TWO goals and three points in the opening eight minutes of the second half of this Fr Davies Cup quarter final in Creggan on Tuesday morning have set St Dominic’s Belfast up with a first ever semi final against St Patrick’s Keady next week.
Overall St Dominic’s were the better team with strong performances from the half-back line of Niamh Murray, Nina McBride and Aoibhinn Austin with Sadhbh Drain and Niamh Keenan strong in the forward line.
Loreto
Nevertheless Loreto Coleraine, driven on by Dunloy pair Clíodhna O’Kane and Anna Martin in defence and dangerous forward Ellie McCaul from Dungiven, had a promising start to the game spurred on by a goal from McCaul in the first minute.
Points each from Aela Niblock and Niamh Keenan helped St Dominic’s settle and Chloe Irvine pushed them ahead with a 12th minute goal. However Loreto hit back with goals from McCaul and Glenullin’s Nellie Rose Bradley.
A goal from Niblock put St Dominic’s back level and Carragh Flynn edged them into the lead before a late goal from Ciara Christie left them 3-4 to 3-0 ahead at the break.
On the re-start the Falls Road side pushed on to put the game to bed. Points from Flynn, Niblock and Aoibhinn Austin (a 45) were followed by goals each from Sadhbh Drain and Chloe Irvine and there was no way back for Loreto at 5-7 to 3-0.
However a goal and two points in the last quarter from Nellie Rose Bradley better reflected their contribution on the scoreboard to the overall play.
St Dominic’s: C Irvine 2-1, A Niblock 1-2, S Drain 1-1, C Christie 1-0, C Flynn 1-0, N Keenan, A Austin (f), S Fryers and I Smyth 0-1 each
Loreto: NR Bradley 2-2, E McCaul 2-0
Starting teams:
St Dominic’s: Cara Garland, Amelie Donnelly, Jay Austin, Niamh Wallace, Nina McBride, Aoibhinn Austin,
Sarah Burnett, who played for Breakthrough TD1in the Tír na nÓg GAC Quid Games, topped the prize money with £10,000, half which she donated to her charity and the other half to the Tír na nÓg GAC Youth Development Fund. Sarah is seen here with club chairman Nicky Bones
On Saturday night Tír na nÓg GAC Randalstown hosted Quid Games in their 4G Hall. This game-show was to raise funds towards their club development plan whilst supporting local charities, too. On the night, there were 30 contestants competing across 6 games. Sarah Burnett, playing for Breakthrough TD1, a diabetic charity, won £10,000. Donating £5,000 to the charity and £5,000 to the Tír na nÓg Youth Development Fund. Anthony Martin, won £2,000 on the night as he was the top contestant fundraiser. He donated £1,000 to his charity- The Jam Store and £1,000 to Tommy’s.
The club donated a further £2,000 to 3 other charities- The National Deaf Children’s Society, Luekamia & Lymphoma NI and Macmillan recognising the efforts of the top 6 fundraisers in the event (Anthony Martin, Sarah Burnett, Michael Magill, Paul Heffron, Aidan Savage & Nathan Rocks) A mighty night had by all in attendance. A huge effort from the club, the organising committee and all of those who worked on the night to make it a success. Well done to everyone involved and good luck with the further development in the club.
TO SEE MORE OF BERT’S PHOTO FROM THIS GREAT EVENT CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel
Summer arrived in Fr. Healy Park and temperatures hovered around 20 degrees at the 7pm throw-in. The pleasant warm air augmented the evening’s sporting entertainment as spectators lined the Park in short sleeves.
Jerome McAllister officiated the game and once the sliotar was rolled in, Ballycastle’s Elen McIntosh had the honour of the first strike for a point but the sliotar floated wide of the post and that honour would fall to Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty who took possession straight from the puck out.
Loughgiel’s Carlina Sullivan and Anna McKillop would improve their score with another two points before Ballycastle’s Sionainn Graham closed the gap by one, a minute later.
Pushing up into Ballycastle’s half resulted in another two points for Loughgiel, both coming from close quarter passing from Christine McCloskey to Ciara Laverty and McCloskey took her own point as Marie Laverty offered up the sliotar.
Ballycastle’s Nuala Devlin keeps the sliotar ahead at arms reach as Loughgiel close in
Loughgiel’s free taker, Katie McKillop, stepped up to take her first free of the evening with ten minutes elapsed on the scoreboard; McKillop’s dropping sliotar finding the back of the net from an acute angle, dropping just under the bar, but Ballycastle would quickly neutralise that green flag when a goal mouth scramble from a sliotar brought safely to earth by keeper, Shauna McKillop, resulted in the sliotar momentarily rolling over the goal line from an outstretched stick of Sionainn Graham. McAllister was quick to acknowledge the umpire’s call, and the game quickly reverted to a four-point game, Loughgiel 1-05 Ballycastle 1-1.
For the remainder of the first half, both sides went toe to toe for the next six points but drama wasn’t far away as Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty closed in on Ballycastle’s goalkeeper, Erin O’Hara, although O’Hara’s first block prevented Laverty from a score off the stick, the quick-thinking Shamrock kicked the sliotar towards the goal, but Kathyrn Mullan was on the line to save the Town from a certain goal. At the other end of the pitch, Ballycastle’s Eimear McCaughan found the sliotar after a long puckout from O’Hara, solo running and a strike to a certain goal had it not been for the heroics of Finvola McVeigh stretching to deflect the sliotar wide. At the short whistle, Loughgiel held onto a four-point lead, 1-11 to 1-07.
Loughgiel’s Shanna Deery shakes off Ballycastle’s Fay McIntosh in tonights league game
The second half of tonight’s fixture witnessed a comeback from Ballycastle, as they mounted their attack and over nine minutes, found the catch net four times compared to Loughgiel’s one point from a 45. One of those points from Ballycastle’s Eimear McCaughan wouldn’t be found in any camogie textbook, as she took her point intentionally from striking a bouncing ball. That peppering of Loughgile’s catch net closed the gap to just two points, but with only seven minutes left of normal time, the Shamrock’s appeared to drop into another gear and cruised five points without reply to the long whistle, the scoreboard registering Loughgiel 1-20 Ballycastle 1-13.
This was a great game to watch so early in the league campaign, even though both sides were missing players, spectators were treated to a fast and physical game.
Loughgiel panel and scorers
Shauna McKillop, Charlene Campbell, Finvola McVeigh, Maria Lynn, Sarah Flavin, Megan McGarry, Maeve Shannon, Louise McKillop, Ciara Laverty, Katie McKillop 1-11 (2×45, 5f), Marie Laverty 0-02, Christine McCloskey 0-02, Ciara Connolly 0-01, Carlina Sullivan 0-01, Anna McKillop 0-01, Emma McAllister, Aoibheann Gillan, Erin Connolly, Anna Connolly, Therese McKinley, Shanna Deery 0-01
Ballycastle panel and scorers
Erin O’Hara, Niamh Ann Donnelly, Kathryn Mullan, Maria Donnelly, Maebh O’Neill, Enya McShane, Catherine McShane, Aoife Toner, Fay McIntosh, Elen McIntosh 0-07 (1×45, 4f), Sionainn Graham 1-02, Riana McBride, Nuala Devlin 0-01, Marie Bakewell 0-01, Eimear McCaughan 0-01, Fionnuala Toner, Louise McBride, Christina Hamilton, Fay Roddy, Eva Graham, Mary Cate Slevin, Olivia Connolly
Photos from this evening’s game can be found by clicking on the link here…
St Mary’s Magherafelt 7-13 Cross & Passion Ballycastle 0-1
St Mary’s Magherafelt advanced to the St Clare Cup final when they proved much too strong for a hard working but outclassed Cross & Passion, Ballycastle in sparkling sunshine at Slemish Park, Ballymena on Tuesday afternoon.
Cliodhna Moore who score 4-3 in St. Mary’s Magherafelt’s victory over Cross & Passion, Ballycastle
The Ballycastle girls defended stubbornly during the opening exchanges but had great difficulty in mounting meaningful attacks themselves and when Gráinne Kerr’s shot came back off an upright, the clinical Clíodhna Moore reacted first and fired to the roof of the net.
That score opened the floodgates and there were three more scores within two minutes – a point from Grace McCloskey and then a goal and a point from Moore and Ballycastle were in trouble.
St Mary’s simply pushed on and by half-time led by 4-10 to 0-0, with Moore completing her hat-trick and McCloskey also hitting the net.
Even when Cross & Passion broke clear with goal on their mind, they found Katie Jo McCoy in superb form in the Magherafelt goals. She brought off a couple of point blank saves and then turned a penalty from Jane Feetham around the post in the dying minutes of the half.
Feetham tried to lift her team-mates with an excellent solo point in the opening minute of the second half, but it proved token resistance to St Mary’s who pushed on with Moore’s fourth goal, followed by one each from team captain Gráinne Doherty and sub Lucia McAleer.
The second semi-final takes place on Friday morning (11.30am) in Portglenone between St Patrick’s Maghera and St Louis Ballymena.
Scorers:
St Mary’s: C Moore 4-3, G Doherty 1-3, 0-1 free, G McCloskey 1-2, L McAleer 1-1, E Kelly 0-2, C McNally and G Kerr 0-1 each.
Cross & Passion: J Feetham 0-1.
Starting teams:
St Mary’s: KJ McCoy, C McNicholl, M Cleary, R Bradley, E McErlean, E Kearney, L Mullan, C McNally, G Doherty, E Kelly, G McCloseky, G Kerr, G McVey, C Moore, G McAuley.
Cross & Passion: EM Watt, E Devlin, B Irvine, C Flavin, M McAlonan, M Kearns, S McSparran, E Fairley, R McCaughan, C McShane, J Feetham, C McNaughton, E Hunter, M Healy, G Mullan.
Referee: O Elliott
TO VIEW MORE PICS FROM THE GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
Brídíní Óga Glenravel picked up their third successive victory of the season in Division 1 camogie league in Fr Maginn Park on Tuesday evening with Geraldine’s Portglenone the visitors.
As has been the situation to date in the competition, both teams were short their county players and, while there was a big effort put in by all the players on the pitch, there were very few quality passages of play and it was no huge surprise that all eight points in the opening half came from frees.
Orlagh Convery landed three points, the first score of the game and then two just before half-time. In between Torie Edgar fired over five points for the home side including one from inside her own half.
Kirsty Laverty scored the first point from open play in the sixth minute of the second half, and it was followed inside 30 seconds by the first goal, a long ball from Shauna McDonnell in midfield fell loose in front of the goals and Aimee Traynor forced it over the line.
Orlagh Convery responded with a free for Portglenone who were doing fairly well containing the Glenravel forwards, but having difficulty getting any change out of the home side’s defence.
There were a couple of close calls before Molly Woulahan grabbed two goals in the final quarter to leave the home side safe. The game finished with frees each scored by Shauna McDonnell and Orlagh Convery.
The games ahead for both teams before the May break will be fairly tough; Brídíní Óga make the short trip to Loughgiel with home venue the following week against Dunloy, while the Geraldine’s are away to both Ballycastle and Ruairí Óg.
