Sciath na gContaethe camogie final:
Rathmore Grammar 1-8 St Joseph’s Donaghmore 1-3
RATHMORE Grammar collected their first ever Ulster schools’ camogie title yesterday when they won Sciath na gContaethe final in Meadowbank at the expense of St Joseph’s Donaghmore
The Belfast school has only recently entered camogie through Ulster schools’ and they made their way through to yesterday’s decider after winning a group that featured last year’s winners St Ronan’s Lurgan, St Benedict’s Randalstown and Dominican Fortwilliam.
They then comfortably defeated St Aidan’s Cootehill before Halloween to reach the final.
The group games featuring St Joseph’s Donaghmore had been delayed before the mid-term break, but the Tyrone side emerged to beat St Paul’s Bessbrook in last week’s semi-final by 3-1 to 1-2.
Although Rathmore registered the first two points through Player of the Match Róise Matthews and Anna Adams (free), they didn’t make their dominance of possession through the first quarter count on the score-board.
St Joseph’s grew into the game and the diminutive Charlotte Daly caused all kinds of problems during the second quarter, opening the scoring for her team with a point and then setting Bláithín McGee up for a goal.
Donaghmore led by 1-3 to 0-2 coming into the break, but with the last play of the half, captain Róise Stevenson sent a 45 into the goal area where a scramble resulted and Erin Wall forced the sliotar over the line.
Anna Adams tied the teams from a free at the start of the second half before Róise Matthews took over to score four points from play to gradually edge Rathmore clear.
Matthews made the difference with those second half scores, but there were also sound performances from Jessica Morgan and Róise Stevenson in defence as well as Anna Adams and Olivia Morgan.
St Joseph’s also had a number of good players particularly Hollie Croucher in goals and Holly Stinson and Niamh Donaghy in defence. But once Rathmore got to grips with the threat of Charlotte Daly and Bláithín McGee, it was a matter of wearing that defence down for enough scores to win.
Rathmore: E Wall 1-0, R Matthews 0-5, A Adams 0-2 (frees), O Morgan 0-1.
St Joseph’s: B McGee 1-0, C Fitzpatrick 0-2 (frees), C Daly 0-1.
Rathmore: Roisha Grant, Roisin Quinn, Jessica Morgan, Mia Molloy, Sophie Bell, Róise Stevenson capt., Lucy Kelly, Anna Adams, Olivia Morgan, Róise Matthews, Lila McCann, Lila McCavannagh, Poppy McGarrity, Ella Rose Watson, Eirinn Wall.
Subs: Niamh Lagan, Hannah Rush, Jane Carlin, Siofra Wall, Néabh Pendleton.
St Joseph’s: Hollie Croucher, Brianna Holland, Holly Stinson, Tiegan Lennon, Niamh Donaghy, Clodagh Mallon, Amelia Sheehan, Clara Burns, Katie McEldowney, Aoibhe Kerr, Chloe Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Daly, Eabha Coyle, Blaithin McGee, Clare McKee
