Ulster Camogie Bridie McMenamin Shield semi-final
Ballela 1-2 Rasharkin 3-11
Pics by Mark Hasson
RASHARKIN remain on course to bring the Bridie McMenamin Shield to Antrim for a fifth successive season after travelling down to Ballela to record a comfortable semi-final victory over the Down champions.
Rasharkin got off to an excellent start with points from Jade Henry and Emer O’Neill inside the opening minute. When Ciara O’Boyle added a third point, the north Antrim side were really motoring. However Aoibhne Magee brought them back down to earth by drilling a free to their net and just five minutes had passed.
After that early scoring blitz, it became a little harder to register scores. However O’Boyle and Henry had added points apiece before O’Boyle set Cora Henderson up for a Rasharkin goal in the 17th minute. Again O’Boyle and Henry (from a free) tagged on points and they led by 1-7 to 1-1 at the break.
Tara McAnarney hit back with an excellent point for Ballela on the re-start, but Jade Henry more than cancelled it when she drilled home a penalty in the 36th minute. Ciara O’Boyle added a point and then a goal inside 30 seconds midway through the half and the Antrim junior champions were following their predecessors by reaching the provincial final.
In fact this will be the fifth successive final that has an Antrim v Derry pairing after Drumsurn had an easy 1-16 to 0-4 win over St Brigid’s in Armagh on Saturday.
Ahoghill and Lavey clashed in 2019. The following season Creggan made it two in a row with a narrow 1-6 to 1-5 win over Magherafelt. Magherafelt made it back to the 2021 final but again lost by a point, this time to St John’s Belfast.
Then last year Ruairí Óg reserve team made it five in a row with a 2-9 to 1-6 win over Ballerin. I suspect there will once again be a toss for venue between Drumsurn and Rasharkin for their derby final on November 25th.
PLAYER OF THE MATCH
Jade Henry (Rasharkin)
The Saffron champions has several contenders, notably Cadhla McLernon and Ciara O’Boyle, but Henry’s running and clinical finishing yielded 1-3, while the half forward was also on hand to pick up a number of breaking balls in defence.
SCORE OF THE MATCH
Ciara O’Boyle goal
O’Boyle had just launched over a huge free when she caught the resultant puck out, drive forward into the space and unleashed a daisy-cutter into the bottom corner of Ballela’s net.
TURNING POINT
Cora Henderson goal
Rasharkin had steadied the ship after an Aoibhne Magee free dropped to the net on 5 minutes and led by two when Ciara O’Boyle went clear on the right, squared it perfectly to Henderson on the edge of the box and the full forward dispatched it with aplomb to reassert control on the game.
Rasharkin: C O’Boyle 1-5, 0-2 frees, J Henry 1-4, 1-0 pen, 0-1 free, C Henderson 1-0, E O’Neill 0-2.
Ballela: A Magee 1-1 frees, T McAnarney 0-1.
Ballela: C Connolly, M McGivern, A Burns, S McCartan, L Devlin, K McNeill-Keenan, C O’Hare, M Mackin, C McNeill, E Starrs, C Savage, A Magee, C Rooney, T McAnarney, C McCusker.
Subs: J Braniff for C Rooney, O O’Rourke for E Starrs, A Starrs for C Savage, A McCusker for S McCartan, N McCorry for L Devlin.
Rasharkin: S McMullan, N McFerran, N O’Kane, E Hardy, B McFerran, S McFerran, C McLernon, K Darragh, N Mooney, C O’Boyle, E Quigg, J Henry, Caitlin Mooney, C Henderson, E O’Neill.
Subs: Cara Mooney for Caitlin Mooney (44), S Hasson for C Henderson (49),
