National Camogie League Division 2

Antrim 4-9 Dublin 0-4

ANTRIM got their National League campaign up and running in Ahoghill on Sunday with a comfortable victory over visiting Dublin, who threatened a lot, but actually delivered little when it came to scoring.
Having said that the Antrim defence was very sound indeed, Chloe Drain, Laoise McKenna, Niamh Donnelly and captain Maeve Connolly all in control.
The Saffrons played with the use of the wind in the opening half and were 3-3 to a point ahead after 13 minutes. Amazingly they failed to score then for the next 13 minutes but finished the half strongly with a point from Katie Carey followed by a goal from Róisín McCormick both in the fourth minute of injury time.

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That left the score-line at the break 4-5 to 0-2, but Dublin never really got going in the second half with Katie Carey dropping back as a sweeper at half-back. They scored two points from frees in the third quarter, but Antrim took off again in the last quarter and scored four unanswered points.
Amy Boyle placed Maeve Kelly for the opening score, a goal in the 4th minute. Katie Carey added two points before Lucia McNaughton’s cross-field pass went all the way to Róisín McCormick and she buried it in the net.
Although Dublin responded with a point from Megan Benson, the poc out went straight to McCormick who raced through for a second goal. With Carey adding a point it looked as if Antrim were well on top.

However Dublin settled and over the next quarter of an hour worked themselves back into the game. Going into stoppage time in the opening half they would have been happy enough at 3-4 to 0-2. But McCormick then completed an excellent Antrim move that saw the sliotar moved through Lucia McNaughton, Christine Laverty and Katie Carey and the TUD student finished to the net to bring her first half tally to three goals.
With Carey dropping back to shield her defence the scoring slowed up and Dublin only registered two points from frees, Aisling McKearney and Sadhb Duffy, before Antrim took off again with points from Róisín McCormick in the 46th and 48th minutes.
Niamh Donnelly from a long range free and sub Emily Falloon completed the scoring with late points on a good opening day for Antrim and their new management team of Paul McKillen, Jim McKernan and Elaine Dowds.

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Antrim : E Boyle, L McKenna, C Drain, M Lynn, N Donnelly (0-1 free), M Connolly capt., R Kelly, E Laverty, A Boyle, M Kelly (1-0), A Connolly, L McNaughton, R McCormick (3-2), K Carey (0-5, 0-4 frees), C Laverty.
Subs : C Duffin for L McNaughton (40), C Dobbin for M Kelly (49), Á Donnelly for A Connolly (49), C McKillop for R Kelly (53), E Falloon (0-1) for C Laverty (53), E McKee for A Boyle (58), E Kearns for K Carey (58).
Dublin : D Cooke, E Parker, L Robinson, N Doherty, C Ní Mhaolagáin, C Buchanan capt., C Griffin, N Heffernan, M Benson (0-1), C Rigney, C O’Connor, H Finnegan, S Duffy (0-2, 0-1 free), A McKearney (0-1 free)
Subs : S Murphy for D Griffin (38), N Murphy for C O’Connor (42), E Johnston for S Duffy (53), A Andrews for C Rigney (56), N McCormack for H Finnegan (56), R O’Grady for N Doherty (56), C Murphy for M Benson (58), A Gerarty for N Heffernan (58)
Referee : EP Cassidy (Derry).

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Ulster Minor Camogie Championship final
Derry 2-7 Antrim 1-3

DERRY won back the Ulster minor championship title in windy, cold conditions at Owenbeg on Saturday, their first success since 2015.
The Oak Leaf defence held firm throughout and in difficult playing conditions a second quarter scoring burst took them clear of the Saffron challenge.

Antrim’s defence also did very well, particularly Anna McNeill, Enya McShane and Brigid Delargy with the three Magill sisters and especially Áine providing any threat to the Derry goals.
There was just one score in the opening quarter a 45 pointed by Rachel Downey which gave Derry a lead they would not relinguish.
They increased that lead when Caitriona Toner broke clear in the 15th minute, and after Orla Donnelly blocked her shot Aoife Doyle swept home the rebound.
Toner and Roisin Gallagher (2) then pointed before a second goal from Derry, this time Toner hitting the net after good work from Doyle in the 29th minute.
Antrim were in danger of sinking without trace but there was still time before the break for Áine Magill to break down the right wing and her hand-pass across the goals was first timed to the net by Roisin Ward, giving the Saffrons some hope on an interval score-line of 2-4 to 1-0.

Roisin Gallagher pointed on the re-start and Áine Magill replied at the other end during a period of good pressure from Antrim, but they could not close the gap.
Instead Gallagher pointed a free in the 40th minute and there were no further scores for 15 minutes when Riana McBride from a free and Bríd Magill took it to 2-6 to 1-3.
However any chance of Antrim salvaging a draw was nailed by a late free from Roisin Gallagher to seal a deserved Derry win.

Derry: E Harkin, S Scullion, L Lennon, K Letters, L McErlain, C Ní Mhianáin, L Scullion, R Downey (0-1 free), A Cassidy, H Scullion, R Gallagher (0-5, 0-2 frees), CA Mullan, A Doyle (1-0), C Toner (1-0), B McCullagh.
Subs: C McCoy for L McErlain (38), A Lennon for H Scullion (45), L McBride for A Doyle (53), L Keenan for CA Mullan (58).
Antrim: O Donnelly, M Mooney, C Shannon, Bríd Magill (0-1), N Neeson, E McShane, A McNeill, R Ward (1-0), Á Magill (0-1), R McBride (0-1 free) K Laverty, C Hegarty, A Delargy, Bronagh Magill, R Bonnes.
Subs: B Delargy for N Neeson (23), M O’Boyle for R Ward (34), E Martin for M Mooney (37), C McGlinchey for A Delargy (53), KR Bell for R Bonnes (57).
Referee: M McCann (Armagh).

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Tesco All-Ireland Post-Primary Schools Junior A semi-final

Loreto Kilkenny 7-13 Cross and Passion Ballycastle 2-4

Cross & Passion’s bid for a place in the All Ireland Collges Junior Camogie final were blown away in Kilkenny on Saturday, not by Storm Dennis, but by a devastating Loreto side who put the Ulster champions to the sword with a brilliant display of all that is good in the game.

“They were just super yesterday and we were beaten by a much better team on the day” is how CPC selector Una Kelly summed it up when I spoke to her this morning. “ They got off to a great start and we never really recovered”

Despite playing with the aid of the wind in the opening half CPC  were 2-2 down within a few minutes, Claire Doheny opening the scoring for Loreto with a goal, midfielder Asha McHardy added the first of her eight points, before a fortunate long-range goal for Amy Clifford really set the Ballycastle girls back on their heels.

The Ulster champions were struggling but when Aine Magill added two points and Cassie McArthur grabbed a goal there was a glimmer of hope. It was to prove a brief respite however as the Leinster champions came back strongly and by the time the referee sounded the half time whistle they were back in total command with a 3-7 to 1-2 lead, their third goal coming from Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh just before the break.

To have any chance of getting back into the game CPC needed to start the second half strongly, but it was the Kilkenny girls who were quick out of the traps and they fired in three more goals to kill off any lingering hopes the Ulster champions may have had. Two of those goals came from the ever dangerous Doheny and the other from Keher-Murtagh as they pulled clear to secure yet another final place and now go forward to meet Presentation Athenry in the final on March 7^th.

Knowing the great effort the Cross & Passion girls have put in during their preparations for this game you have to feel for them.  

Orlagh Laverty, Faye McIntosh, Aine Magill, Aoibheann Donnelly and Cassie McArthur and Broanch Magill all gave their best  and Magill’s second half goal proved a small consolation, but Loreto were on a different level  and nobody can deny they are well worthy of their place in the final.

Loreto : Caoimhe Keher-Murtagh (3-1), Claire Doheny (3-0), Amy Clifford (1-0), Asha McHardy (0-9, 0-8 frees), Moya O’Brien (0-2), Emma Mulhall (0-1)

Cross and Passion : Niamh McCaughan, Fay McIntosh, Bríd Magill, Eve Graham, Aoibheann Donnelly, Orlagh Laverty, Noelle McAuley, Áine Magill (0-3 frees), Janey McIntosh, Nuala Devlin, Bronach Magill (1-0), Ciara Connolly, Caoimhe McMullan, Cassie McArthur (1-1, 0-1 free), Shannagh Heggarty.

Subs : Charley McQuillan for E Graham (HT), Zoe Cassley for S Heggarty (36).

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Tesco All-Ireland schools’ Junior A semi-final

Saturday 1pm in Dicksboro, Kilkenny

Loreto Kilkenny v Cross and Passion Ballycastle

Cross & Passion College bid for a place in their first All Ireland Junior final since 2009 when they take on the Leinster champions Loreto from Kilkenny in Saturday’s semi-final at Dicksboro. The Ulster champions face a formidable task against the star studded Kilkenny side who beat their city rivals Presentation College in the Leinster decider a few weeks ago.

Four of the school’s senior team who two weeks ago had a runaway win over St Pat’s Maghera in the senior semi-final, will be in action again on Saturday with goalkeeper Alie Kennedy, full back Hannah Larkin, corner forwards Emma Manogue and Asha McHardy all lining out, though the two up front are likely to be further out the field tomorrow.

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CPC completed five in a row of Ulster Junior titles back in November when they beat Knock in the final on a dreadful night in Bellaghy. They were dominant throughout the Ulster campaign and have plenty of stars throughout the field. Bríd Magill at full back and Fay McIntosh at centre back are tough as teak defenders who can mix it with the best. Both of them have two sisters each on the team with Bríd being joined by midfielder Áine, who won a Colleges All Star this season and Bronach . Fay takes her place alongside sisters Janey, who is in the half forward line, and Elen who starred at corner forward in the Ulster final.

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Throw into the mix players of the calibre of Orlagh Laverty, Nuala Devlin and Cassie McArthur and you have a very competitive team. The fact that they haven’t played a competitive game since winning the Corn Eimear back in mid-November is not exactly ideal but they have been training hard and have played a series of challenge games and are in tip-top shape.

Playing any Kilkenny team in their own back yard it a tough test but CPC are capable of matching them. With storm Dennis scheduled to hit Leinster on Saturday conditions at the Dicksboro ground will most likely not be ideal. However it will be the same for both sides and if they can repeat the performance they turned-in in the Ulster final against Knock then CPC can upset the odds and book a final spot.

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The CPC team who won the Ulster title back in November was

1 – Niamh McCaughan

2 – Eva Graham

3 – Brid Magill

4 – Charley McQuillan

5 – Aoibheann Donnelly,

6 – Fay McIntosh

7 – Noelle McAuley

8 – Aine Magill

9 – Orlagh Laverty

10 – Janey McIntosh

11 – Bronach Magill

12 – Nuala Devlin

13 – Caoimhe McIntosh

14 – Cassie McArthur

15 – Elen McIntosh

Subs – Cara Connolly, Caoihme O’Hara, Orla McIlroy, Katie Glackin, Aoibhe Mullan, Erin McFetridge, Alanna McKendry, Olivia Connolly, Alanna McKendry, Olivia Connolly, Eimear McKinley, Zoe Cassley, Shannagh Heggarty, Cira Connolly, Fionnuala Kelly, Caitie Connolly.