Antrim Camogie League – Division 1
Dunloy 2-05 Cushendall 0-17
Cushendall Ruairi Óg took a significant step toward retaining their Antrim Division 1 Camogie League title with a commanding six-point victory over Dunloy Cuchullains at Pearse Park on Tuesday evening. In a high-intensity encounter, it was a virtuoso performance from Eva McNeill that stole the headlines, with the sharp-shooting forward serving as the star of the show to guide the visitors to a well-earned win.
The game roared into life from the opening whistle. Eva McNeill laid down an early marker for Cushendall with a point inside the first minute, though Dunloy hit back immediately through an Áine Magill score just sixty seconds later. McNeill edged the visitors ahead with a beautifully struck ’45’ in the sixth minute, but Dunloy found the game’s opening major shortly after. Erin McMullan showed great predatory instincts to find the net in the eighth minute, and when Aileen McManus followed up with a quick point, the Cuchullains looked to be building serious momentum.
However, Cushendall’s response was emphatic. Dervla Cosgrove ignited the fightback with a magnificent long-range point, followed instantly by a Brogan Abram score. Siobhán McKillop then leveled proceedings in the 15th minute, showing superb balance to strike on the run from the left-hand side. While Áine Magill kept Dunloy in touch with an 18th-minute free, the remainder of the half belonged to the Ruairí Óg vanguard. Abram tallied her second of the evening with a fine score, McKillop loosed off another brilliant point, and Eva McNeill took dead-aim from placed balls, slotting two late frees before clipping over a fine score from play to give Cushendall a deserved 0-11 to 1-03 cushion at the break.
The visitors picked up exactly where they left off after the restart, Eva McNeill converting another free to stretch the gap. Áine Magill responded with a great point from play for Dunloy, but McNeill was in an unplayable mood, landing a free before drifting out to the left wing to fire over a spectacular point from a tight angle. Another McNeill free extended the lead, but Dunloy refused to lie down. After a chaotic 43rd-minute goalmouth scramble somehow failed to yield a major for the home side, they finally got their breakthrough two minutes later. Erin McMullan was again the provider, turning sharply to fire home her second goal of the match and breathe new life into the Dunloy challenge, cutting the deficit to four.
Sensing a shifting tide, the champions flexed their muscles. Just two minutes after the Dunloy goal, Eva McNeill steadied the ship with another precise free to re-establish a five-point cushion. The exclamation point on a masterful individual display came in the 49th minute. Anticipating a short Dunloy poc-out, McNeill brilliantly intercepted the clearance and casually tapped the sliotar over the bar. It was the definitive blow of the contest, sealing a comprehensive six-point victory and cementing Cushendall’s march toward back-to-back league honours.
Cuchullains Dun Lathaí
1 Clodagh OKane, 2 Casey Crawford, 3 Kathryn Boyle, 5 Eilis Kearns, 6 Katie Laverty, 7 Eimear McMullan, 8 caitlin crawford, 9 Bronach Magill, 10 Erin McMullan, 11 Bríd Magill, 12 Aine Magill, 14 Aileen McManus, 15 Adria McAllister.
Ruairí Óg
1 Ellen Leech, 2 Laoise McCollam, 3 Anna McNeill, 4 Tamara Black, 5 aoife mcclafferty, 6 Abi McNeill, 7 Laura Black, 8 Dervla Cosgrove, 9 Siobhan McKillop, 10 Brogan Abram, 11 Rhianna Black, 12 Cara O’Boyle, 14 Eva McNeill, 15 Kady McNeill.
Scorers
Cushendall:
- Eva McNeill: 0-12 (0-8 frees, 0-1 ’45’)
- Siobhan McKillop: 0-02
- Brogan Abram: 0-02
- Dervla Cosgrove: 0-01
Dunloy:
- Erin McMullan: 2-00
- Aine Magill: 0-04 (0-1 free)
- Aileen McManus: 0-01
- Referee – Declan McGarry (Loughgiel Shamrocks)
TO SEE MORE PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
https://myalbum.com/album/Kuy6mpyejxf3L6/?invite=eebd79ad-bd35-4193-80b4-40fd1c3de8e8