Antrim Camogie League – Division 1
Tuesday 9th April
Tír na nÓg 1-8 Brídíní Óga Glenravel 4-14
ALTHOUGH Brídíní Óga Glenravel were deserving winners of this opening Division 1 camogie league fixture in Whitehill, two very late goals gave the score-board a rather flattering look.
The home side, playing with the aid of the breeze in the first half, was the better team and deserved to jump into a 1-4 to 0-1 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Defender Carla O’Neill showed the way with a fine individual point and that was followed by three points from Emily Falloon, one of them a free, while Eimhear McAleenan pointed a free from one of Brídíní Óga’s rare attacks. A shot from out the field then came off an upright and Rachel Bonnes reacted first to find the net.
However the visitors responded well with a point from Ashling Millar in the next attack and were right back in the game when the same player took a pass from Orlaith Gould and netted in the 22nd minute.
Millar and Erin Coulter then cancelled out two points from Susan Shannon before the break to leave Tír na nÓg just two points ahead, 1-6 to 1-4.
Within five minutes of the re-start, points from Eimhear McAleenan (free) and Molly Woulahan levelled the game. Millar and McAleenan quickly added points and then Kirsty Laverty set Woulahan up for a fine goal. There was only going to be one winner after that.
Ahead now by 2-11 to 1-6, the scoring suddenly dried up with Emma Louise McAreavey and Catilin McGaughey taking over in defence and Susan Shannon and Emily Falloon putting pressure on coming through from midfield.
Over the next ten minutes Tír na nÓg exerted plenty of pressure, but only got two Falloon points from frees in return. Then in the last five minutes, the Glenravel girls hit an unanswered three points followed by injury time goals from Ashling Millar and Molly Woulahan.
It was a good work-out for both teams, but bigger challenges loom next week with Brídíní Óga making the short trip to Cushendall and Tír na nÓg hosting Loughgiel.
Tír na nÓg: C Godfrey, K Bonnes, C McGaughey, C Bonnes, A McCloskey, EL McAreavey, C O’Neill 0-1, CM McStravick, S Shannon 0-2, N McKinley, E Falloon 0-5, 3 frees, J Simpson, S Martin capt, R Bonnes 1-0, E Magee.
Subs used: B Devlin, M O’Dolan, C Fagan, C Townsend, C Lemon
Brídíní Óga: O Donnelly, A Mulholland, M McKenna, L Esler, Ú McAleenan, J Woulahan, E Coulter capt 0-3, M Mulholland, E McAleese, O Gould, K Laverty, N Donnelly, E McAleenan 0-6 frees, O Ward, A Millar 2-3.
Subs used: C Emerson, S McDonnell, M Woulahan 2-2, A McPeake, C McPeake
Referee: P O’Neill (Creggan)
