Ulster Colleges Camogie B Championship – Fr Davies’ Cup final
St Killian’s College Garron Tower 4-7 St Patrick’s, Keady 1-11
St Killian’s won the Fr Davies Cup at the Loup on Saturday when they beat St Patrick’s Keady in a highly exciting final, to regain the trophy for the first time since 2016.
Ahead by 1-3 to 0-5 in a low scoring first half the girls from the Tower hit their stride in an absorbing second half, but they were pushed to the limit before getting over the line against an excellent Keady side. After opening a five point gap going into the second half water break St Killian’s were pegged back when Keady full forward Sinead Quinn grabbed her team’s only goal of the game and when Katie Doyle and Katie Crilly added points the Co Armagh school were back on terms.
It looked like anyone’s game at this stage, but the girls from the Tower dug deep and when left half forward Kady McNeill put Cara O’Boyle clear, the midfielder grabbed her team’s fourth goal and they added three more points to seal the Fr Davies cup for the fourth time.
Keady went ahead in the early stages of the game with a point from a free by Katie Doyle, but right half forward Orlaith McAlister had St Killian’s level soon afterwards. The north Antrim school edged ahead but Keady were back on terms at 0-2 apiece by the first half water break.
When Monique O’Boyle got St Killian’s opening goal early in the second quarter it looked like they were starting to gain the upper hand, but that was not the case and Keady came back to trail by just a single point at half time. (1-3 to 0-5).
The Keady girls were level early in the second half when top scorer Katie Doyle sent over, but St Killian’s got their second goal soon afterwards when Kady McNeill fired home after being set up by Niamh Graham and when Graham got in for her team’s third goal there was a bit of daylight between the sides.
There was to be no relaxing for the St Killain’s fans however as boosted by Quinn’s goal Keady fought back to level, but when Cara O’Boyle got the Tower’s fourth goal they drove on to victory and now face Scoil Cháitríona in the All-Ireland quarter-final in Dublin next weekend.
St Killian’s: O Donnelly, R Black, E McMullan, Ú McAlister, Catherine O’Boyle, A McNeill, E McCambridge, Cara O’Boyle 1-1, L Haughey, O McAlister 0-1, S Woodhouse 0-2, K McNeill 1-1, M O’Boyle 1-2, C McPeake, N Graham 1-0.
Subs: A Mulholland for Catherine O’Boyle (HT), L Black for E McCambridge (HT), EJ Butler for Ú McAlister (37).
St Patrick’s: S Connolly, Á Rafferty, M Crilly, C Loughran, E Gilmartin, M O’Hare, O O’Connor, K Crilly 0-1, É Lennon 0-1 free, Á Mallon 0-1, T White, K Doyle 0-7 frees, S Quinn 1-0, S Burke 0-1, N McKee
Subs: L Loughran for N McKee (29), C Richards for Á Mallon (45)
Referee: O Elliott
