancelled those scores out with 1-2 of their own, points from Éilís Ní Chaiside and Caoimhe Glass followed by a goal from Dervla O’Kane.
The last quarter saw several exchanges of points, but crucially Antrim never got their noses in front and Derry sub Aoife Shaw made it 2-8 to 1-9 before Aine Donnelly’s late goal half-chance was spectacularly kept out by Derry keeper McQuillan.
Antrim : N Cosgrove, M Lynn, K Donnelly, C Patterson, C Drain, A McManus, C Donnelly, N Donnelly 0-1, L McKenna, L McNaughton 0-1, K McAleese capt. 0-3 frees, A Donnelly 0-2, O O’Hara 0-1, C McAleenan 1-1, C Wright 0-1.
Subs Á Mulholland for C Donnelly, C McCarry for C McAleenan, A Boyle for C Wright
Derry : N McQuillan, KM Hegarty, B Ní Chaiside, N Quinn, G McNicholl, A Ní Chaiside, J McGuckin, E Ní Chaiside 0-1, L McKenna, M McNicholl 0-1, S Mellon, A McAllister 0-1, C Glass 0-1, G McGoldrick 1-3, 0-3 frees, D O’Kane 1-0.
Subs : A Devlin for D O’Kane, A Shaw 0-1 for S Mellon
Referee : P McDonald (Cavan)
Pics by John McIlwaine