Antrim Junior Camogie Championship final

Cushendall: 5-13(28) Loughgiel: 2-1(7)

Cusehndall won their first Junior Camogie Championship title since 1972 when they beat Loughgiel 3rds in Friday night’s final at Portglenone. After a great start which brought them four points in the first three minutes Cushendall were rocked back on their heels as the Shamrocks came back with two goals and a point to lead by three, but from that point on Cushendall regained control to dominate all over the field and in the end were convincing winners.

Backboned by their recent underage teams the Ruairiettes started like a steam train and four unanswered points from Niamh Conlon, Lara Haughey, Niamh Graham and Ellie Jo Butler, but two quick goals from the Shamrocks full forward Rebecca Higgins and a point rom right half forward Neal Clarke turned things around.

Those scores left the Cushendall girls reeling for a while, but when corner forward Niamh Conlon ended a twelve minute scoreless spell with a well taken goal, things began to click again. Ellie Jo Butler brought them level with a point from play on fifteen minutes and they pushed on with further points from the excellent Conlon, Lara Haughey (2) and Monique O’Boyle, plus a goal from top of the left Caoimhe O’Hara to lead by 2-10 to 2-1 at the half time break.

It was all one way traffic in the second half as a buoyant Cushendall pushed on toward the title. Niamh Graham, Ellie Jo Butler and substitute Orla McAlister added points during a low scoring twenty minutes play, before the floodgates opened with three goals inside two minutes, Lara Haughey, Orla McAlister and Monique O’Boyle and a last minute point from Conlon.