By Liam Tunney
Antrim Junior Camogie Championship
Semi-Final
Rasharkin 2-10
St John’s 0-7
A commanding start paved the way for Rasharkin to reach their first junior camogie final since 2011 at the expense of St John’s at Dunsilly.
Goals inside the first quarter from Cora Henderson and Cathleen Mooney saw the South West Antrim side eight points up after 11 minutes against a shell-shocked St John’s.
The Whiterock Road girls recovered after a number of positional switches, but the majors had St Mary’s seven to the good at the break.
Thomas McGilligan’s side then weathered an early storm from St John’s, eventually outscoring the city girls by four points to two over an attritional second half.
Ciara O’Boyle had Rasharkin ahead inside two minutes, slotting a routine free from the left hand side, but St John’s shot an immediate reply through the lively Una Simpson.
St Mary’s then found the game’s opening goal; a flying Jade Henry saw her shot well blocked by a St John’s defender, but Cathleen Mooney picked up the break, shrugged off a solid challenge and rolled the ball underneath Aishling Hawkins to give her side the initiative.
Mooney popped over a neat score in the seventh minute to extend the lead to four points, before Ciara O’Boyle stripped a defender of possession and launched over a point wide on the left flank.
Rasharkin then found the net for a second time, as first Eimear O’Neill and then Cathleen Mooney showed enough composure to find Cora Henderson on the edge of the box.
The full-forward settled herself and rifled the sliotar into the roof of the net to leave St Mary’s eight ahead in the 11th minute.
Henderson almost wriggled free for a second goal just three minutes later, but Carrie Anne Williamson’s tenacity snuffed out the opportunity.
St John’s hit back on 16 minutes, with Eimhéar Costello getting off the mark, but Rasharkin hit back immediately; Niamh Mooney feeding Ciara O’Boyle to float over her third of the evening.
Costello slotted a neat point before an Una Simpson 45 forced Sharrifa O’Kane to react under the crossbar, tipping the ball out for another placed ball.
Eimear O’Neill then jinked between two defenders and burst clear to shoot Rasharkin into a commanding 2-5 to 0-3 lead on 22 minutes.
St John’s rang the changes in an attempt to force a way back into the game, with goalkeeper Hawkins moving out the field, where she had an immediate influence.
Now operating in midfield, Hawkins fired over a close-range free before launching a huge score between the posts from way out the field to cut the deficit to six points.
St Mary’s regained composure on the stroke of half-time, when Henderson’s vision picked out Eimear Quigg in acres of space on the left flank.
The centre forward split the posts to leave her side leading 2-6 to 0-5 at the short whistle.
St John’s began the second period camped in the Rasharkin half, but it was St Mary’s who again took control, Cathleen Mooney finishing a breakaway move by sweeping over a 33rd minute point.
Both sides then traded goal chances.
After dispossessing the goalkeeper, Cora Henderson saw her kicked effort scrambled off the line, while at the other end, Eimhéar Costello’s powerful run was eventually snuffed out by sisters Noeleen and Sharrifa O’Kane.
Another Aishling Hawkins free from distance reduced the gap to seven points on 41 minutes, but a tidy Eimear Quigg free settled any comeback nerves five minutes later.
Substitute Sinead Hasson then saw her low effort clip the bar on the way over to leave Rasharkin leading 2-9 to 0-6 with the game entering the last ten minutes.
A Jade Henry 45 on 54 minutes nudged Rasharkin further ahead before a late Costello effort up the other end completed the scoring.
Rasharkin’s win sees them reach their first junior final since 2011, and next week’s decider will see them take on St Paul’s, who were also their opponents 12 years ago.
Rasharkin: Saoirse McMullan, Niamh McFerran, Noeleen O’Kane, Eimhéar Hardy, Bronagh McFerran, Sharrifa O’Kane, Cadhla McLernon, Kerrie Darragh, Niamh Mooney, Ciara O’Boyle (0-3, 0-1f), Eimear Quigg (0-2, 0-1f), Jade Henry (0-1 – 45), Cathleen Mooney (1-2), Cora Henderson (1-0), Eimear O’Neill (0-1)
Subs: Ciara O’Neill for Eimear O’Neill (34), Sinead Hasson (0-1) for Ciara O’Boyle (38), Roisin Hardy for Cora Henderson (49), Christina Brennan for Cadhla McLernon (53), Maria Higgins for Cathleen Mooney (58)
St John’s: Aishling Hawkins (0-3,0-2f), Sinead McAleavy, Carrie Anne Williamson, Sarah Jane McGuigan, Eimear Johnston, Aine Dudley, Ceara Carelton, Paula McGivern, Carla Hamill, Faoileann Leyden, Una Simpson (0-1), Claire Morgan, Hannah McGuigan, Eimhéar Costello (0-3), Sophie Bradley
Referee: Paul O’Neill (Creggan)
Player of the Match
Niamh McFerran (Rasharkin) – St John’s had their chances to reduce the nine-point winning margin, but time and again their efforts were repelled by Niamh McFerran. The corner back emerged with possession countless times, her pace and anticipation getting the better of the St John’s attack.
Turning Point
Cora Henderson goal – Henderson’s piledriver on 11 minutes felt final even at that early stage. The full forward finished a tidy move involving Eimear O’Neill and Cathleen Mooney which left Rasharkin eight points up and in complete control.
Score of the Match
Ciara O’Boyle point – O’Boyle’s 8th minute point was a textbook example of defending starting with the attack. The half forward reached in with her hurl to steal possession from the defender, before stepping clear and opening the shoulders wide on the left, sending the ball between the posts from distance.