Corn Uan Uladh final
St. Louis Ballymena v Cross & Passion Ballycastle
Quinn Park 11-00am Saturday.
St. Louis, Ballymena attempt to bridge a 71 year gap when they face favourites, Cross & Passion, Ballycastle in the Corn Uan Uladh final in Ballymena tomorrow (11-00am)
The Kintullagh girls appeared to be heading out of the completion against St. Patrick’s Maghera in Monday’s semi-final in Ahoghill when they trailed the South Derry girls by 4-4 to 0-4 at the halfway stage but Chloe Drane’s side staged a remarkable second half come-back to win 4-8 to 4-7 and set up an all North Antrim final against CPC.
Team manager Drane made significant changes in that game to bridge the gaping gaps in the St. Louis defence with Katie Molloy dropping back to do an excellent job in the sweeper role and if lessons have been learned from that below par first half performance then St. Louis are in with a fighting chance.
Molloy received an All Star schools award this year with Orlagh Convery in goals, another All Star and Niamh Neeson a member of the Antrim All Ireland Minor B winning side. This trio are backed by a promising bunch of youngsters who were part of the side who lost to St. Patrick’s Maghera in the Corn Eimhear final back at the end of October.
Orla Kane, Erin Coulter, Dearbhall Dobbin, Anna McKillop and Ciara O’Boyle all played prominent roles in the victory over St. Pats on Monday with McKillop hitting 2-4 for the Ballymena girls and team captain, Kyra Doherty contributing 1-1 to her side’s total.
The sides last met in the group stages back in November with Cross & Passion running out 2-8 to 1-7 winners and following their facile win over St. Mary’s Magherafelt the Ballycastle side will start tomorrow’s final as favourites.
Cassie McArthur led the way with 6-1 of her side’s 9-11 total and is a player that the St. Louis defence will have to keep a tight rein on and she was joined on this year’s All Stars side by team colleagues, Fionna Kelly, Nuala Devlin and Orlagh Laverty.
Cross & Passion feature two sets of twins in their panel and both the McIntosh and Magill sisters were prominent in Monday’s win but tomorrow’s opponents are likely to provide a much sterner teat than the Magherafelt girls provided on Monday.
St. Louis last win in the Corn Uan Uladh came back in 1951 but they contested a final against tomorrow’s opponents four years ago where they lost narrowly by two points against a Cross & Passion side who started that one as firm favourites.
The game is likely to attract a big crowd at the All Saints GAC venue and the fact that Loughgiel and Dunloy have players on both sides should add a little bit of extra bite to the exchanges. Cross & Passion will be going for a seventh title tomorrow but if St. Louis can produce their second half semi-final performance for the full hour then they won’t be too far away.