Antrim Camogie U16A Cup Final 20th September 2024

Loughgiel 2-03 Cushendall 6-24

Report and photo album from Michael Corcoran in Fr. Maginn Park, Glenravel

Coming into a final as favourites can apply an additional level of pressure over and above the sense of occasion in itself, but the girls from Cushendall coped well to run out cup winners in Glenravel despite an early and late challenge from Loughgiel.

The pitch and facilities were setup worthy of a championship match and full credit goes to the hardworking grounds team, who amongst other grounds volunteers in many other clubs, have faced a challenging year due to the oddities of the weather.

Tonight’s game had supporters anxiously waiting to see if Loughgiel could mount an early challenge to cause an upset in tonight’s game. Indeed, for the better part of twenty-five minutes in the first half, only eight points separated sides with goals apiece and it would be Loughgiel’s Róise McGarry who would raise a green flag first after Rose McMullan dropped her shot short of the goal. But Cushendall replied immediately, as Amy McAlIstair tapped into what looked like an undefendable amount of space to the right of goalkeeper Maeve Scullion. Scullion though would go on to defend the Shamrock goals for the better part of the game with bravery and quick reactions that helped to thwart Cushendall’s attempts at finding the net too easily.

As the second half got underway, Cushendall had by now worked out a formula for success. A sweeping Maeve McAlister playing right half back used her catching skills and long puck to quell Loughgiel advances and was successful in offloading the sliotar down the field to Eva McNeill or Cliodhna Thompson, both generous in moving the sliotar to a player running into space.

That generosity would be repaid in full as both McNeill and Thompson were put into positions enabling them to rack up points and goals that would put the game beyond any doubt and the cup would be heading to the coast, but not before Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty gave supporters a piece of sporting drama as she stroked an awarded penalty to a waiting Ellen McAlister on the goal line, dropping the sliotar off the stick to Laverty in flight , instinctively running to the goals. A simple roll lift on the sliotar and a quick fire would give the Shamrocks the last goal and score of the evening as the game was blown to a close with the light dropping rapidly on a cloudy autumnal evening.

Cushendall starting panel

Ellen McAlister, Aibreán Campbell, Laoise McCollam, Caragh McKinley, Maeve McAlister, Erin McNaughton, Niamh McCollam, Tamara Black, Scarlet Kerr-McKillop, Mia McKeegan, Eva McNeill, Erinmae Mitchell, Amy McAlister, Cliodhna Thompson, Laoiseach McNaughton

Loughgiel starting panel

Maeve Scullion, Rhea Dickson, Brianna McCloskey, Clare McNeilly, Caoimhe McGarry, Eibhlín Kearney, Ciara Breen, Anna Smyth, Aoibhinn Fennelly, Rose McMullan, Marie Laverty, Caela Casey, Caoimhe Bateson, Róise McGarry

Photos from this evening’s game can be found by clicking on the album link here…

https://myalbum.com/album/u4sGdTnSPtLC7Q/?invite=17f3b156-4d2d-42a0-806f-fa411d425356

Don’t forget to enjoy all of our photos in the Saffron albums on a large screen such as a laptop or tablet. Click on a photo to see it larger, look at the album as either a photo book or web pages and you can order a copy online as a keep’s sake.

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.