IN2 Engineering Senior Camogie Championship

Group Stage

Match Day One

Dunloy 3-19 Ballycastle 1-9

Friday 21 August

Brendan McTaggart reports from Dunloy

Dunloy got their championship off to a winning start of Friday evening as they saw off the dogged challenge of Ballycastle at Pearse Park.  It took a second half hat-trick from Eobha McAllister to break the Town’s resolve as the visitors were well in this game going into the final quarter but once McAllister found the onion bag with her first, Dunloy finished strongly.

McAllister’s three goals came in a seven minute spell and during a period of the match where the Cuchullains kept Ballycastle from scoring for fully 15 minutes.  Until those moments, Ballycastle were keeping the talented Dunloy attack at bay while Elen McIntosh was causing plenty of problems at the opposite end of the pitch.

The home side outscored Ballycastle 3-7 to 0-1 in the final quarter however to ensure they got off to a winning start in the senior championship.

Captain Katie Laverty elected to play against the elements with the wind blowing from the scoreboard end at Pearse Park directly down the pitch.  Dunloy looked to make light of those conditions and settled quickly with Bronach Magill and Nicole McAtamney getting on the scoresheet.

Elen McIntosh fired over a brace of points either side of McAllister’s first of the game before the opening goal came in the 13^th minute.  It was Louise McBride who made the initial break from a ruck and had the presence of mind to find Elen McIntosh to her left.  Dunloy ‘keeper Clodagh O’Kane came out and challenged McIntosh but the Ballycastle forward managed to squeeze the sliotar over the line.

The home side responded with a brace of points from McAllister and McAtamney to bring parity to the scoreline going in to the final 10 minutes of the half but the Town and Elen McIntosh finished strongly.  She would tag on another four points – three from placed ball while McAllister responded with a brace at the opposite end to leave the half time score 1-6 to 0-7 in Ballycastle’s favour.

Two points wasn’t a massive lead given the wind blowing would be in the Cuchullains favour for the second half but Ballycastle started busily and were certainly making life difficult for Dunloy. 

Louise McBride would extend the Ballycastle lead to three soon after the restart and while they wouldn’t score again until the 43^rd minute, their work rate was keeping Dunloy in check.

The Cuchullains would fire over four points unanswered through McAllister, Caitlin Crawford and McAtamney (two frees) to take the lead before Elen McIntosh took her tally to 1-7 for the match midway through the second half.

Dunloy seemed to click into gear for the final quarter however.  A trio of unanswered points from Crawford, McAllister and Bronach Magill stretched their lead to three points before McAllister’s opening goal.

Collecting the ball on the right hand side, McAllister showed impeccable footwork to go around her player before heading for goal.  With a drop of her shoulder, she evaded the last challenge before finding the top corner.

Caoimhe Molloy and McAllister fired over points before the second Dunloy goal.  McAtamney delivering a cross field ball before McAllister struck a venomous shot at goal.  Ballycastle ‘keeper Becky Ellis managed to get her hurl on the shot but such was the force, the sliotar deflected over the line.

McAllister completed her hat-trick three minutes later when she got on the end of a move that involved McAtamney and Aine Magill but McAllister produced a deft touch to find the onion bag, making it three goals in seven minutes.

Elen McIntosh briefly halted the Dunloy charge with a free in the 59^th minute but the home side added a further three points from Aine Magill, Molloy and McAtameny (free) to add further gloss to the scoreline for the Cuchullains.

Dunloy will go on their travels for their next group game when they will face Loughgiel on Saturday while the Town will hope for their first win of the campaign when they host Ahoghill.

TEAMS

Dunloy Starting XV: Clodagh O’Kane; Sarah McIlhatton, Brid Magill, Kathryn Boyle; Eilis Kearns, Katie Laverty, Caoimhe Conlon; Eimear Johnston, Katharine Mullan; Caoimhe Molloy, Caitlin Crawford, Bronach Magill; Eobha McAllister, Nicole McAtamney, Aine Magill

• Scorers: E McAllister 3-7 (2f); N McAtamney 0-5 (3f); C Molloy 0-2, C Crawford 0-2, B Magill 0-2; A Magill 0-1

Ballycastle Starting XV: Becky Ellis; Cara Delaney, Catherine McShane, Aoife Toner; Shannon McQuillan, Fay McIntosh, Shannagh Heggarty; Niamh Donnelly, Janey McIntosh; Fionnuala Toner, Maeve Kelly, Eimear McCaughan; Faye Roddy, Louise McBride, Elen McIntosh

• Scorers: E McIntosh 1-8 (5fs, 1’45); L McBride 0-1

Referee: Ryan O’Reilly (Con Magees)

TO SEE MORE OF BRENDAN’S PHOTOS FROM THE GAME, CLICK ON THIS LINK…

https://myalbum.com/album/5bGkbxa7EUdy5L/?invite=64950670-addc-4696-b0e5-62affb3593e4

Armagh secured All-Ireland glory in a truly outstanding game of camogie, fending off a relentless Cavan side to lift the Kay Mills Cup. Under the guidance of manager PJ O’Mullan, the Orchard County’s perfect blend of youth and experience helped them overcome their recent history of heartbreak at headquarters—having lost four finals on Jones’ Road over the past decade. O’Mullan was back at the site of his Croke Park triumph with his native Loughgiel back in 2012 when he guided the Shamrocks to their second All Ireland Senior Club title. He also managed the Derry team who won the All Ireland Intermediate Camogie crown in 2023

For Cavan, the defeat marks the end of a remarkable journey. The Breffni Blues hadn’t even fielded a team at the start of the year, yet they pushed the eventual champions to the absolute limit in a high-octane, intensely physical contest.

The Turning Point

Despite Cavan starting strong—building on the confidence of their nine-point victory over Armagh in the group stages—the game was ultimately won on either side of the half-time whistle.

Trailing by two points just five minutes before the break, Armagh shifted into a definitive extra gear. They fired over eight of the next nine points, taking a 0-9 to 0-8 lead into the interval. After the restart, they continued their surge, transforming that initial deficit into a commanding 0-14 to 0-9 lead by the 40th minute.

Legendry Armagh Camogie photographer John Merry photographs his daughter Rachael Trainor (main picture) lifting the cup at Croke Park

Defensive Heroics and Late Drama

Philip Brady’s Cavan squad dug deep and refused to surrender. They held Armagh scoreless for 15 minutes, clawing their way back into the game as they threw caution to the wind in the closing stages.

With the gap narrowed, Cavan went searching for a smash-and-grab goal, but Armagh’s defense produced match-winning heroics:

• The Hook: Eimear O’Kane executed a phenomenal, perfectly timed hook to deny a certain goal.
• The Save: Goalkeeper Ciarraí Devlin pulled off a point-blank save to shut out another golden opportunity.
• Note: Both of these crucial interventions denied Cavan’s Niamh Keenaghan, who was desperately unlucky not to find the back of the net during the chaotic final 10 minutes.

Standout Performers

For Armagh:

• Rachael Trainor (Captain): A veteran of the 2016 final defeat, Trainor banished past ghosts by scoring six points (four from placed balls and one absolute peach from play) before lifting the cup.
• Sinead Quinn & Corinna Doyle: Both forwards were a constant menace, each slotting three crucial points from play.
• Ciara Geoghegan: Returning to the squad this season after the birth of her second child, she scored a vital point to steady the ship during Cavan’s late surge.

PJ O’Mullan, his wife Ciara and two sons celebrate Armagh’s triumph

For Cavan:

• Eimear Brady: Kept the scoreboard ticking over for Cavan, finishing with seven points (mostly frees) and opening the game with a monstrous strike from outside the 65.
• Roisin O’Keefe (Captain): The skipper was a massive threat at full-forward, registering three first-half points.
• The Impact Subs: Christina O’Reilly (who remarkably played football for Armagh last month) and Orla Flynn both impressed off the bench to renew Breffni hope in the second half.