Antrim Camogie League Round 8 Loughgiel 3-12 Dunloy 0-12

Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel

What promised to be a warm summer’s evening of spectating turned into a cool misty laden evening with Fr. Healy Park shrouded at times around the perimeter with a veil of mizzle. But that was a welcome set of circumstances for many of the players, considering how warm it was for many of us today. No hydration breaks tonight.

Despite the falling thermometer, Loughgiel warmed things up with two very early goals that had Dunloy chasing all evening. It was going to be an engaging game given that both sides almost had a full compliment due to the natural County haitus ahead of an Intermediate semi final, but no one would have anticipated the physicality in the game borne from a desire to win. Forty four fouls spread evenly across the two halves would grind the ebb and flow of the game to a simple start stop motion. All the same, in between, this evening’s game had flair, tactical play and a bunch of scores to keep the sidelines engaged.

Within two minutes of Ryan O’Reilly’s whistle, Loughgiel’s forwards had broken through Dunloy’s defence with relative ease. Loughgiel’s Lucia McNaughton fed the sliotar into Marie Laverty, offloading to Annie Lynn and with only Dunloy’s goalkeeper, Clodagh O’Kane to beat, the sliotar was fired to her left and up went the first early green flag. A minute later, Marie Laverty would exercise a simple one-two with Annie Lynn and Laverty would have the second green flag in as many minutes.

Dunloy didn’t panic, rather they went about building their score point by point, opening a salvo of seven points before the break to Loughgiel’s 2-04, five of Dunloy’s points coming from open play with Crawford, McAtamney and Aine Magill seeing the first half action. On the other hand, Loughgiel were slow to respond after their initial goal feast, building only four points coming from Laverty and Katie McKillop, two apiece leaving the scoreline at the break, Loughgiel 2-04 Dunloy 0-07.

At the switch, Aine Magill was first to wake up the large ‘Dan Scullion’ scoreboard from a free, shortly followed by a point from Loughgiel’s Katie McKillop. Magill would now stitch together three further points from fouls, with McKillop replying with four leaving a gap of four points for Dunloy to close and it would soon be three. Dunloy’s Eilis Kearns found McAtamney, now feeding through a delicate sliotar to Dunloy’s mid field machine, Eimear Johnston for a fine point.

But that would be Dunloy’s sum total of scores for the game, as Loughgiel tightened their grip on the game, starting with a short free from Clare McKillop to Katie McKillop for a point, followed by a pressured pass from Shanna Deery to Lucia McNaughton with a soaring point towards the clubhouse and finally a free from McKillop, who was on free taking form tonight. Loughgiel’s captain, Lucia McNaughton dealt the final blow with two minutes left as another soaring sliotar dived viciously under the bar for Loughgiel’s third goal and score for the night, scores ending Loughgiel 3-12 Dunloy 0-12.

To see more photos from Tuesday’s league game, click here…

https://myalbum.com/album/JAUJk7vDcjS95w/?invite=93cd79ab-b1b0-4f77-90c1-6bf2f453476e

Loughgiel starting panel and scorers

Emma McAllister, Aoibheann Gillan, Megan McGarry, Finvola McVeigh, Katie Lynn, Amy Boyle, Clare McKillop, Anna Connolly, Shanna Deery, Annie Lynn 1-00, Lucia McNaughton 1-01, Katie McKillop 0-09 (7f), Marie Laverty 1-02 (1f), Christine McCloskey, Kirsty McKendry

Dunloy starting panel and scorers

Clodagh O’Kane, Eimear McMullan, Brid Magill, Kathryn Boyle, Eilis Kearns, Katie Laverty, Caoimhe Conlon, Eimear Johnston 0-01, Caitlin Crawford 0-01, Nicole McAtamney 0-02 (1f, 1×45) , Dearbhail Elliott, Bronach Magill 0-01, Aine Magill 0-07 (5f), Aileen McManus, Adria McAllister

Antrim Camogie Feis Semi final

Dunloy 0-13 v Loughgiel 2-15

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

A heavily depleted Dunloy squad held their own for much of tonight’s Feis semi final game until Loughgiel worked out how to solve the puzzle of striking into the heart of the Cuchullain’s net. Shamrock’s Annie Lynn and Marie Laverty raised those green flags, both in the second half, tipping the game in favour of the visitors. Up to the first goal that came after three minutes in the second half, Dunloy’s grit, tenacity and perseverance made them look every bit the favourites, but Loughgiel held the course and their own perseverance into the low lying scoring territory paid off in a game that was both physical and energetic.

A damp evening largely kept supporters at home but there was no dampening of enjoyment for those that rocked up to Pearse Park. Given the deluge of rain throughout the afternoon, Dunloy’s turf was immaculate and set up nicely for an evening’s entertainment under the brollies.

Referee Shane McDonnell rolled in on the half hour past seven and it shortly fell to Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty to convert the first foul of twenty eight in the game in just under thirty seconds. Dunloy’s Erin McMullan was happy to reply with her first point of eight, the other seven from frees before Laverty converted a 45 into the slight breeze at the chapel end.

For the next fifteen minutes, it was Dunloy’s game, running up five more points before Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty found Katie McKillop running at the edge of the box. The Shamrock sensed the goal route was risky and opted to float the sliotar over the bar, allowing Loughgiel to work the scoreboard again. Three more Shamrock points followed, allowing them to draw alongside their hosts at six points apiece before Dunloy clawed back another two, one coming from a recycled 45 that went wide for a puck out. Dearbhail Elliott found the sliotar and offloaded to Aileen McManus for a fine point derived from alertness.

Dunloy and Loughgiel would wrap up the first half with another point apiece, with scores at the short whistle Dunloy 0-09 Loughgiel 0-07.

Tonight’s elements showed no favour for the Shamrocks as the breeze dropped noticeably at the start of the second half, however when it did rain, there was just enough wind to make working the ball by the hosts more difficult than they would’ve liked as they squinted into the drizzle. Loughgiel needed an edge to get them deeper into Cuchullain scoring territory and they didn’t have to wait long. No sooner had Adria McAllister pointed for Dunloy when Caela Dobbin made an attack on goal that was well saved by Aimie Shirt. Shirt would be kept busy and got the better of most of the Shamrock attacks, but a Marie Laverty pass to Annie Lynn was one of the exceptions as the net bulged from the force of the number four sliotar, just three minutes gone in the second half. Lynn would quickly be back with another goal chance but Shirt’s stick got to that one in time.

Both sides would go three for three, Dunloy making their three points from consecutive accurate frees from Erin McMullan, then Loughgiel struck deep and low from a Laverty goal passed in from Katie Lynn, having picked up Shanna Deery’s exquisite sideline cut. Dunloy lost momentum after that goal at around fifteen minutes and Loughgiel topped their evening’s work off with another five points to draw the semi final to a closure, Dunloy 0-13 Loughgiel 2-15.

Loughgiel will now play Cushendall in the Feis final on Sunday 5th July in Dunloy, time to be confirmed.

You can see more photos from this evening’s Feis semi final game here…

https://myalbum.com/album/aAe4TRCGEZXrwU/?invite=a4ef7093-f549-4c7e-98d9-8a86d3d4d959

Dunloy starting panel and scorers

Aimie Shirt, Carragh Boyle, Sarah McIlhatton, Sarah Louise Kearns, Eimear McMullan, Eilis Kearns, Caitlin Crawford, Eimear Johnston 0-01, Micha Cunning, Erin McMullan 0-08 (7f), Dearbhail Elliott, Kerry Rose Drain, Adria McAllister 0-03, Aileen McManus 0-01, Erin Traynor

Loughgiel starting panel and scorers

Emma McAllister, Charlene Campbell, Megan McGarry, Aoibheann Gillan, Finvola McVeigh, Katie Lynn, Ciara Laverty, Anna Connolly, Louise McKillop, Shanna Deery 0-01, Marie Laverty 1-06 (1f 1×45), Katie McKillop 0-06 (3f), Anna McKillop 0-01, Annie Lynn 1-00, Caela Dobbin 0-01

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