Antrim Camogie League – Division
Dunloy 4-13 Ballycaste 0-13
The opening game of the Antrim Senior Camogie League Division 1 delivered a classic game of two halves at Pearse Park, heavily dictated by a strong breeze. Visitors Ballycastle put on an excellent first-half display to build a commanding lead, but a ferocious second-half comeback from Dunloy—fueled by the wind and the introduction of key county players—saw the hosts run out comfortable winners with a final score of 4–13 to 0–13.
Playing with the aid of the wind, Ballycastle started exceptionally well and completely dominated the opening 20 minutes. Ellen McIntosh was in scintillating form for the visitors, expertly supported by Maeve Kelly. Kelly struck two early points from play, while McIntosh was lethal from placed balls, adding four from frees and another from play to give Ballycastle an early 0–7 to 0–1 advantage. The visitors kept the scoreboard ticking over, with Kelly and a McIntosh ’45 extending the gap to 0–9 to 0–3, despite Dunloy managing to get on the board through points from Áine McGill, Nicole McAtamney, and Eimer McAllister. By the 22nd minute, another McIntosh point from play made it 0–10 to 0–3. Dunloy finally found a lifeline a minute later when Aine Magill raised a green flag, pulling a crucial goal back, but Ballycastle responded immediately through McIntosh. Just before the break, Ballycastle nearly found the net themselves when full-forward Nuala Devlin fired a shot on goal, only to be denied by a brilliant save from Dunloy keeper Aileen McManus. McIntosh converted the resulting ’45, sending Ballycastle into the dressing rooms with a commanding 0–12 to 1–3 lead.
McIntosh opened the second-half scoring with a free to push Ballycastle’s tally to 13 points, but the tide was about to turn dramatically. Now playing with the wind at their backs and bolstered by the introduction of several county players, Dunloy began to claw their way back into the tie. Emier Johnson sparked the revival with a point six minutes into the half. The gap was quickly reduced to three as Nicole McAtamney knocked over three more points. The turning point arrived on 16 minutes when Áine McGill struck a well-taken goal to level the game. With the momentum entirely in their favor, Dunloy pushed ahead just a minute later through a Caoimhe Malloy point. McAtamney continued her fine form with another two points, and on 24 minutes, Eobha McAllister set up Áine McGill to extend the hosts’ advantage.
Ballycastle struggled to escape their own half against the breeze, and Dunloy put the seal on the win with a late flurry of goals. Two minutes before full time, Bronagh Magill found the back of the net, and in injury time, Eobha McAllister broke through the defense and unselfishly hand-passed to her sister Eimer, who finished the move with Dunloy’s fourth goal of the afternoon. Nicole McAtamney then capped off the remarkable turnaround with a final point from play, completing a spectacular 13-point victory for the home side.
DUNLOY
Aileen McManus, Sarah McIlhatton, Brid Magill. Kathryn Boyle, Eilis Kearns, Katie LavertY, Katharine Mullan, Magill, Caoimhe Molloy, Nicole McAtamney, Aine Magill, Carragh Boyle, Erin McMullan
BALLYCASTLE
Becky Ellis, Christina Hamilton, Enya McShane, Catherine McShane, Cara Delaney, Seanaigh Hegarty, Niamh Donnelly, Aoife Toner, Fay McIntosh, Maeve Kelly, Ellen McIntos, Janey McIntosh, Louise McBride, Nuala Devlin, Fionnuala Kelly
Referee – Declan McGarry (Loughgiel)
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