Antrim Camogie Intermediate Championship
Loughgiel 5-11 Dunloy 0-09
Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran in Fr. Healy Park
Despite a brazen breeze and occasional heavy showers, the real element that shaped tonight’s game was the forty three fouls that smothered any real flow and rhythm. All the same, that was a tell tale sign of just how physical the game was and much to the players’ credit, match official Ryan O’Reilly, managed to keep his note book clean.
Dunloy started out with promise, running up four points in the first nine minutes from Dearbhail Elliott, Adria McAllister and two from Erin McMullan before Loughgiel’s Carlina Sullivan managed to flight the sliotar over the bar from winning a ruck ball. Loughgiel’s Rose McMullan made it two for the Shamrocks courtesy of a foul on Aoibheann Gillan before McKinley and Sullivan swung on a rebound from within the small Dunloy rectangle at the road end. Sullivan got the green honours to inch Loughgiel past Dunloy by two points as seventeen minutes of play etched out the air from the Dan Scullion scoreboard.
It wasn’t long before Loughgiel improved their score as Rose McMullan went on a solo run from the middle of the park and chased the sliotar over the bar, then a McKinley point before McMullan landed a free into the heart of the catch net. As O’Reilly glanced at his watch with only minutes to go in the first half, Dunloy’s Mary McArthur and Erin McMullan added two more points either side of Loughgiel’s Caela Dobbin’s shot at goal, but Dunloy’s Hannah Richmond deflected the sliotar in time for the short whistle and a half time score Loughgiel 1-06 Dunloy 0-06.
At the restart, Dunloy showed pace from the throw-in, as Erin Traynor struck the sliotar over the bar with less than thirty seconds gone but that was quickly neutralised as Loughgiel’s Rose McMullan sailed the sliotar over Dunloy’s bar with relative ease as the wind offered every assistance. Minutes later, McMullan would assist in Loughgiel’s second goal as she offloaded to Anna McKillop redirecting to Eimear McKinley running in at short range and rolling the sliotar over Dunloy’s goal line.
Loughgiel now looked the stronger of the two sides as they pressed hard and often up into scoring territory, picking off four unanswered points from Sullivan, Dobbin and two frees from McMullan before Dunloy’s Erin McMullan dropped a free over the bar and into a bellowing catch net.
The scoreboard announced Loughgiel 2-11 Dunloy 0-08 with seven minutes of normal play and three of injury left on the clock. Those ten minutes allowed Loughgiel to breakdown Dunloy’s defence, resulting in three goals from McKinley, assists coming from Caela Dobbin and Anna Smyth. Dunloy made several attempts at goal from awarded frees outside of the large box, but Loughgiel’s defence walled up to deny Dunloy any improvement in their score as the game concluded Loughgiel 5-11 Dunloy 0-08.
Loughgiel now progress to the quarter final against either O’Donovan Rossa or Rasharkin (TBD Wednesday 9th September).
You can see more photos from the game in our album here…
https://myalbum.com/album/ui29qPg8xJoof2/?invite=9d7a36bc-2ded-4bf3-bd3f-3f2b7ccf6a65
Loughgiel starting panel and scorers
Shauna McKillop, Erin Connolly, Úna McGovern, Brianna McCloskey, Sarah Flavin, Aoibheann Gillan, Zoe Cassley, Louise McKillop, Anna Smyth, Rose McMullan 0-06 (6f), Ceala Dobbin, Therese McKinley 0-01, Anna McKillop 0-01, Eimear McKinley 4-01, Carlina Sullivan 1-02
Dunloy starting panel and scorers
Hannah Richmond, Kerry Rose Drain, Kyra Doherty, Ciara McMullan, Carragh Boyle, Eimear McMullan, Sarah Louise Kearns, Erin Traynor 0-01, Micha Cunning, Adria McAllister 0-01, Dearbhail Elliott 0-01, Erin McMullan 0-04 (4f), Orla McMullan, Mary McArthur 0-01, Clannaid O’Kane