Antrim Camogie League Senior Div 1 Round 5

Ahoghill 0-05 Loughgiel 6-22

Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. McGuigan Park, Ahoghill

It appears the summer isn’t knocking on our door anytime soon. This evening’s game between Ahoghill and Loughgiel had to endure an arctic blast running diagonally across the pitch from the scoreboard side towards Antrim, at times clouding over to threaten probably hail if it fell. Regardless, both sides knuckled down and made the best of a predominately dry evening. Loughgiel won the toss and opted to play with the wind, a strategy which benefited the Shamrocks as the elements eased in the second half, especially in the last fifteen minutes of the game.

Ahoghill knew what was ahead of them, having endured the force of a Shamrock blast in previous league encounters. Nonetheless, the red and black girls gave no quarter during the sixty minutes, despite the relentless offence from Loughgiel.

Referee, Shane McDonald, rolled in the sliotar just past the hour of 7pm and within a few minutes, both teams had scoring opportunities at close quarters diffused and forced back out. Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty would open the Shamrocks’ scoring for the evening with a simple point from just outside the box and looped back around to make that two before Ahoghill’s Katie McCloskey performed a dream catch of the sliotar followed by a solo run ending in a fine point.

Loughgiel, however, would respond with three points on the trot, two from play before Marie Laverty with the sliotar sourced deep from Aoibheann Gillan found Shanna Deery and up went the first green flag of the game.

Loughgiel perservered running with the wind pushing the sliotar hard to the right and found four points with no reply before Annie Lynn scored goal number two, fed from Louise McKillop in a mid field role. Loughgiel’s Rose McMullan, playing up to senior this year, was alert to a loose ball on the edge of the box and lifted the sliotar nicely over the bar for her point before Ahoghill’s Noreen Graham successfully floated a free over Loughgiel’s bar as Marie Laverty closed out the first half with a point from a free. At the break, scores stood Ahoghill 0-02 Loughgiel 2-11.

The second half witnessed no let up in pace or determination and four Shamrock points preceded Marie Laverty’s goal as Anna Connolly and Annie Lynn chalked up two more points to bring Loughgiel’s tally to 3-17. Laverty would figure in Loughgiel’s forth goal as the young centre half forward dropped in a 45 that needed blocking down. A sharp Eimear McKinley, playing full forward from the bench, wasted no time in striding in and delivered the sliotar into the back of Ahoghill’s net for the fourth goal in tonight’s game.

There wouldn’t be any let up from the Shamrocks’ at this stage; Laverty floating in a well intended point that dipped viciously under the bar for goal number five. Ahoghill’s Noreen Graham managed to get two sliotar’s over the Loughgiel bar before Ceala Dobbin recycled the sliotar for Loughgiel’s half dozen. Ahoghill would close out their scoring from Graham as she fired in a sliotar from the top dugout along the sideline for a magnificent point. McDonald blew sharply at the sixty minute mark, Ahoghill 0-05 Loughgiel 6-22.

The senior division 1 league now takes a break for four weeks, recommencing on the 9th June. We look forward to warmer evenings for the second half of the league.

To see more photos from tonights game, click on the following link…

https://myalbum.com/album/kN7gWXQNuSt55F/?invite=1694b339-941f-4f6d-bbd4-aef16df5a522

Ahoghill starting panel

Aine Graham, Orla Neeson, Bronagh Graffin, Dearbhaile Graffin, Niamh Graham, Éadaoin McGarry, Maeve O’Donnell, Caoimhe Scullion, Molly Horan, Noreen Graham 0-04 (3f), Katie McCloskey 0-01, Gemma O’Donnell, Alex Burns, Róisín Loughlin, Anne-Marie O’Neill

Loughgiel starting panel

Emma McAllister, Charlene Campbell, Megan McGarry, Aoibheann Gillan, Finvola McVeigh 0-01, Katie Lynn, Ciara Laverty, Anna Connelly 0-02, Louise McKillop 0-01, Rose McMullan 0-01, Marie Laverty 2-06 (2f, 1×45), Shanna Deery 1-02, Ceala Dobbin 1-02, Annie Lynn 1-03, Anna McKillop 0-03

Eimear McKinley 1-01