Corn Eimhear Camogie final:
St Patrick’s Maghera 2-15 St Killian’s Garron Tower 2-6
St Pat’s Maghera’s dominance of Ulster Schools Camogie continued at the Dub Arena on Tuesday evening when they saw off the dogged challenge of St Killian’s College Garron Tower in the final of the Corn Eimear. The Maghera College won every one of the competitions they competed in in Ulster last season and they carried it on tonight as they collected the Corn Eimhear for the third year in a row.
To their credit Garron Tower gave a good account of themselves and were still in contention until midway through the second half when the class of the Maghera girls really told.
St Killian’s midfielder Eva McNeill got the first score of the game from a free and when a second free went all the way to the Maghera net in the fifth minute you began to wonder if a major shock was maybe on the cards.
The Tower’s early hopes were dented when Cargin’s Orlaith Johnston grabbed a goal at the other end, firing home from close range, but McNeill kept the Towers’ noses in front with two more points, but the St Pat’s forwards were beginning to gain the upper hand and when a long delivery from Branagh Brolly’s found Róisín McAtamney in on her own, she made not mistake as she fired home a goal to put St Pat’s ahead for the first time at the end of the opening quarter.
Mary Therese McCullagh and Emma Quinn added points to stretch the Maghera lead but Tamara Black pulled one back for the north Antrim girls. The Tower got back on terms when a long delivery by Eva McNeill broke around the Maghera goals and Meadhbh Graham brought her team level on 2-4 apiece as she kicked the ball over the line. Those scores really lifted the St Killians girls, but Maghera wrestled back the initiative and three unanswered points gave them a cushion at the break. The final quarter saw the Derry girls really take control of the game and they pressed home their advantage to seal the victory, but St Killian’s will take great heart from their performance against such a great team.
Magera’s win sees them advance to play the champions of Leinster early in the New Year.
St Patrick’s: R McAtamney 1-4, O Johnston 1-0, E Quinn 0-10, 9 frees, MT McCullough 0-1.
St Killian’s: E McNeill 1-4, 1-3 frees, M Graham 1-0, T Black 0-1, A McAlister 0-1.
St Patrick’s: K Birt, L McKaigue, E Conway, C McMullan, B Brolly, E Griffin capt., O McCartney, E Quinn, A McWilliams, A McFaul, MT McCullagh, R McAtamney, C McKenna, O Johnston, A Mulholland.
Subs: G McCartney for C McKenna (24), GM Bradley for A McFaul (37), I Martin for C McMullan (52), R McNally for O Johnston (56).
St Killian’s: L McNaughton, L McCollum, E McCann, A Campbell, K McLaughlin, M McAlister, L Gillan, E McNeill, E McNaughton, T Black, E Ward, A McAlister (capt.), S Carey, M Graham, A O’Kane.
Subs: M McKeegan for A O’Kane (HT), N McCollum for A Campbell (52), B Taggart for S Carey (55), A McAuley for E McNaughton (59).
Referee: M O’Neill
