Antrim Camogie League Division 2
Loughgiel 0-08 Dunloy 3-10
Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel
An unseasonal low pressure, courtesy of a low-lying jet stream brought a swirling north north-easterly wind carrying sheets of rain and heavy drizzle to dampen spirits ahead of Tuesday night’s league game between neighbouring clubs, Loughgiel and Dunloy. It was a night you wouldn’t go out for a shovel of coal, but as they say, the show must go on, and so it did.
Dunloy travelled the short distance over the road and with an even shorter warm up session, lined out promptly for referee, Mark O’Neill’s whistle. Loughgiel would face a determined Dunloy squad cognisant of the fact that the Shamrocks were missing a number of players and this was an opportunity to grab more league points, despite the conditions.
On the flip side for Loughgiel’s Bainisteoir, Conor Higgins, this was an opportunity to see inside the Loughgiel engine without the protective casing. Pistons, tappets, overhead valves the lot. Nothing like a challenging game to build experience for the core panel.
Within the first minute of the game, Loughgiel were awarded a free and Anna McKillop dropped that over the bar from around the 20m line on the left side of the pitch towards the road.
With less than three minutes on the clock, Dunloy’s Katie Molloy pointed and in no time, the Cuchulainn’s were back for more only for Loughgiel’s Emma McFadden sweeping back on the line and pulling off a reflex save that would deny Dunloy their first goal. Dunloy would loft that save over the bar for their second point and their third would follow after a Kathryn Boyle, Katie Molloy, Cassie McArthur sequence.
The next twenty minutes would witness a lull in scoring as play got bogged down in rucks around the midfield, resulting in many two-player throw-ins. The Shamrocks though would make good of a missed Dunloy free and Anna McKillop turned that over for Loughgiel’s second point. Their third point would follow after a questionable ‘twice in the hand’ by Kirsty McKendry but O’Neill was happy to let things flow and a foul resulting from McKendry’s lobbed in sliotar was pointed over the bar by Amy Boyle. Both sides were now level on 0-03 apiece.
Dunloy would reply with a point from Eobha McAllister and as McAllister pushed forward to make gains in another run, O’Neill spotted a foul and Nicole McAtamney had the correct flight on the sliotar to drop that over the bar.
Cassie McArthur would take the Cuchulainn’s forward with a solo run through the 13m line to go one on one with keeper Shauna McKillop. McKillop narrowly missed the sliotar on the stick, giving Dunloy their goal.
O’Neill spotted a lift off the ground and as Anna McKillop dispatched the sliotar over the bar, O’Neill blew for half time, scores were Loughgiel 0-04 Dunloy 1-05.
The start of the second half made up for the lull in play during a segment of the earlier half. Dunloy had two open goal chances to score but as those sliotar’s ran past the open goal, Dunloy didn’t have anyone forward to make good of the opportunities. Dunloy maintained their pressure and had Emma McFadden in reflex mode again as Cassie McArthur drilled the sliotar in towards goal, denying McArthur her second goal.
Dunloy would pursue the chance to make goals, keeping the sliotar low and avoiding wides in the inclement conditions. One of those chances came to Eimear Johnston as she weaved a way past McKillop onto an open goal, taking Dunloy 2-06 up against 0-04 from Loughgiel.
Both sides would trade a point apiece, with Shanna Deery moving the Shamrocks’ on one as she took a free that came from Lucia McNaughton being wrapped up on her move towards Dunloy’s 20m line and a Katie Molloy point from play.
As Dunloy broke through Loughgiel’s defence, keeper McKillop pulled off an incredible save using her hand that deflected the sliotar up onto the post. The deflected ball was turned over by Katie Molloy and found the back of the net for Dunloy’s third and final goal of the evening.
In the dropping light, hampered by curtains of clouds sweeping through, both sides managed to point three times to conclude the match Loughgiel 0-08 Dunloy 3-10.
This was a good win for the Cuchulainn’s and equally a good run out for the Loughgiel panel without some of its heavy weights. It was a difficult evening for all players, officials and spectators due to the inclement weather. One of Loughgiel’s groundsmen, Aidan Boyle, summed it up appropriately as he hurried around yanking out the flags, “This is a wild night”.
Loughgiel Scorers:
Katie McKillop 0-01, Amy Boyle 0-01f, Shanna Deery 0-01, Lucia McNaughton 0-01, Anna McKillop 0-04 (3f).
Dunloy Scorers:
Eimear Johnston 1-0, Eobha McAllister 0-01, [11] 0-01, Cassie McArthur 1-03, Katie Molloy 1-03, Nicole McAtamney 0-02 (1f).
Photos from Tuesday evening’s game can be found in the photo album by clicking on the link here.
https://myalbum.com/album/rk2GLhWV6rtExu/?invite=1b872615-12dd-4e12-a8c4-3a35781ae905
Follow Michael G Corcoran @keep_clickin on X (formerly Twitter) for match Gifs when available.
Follow The Saffron Gael @TheSaffronGael on X for links to match reports