St Benedict’s Randalstown 5-5 Our Lady’s Castleblayney 0-3
ST Benedict’s have won Ulster schools’ camogie’s Inter-county Shield for the first time. On Wednesday they dominated the final in MUSA with an early goal from Caoimhe Carey the key to gaining control.
Opponents Our Lady’s Secondary Castleblayney showed they were every bit as capable as the winners, but they were always chasing the game, while Clodagh Mclarnon brought off several excellent saves in the first half and at the start of the second, saves that kept her team in control.
While St Benedict’s fought hard in every position, the skill and movement of Brogan Graham, Brenna Bonnes, Erin Neeson and captain Shauna McCann caused Castleblayney particular problems while Caoimhe Carey was a constant threat on the edge of the square.
Carey went on to record four goals, two in each half, and each was a nail in the Monaghan side’s coffin.
Brenna Bonnes opened the scoring with a point and Carey’s goal came in the third minute. Our Lady’s pushed forward to get a foothold on the game but couldn’t break down the Randalstown defence. At the other end St Benedict’s forwards kept chipping away at Castleblayney’s confidence with points from Annie Rankin, Brogan Graham and Erin Neeson before they finished the opening half with Carey’s second goal to lead by 2-4 to 0-0 at the change of ends.
As she had done on a couple of occasions in the first half, goalie Clodagh McLarnon was called into action early in the second and brilliantly turned a shot out for a 45 from which Kiera McLaughlin got her side’s first score.
But St Benedict’s just needed to grab the odd score here and there to stay in front. Annie Rankin responded with a brilliant point from the right wing in the 38th minute and ten minutes later the game was as good as over when Shauna McCann’s long through ball was forced over the line for Caoimhe Carey to complete her hat-trick.
The other two goals came within a couple of minutes of the end, one from Carey and the last scored by Caoimhe McCann.
St Benedict’s: C Carey 4-0, C McCann 1-0, A Rankin 0-2, B Graham, B Bonnes, E Neeson 0-1 each
Our Lady’s: K McLaughlin 0-3 frees.
The winning St Benedict’s panel was:
ClodaghMcLarnon, Fiadh O’Boyle, Brogain McGuckien, Caoimhe Carey, Tanisha McCann, Ciara McCann, Brogan Graham, Shauna McCann capt., Brenna Bonnes, Caoimhe McCann, Mya Cooke, Annie Rankin, Erin Neeson, Clare McStocker, Erin Rose McNeilly, Amy Moss, Eva Agnew, Callie Robb, Eimhear McGuckien, Katie Hughes, Cora McAuley, Isla Agnew