Antrim Camogie Senior Division 1 League Round 3 – Dunloy 1-09 Loughgiel 1-06

Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Pearse Park, Dunloy

It was an evening well suited for an early summer BBQ and things certainly got sizzling in Pearse Park, Dunloy for tonight’s senior league round three game between Dunloy and Loughgiel. It was a classic derby full of vigor and skill but riddled with over enthusiastic tackles, throw balls and over carries that amounted to close to forty fouls over the 64 minutes. At this time of the year, both sides were in depletion mode but welcomed the opportunity to field a couple of county returns that were given permission to run up the club meter as a means of allegedly getting game time ahead of the Ulster final.

Owen Elliot got matters under way after the camán spin, where Dunloy elected to play into the light breeze from the start. This can be a risky strategy at this time of the year as the evening wind usually tends to drop with the failing light. On this occasion it offered Dunloy no real second half advantage but an early goal, nine minutes in, was enough to keep the Shamrocks at bay at full time in what was a relatively low scoring affair.

Dunloy’s Aine Magill and Caoimhe Molloy were the early scorers, finding the catch net from play within four minutes. Molloy added another point to her tally from a free before Erin McMullan lifted the supporters with a goal that had the hallmarks of a second bite of the cherry.

Loughgiel responded with four points in succession from awarded frees, two from Katie McKillop and two from Marie Laverty, before Magill returned to the Shamrocks’ scoring zone for a point to take the game up to the break.

The second half started with Dunloy being offered a gift from a short Loughgiel puck out that ended over the bar from Aine Magill and quickly followed by another point from an accurate Caoimhe Molloy, earned from a foul. It would take only a minute before the Shamrocks would respond with a goal from Marie Laverty as the sliotar dropped awkwardly inside the post from a free awarded due to a ‘throw ball’.

Both sides had spells of offering a real threat from goal runs but opportunity wouldn’t come knocking on anyone’s door tonight and that was the case for Aine Magill who went on a blistering solo run to goal but took the option to point and put three points between the sides again, Dunloy 1-07 Loughgiel 1-04.

With twelve minutes gone in the second half, Laverty would improve her scoring tally with a fine point before Aine Magill, made her fifth and final point of the evening. The game now fell into a spell of attrition as each side looked for a means to advance their cause. Almost fifteen minutes would pass without a score, until Caoimhe Molloy pointed from a free and followed quickly by Loughgiel’s Anna McKillop to close the gap to three again.

The desire from Dunloy to close out the game yielded a foul within the Loughgiel box culminating in a penalty, which Emma McAllister diffused with some ease to force Dunloy to work on for their win. That save meant Loughgiel could go looking for a late goal to square the match but in turn, Dunloy were able to withstand the effort and took the win on home soil, Dunloy 1-09 Loughgiel 1-06.

Editor’s note: A Jersey swap has been corrected in this version of the report, Aine Magill for Erin McMullan.

Dunloy Starting Panel

Clodagh O’Kane, Sarah McIlhatton, Brid Magill, Kathryn Boyle, Eilis Kearns, Katie Laverty, Caoimhe Conlon, Katharine Mullan, Bronach Magill, Caoimhe Molloy 0-04 (3f), Casey Crawford, Aine Magill 0-05, Dearbhail Elliott, Erin McMullan 1-00

Loughgiel Starting Panel

Emma McAllister, Charlene Campbell, Megan McGarry, Aoibheann Gillan, Shauna Devlin, Katie Lynn, Louise McKillop, Anna Connolly, Lucia McNaughton, Shanna Deery, Marie Laverty 1-03 (2f), Katie McKillop 0-02f, Carlina Sullivan, Annie Lynn, Anna McKillop 0-01f

You can view photos from the game by clicking here…

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