Corn Uan Uladh semi-final

St Killian’s College 1-7 St Louis, Ballymena 0-3

St Killian’s Colleges made it back to the Corn Uan Uladh final when they beat St Louis Ballymena in Tuesday’s semi-final at Slemish Park, Ballymena. Played in dreadful underfoot conditions the Garron Tower girls had a bit too much power for their rivals in a low scoring game. They led by 0-5 to 0-1 after playing with the wind at their backs in the first half, and though scores were hard to come by in the second period, the only goal of the game by right half forward Orlaith McAlister eleven minutes in assured they would not be caught.

St Killian’s dominated possession in the early stages but did not register their first score until the seventh minute, but much of that was due to St Louis goalkeeper Eimear McGivern, who made four sharp saves before Kady McNeill got the Tower’s opening score. Cara O’Boyle added two more for the Tower before Anna McKillop got St Louis only score of the first half from a free, but the winners pushed on to add three more points beore the break to go in at the break with an 0-5 to 0-1 advantage.

With the condition of the pitch deteriorating as the game progressed it was hard going for both teams after the restart. St Louis did have chances but were wide of the target, and when Orlaith McAlister grabbed St Killian’s goal St Louis had a mountain to climb. The Ballymena girls did keep battling though and Anna McKillop added two points from frees, but the goal they needed to revive their hopes never really looked like coming an St Killian’s won in the end with a bit to spare.

ST KILLIAN’S

Louise Mulholland, Eimear McMullan, Maeve McAlister, Eimear Butler, Aisling Mulholland, Abi McNeill, Laura Black, Cara O’Boyle, Kady McNeill, Orlagh McAlister, Eva McNeill, Orlaith McCurry, Tamara Black, Clodagh McPeake, Ellie Jo Butler.

Subs – Amy McAlister for Butler; Rhianna Black for Tamara Black; Leana Gillan for Butler; Erin McNaughton for McCurry.

ST LOUIS

Eimear McGivern, Leah McGarry, Aishling O’Donnell, Carrah Boyle, Casey Crawford, Dearbhail Dobbin, Erin Coulter, Erin Coulter, Alicia Boyd, Anna McKillop, Cara Burns, Erin McMullan, Eimear McCloskey, Cora Henerson, Ciara O’Boyle.

Subs – Aoife McKenna, Orla Kane, Rhianna Campbell, Aoife Campbell, Ciara McCann, Amy Carlin, Kate McGilligan, Grace Anne Kelly.

Referee – Brendan Toland (Lamh Dhearg)

Corn Uan Uladh semi-final

St Patrick’s Maghera 0-15 Cross & Passion Ballycastle 0-9

Pics by Bert Trowlen

Seven points in the first half in Portglenone from Carla Collins helped St Patrick’s Maghera gain control of their Corn Uan Uladh semi-final in rainy Portglenone today. However, apart from the second quarter when they gap between the teams opened, Cross & Passion matched the holders all the way.

Collins scored twice as Maghera moved 0-3 to 0-1 ahead after just five minutes, but Shannagh Heggarty tightened things at the back with Erin O’Hara pulling off a couple of fine saves and Janey McIntosh’s two points were added to the earlier Shana Deery score to level things after 17 minutes.

However Maghera took off with a point from Eimear Doherty a minute later and five more scores from Collins with a second point from corner-forward Eavann Convery put Maghera in a comfortable lead of 0-10 to 0-4 at the break.

A point from Eobha McAlister on the re-start got CPC back into the game and they fought hard to remain in contention, matching Maghera’s intensity and picking off some nice points along the way.

Orlaith Hull had entered the game at half time and she quickly picked off two good points for Maghera during the third quarter with another from Collins in between. Those were matched by excellent scores from play for Marie Laverty, Mary McArthur and Eobha McAlister and the Ballycastle girls were still within striking distance ten minutes from time.

However they couldn’t add to their total from then until the final whistle and Carla Collins finished off the scoring with her ninth point a minute from time.

While Maghera looked the better balanced all round team, with Collins their top player, Erin O’Hara was outstanding with at least five great stops and Shanagh Heggarty, Eobha McAlister and Erin Connolly also played very well for the losers.

St Patrick’s: C Collins 0-9 (3 frees), E Convery and O Hull 0-2 each, K McCloskey and E Doherty 0-1 each

CPC: E McAlister (2 frees) and J McIntosh (1free) 0-3 each, S Deery, M Laverty and M McArthur 0-1 each

St Patrick’s: M Hughes, A McWilliams, E Murray, E McCormick, R Doherty, C Conway, B Brolly, E Doherty, K McCloskey, C Mallon, C Collins, G Kelly, E Quinn, C Chambers, E Convery

Subs: O Hull for C Mallon (HT), MT McCullagh for E McCormick (42), A Mulholland for E Quinn (45)

CPC: E O’Hara, C Boylan, O Breen, D McQuillan, E Connolly, S Heggarty, C Delaney, S Deery, T McAfee, E McAlister, J McIntosh, C Dobbin, M Laverty, M McArthur, E McCaughan.

Subs: M Cunning for C Boulan (HT), N McCaughan for T McAfee (37),

Referee: J O’Neill (Armagh)

THE death took place at the weekend of double All-Ireland senior medallist Kathleen Kelly.

Kathleen first appeared in an Antrim senior team towards the end of the 1964 season and she quickly established herself in a side that by then were perennial winners of the Ulster title and All-Ireland contenders.

She was at wing-back in the 1965 provincial title winning team that was stopped in the All-Ireland semi-final by Dublin who went on to win their ninth successive title.

Antrim reached the 1966 final and, even though Dublin only scored four times, they made it ten in a row with a 2-2 to 0-6 victory. However the Moneyglass stalwart had by now become part a resolute defence with goalie Teresa Kearns, Moya Forde, Eithne Dougan and Maeve Gilroy and it was that same formation that eventually dethroned Dublin after a replay a year later.

Her performance in Croke Park earned her a late call-up to the Ulster side and a couple of weeks later she added the province’s first Gael-Linn title to her list of achievements. It would be another 30 years before Ulster would win a second title.

Kathleen Kelly remained an ever-present in Saffron and Ulster teams over the next dozen or more years, moving to full-back where she featured in the single point defeat to Cork in the 1973 All-Ireland final defeat by Cork.

She was still in defence in 1979 when the Saffrons won the last of their six titles. The reason she didn’t feature in the victory over Tipperary in Croke Park was due to an injury sustained earlier in the competition. Fr Paddy Delargy was the Antrim team-manager that year.

“We were playing Kilkenny in the All-Ireland quarter-final. They had won three of the previous five All-Irelands,” he recalled.

“It was a very tight match and near the end Angela Downey broke free and was bearing down on goal. Kathleen threw herself into a tackle and managed to stop her. It won us the match without a shadow of doubt, but she picked up a bad injury and couldn’t play against Wexford or Tipperary. But we wouldn’t have won the All-Ireland without her.”

Kathleen worked as a manager in the retail trade, and put those skills to good use on the administration side of camogie both with Moneyglass and her county committee, serving several years as Antrim county Registrar. She was also heavily involved in amateur dramatics in her area and was a keen gardener.

Kathleen died on Friday and her funeral Mass and burial took place on Monday in Moneyglass.

Leaba i measc na naomh go raibh aici.

AIB All Ireland Senior Club Championship Camogie semi-final

Loughgiel v Dicksboro of Kilkenny in Ashbourne, Co Meath

Loughgiel bid to make it back to back All Ireland appearances when they take on Kilkenny and Leinster champions Dicksboro in Saturday’s All Ireland Senior Camogie semi-final in Ashbourne, Co Meath. Beating the Leinster champions is a formidable task for the Shamrocks but Dicksboro may not strike fear in them as some of their semi-final opponents have done in the past, teams like Oulart the Ballagh of Wexford.

Experience can play a big part in these games and though the Kilkenny champions have had a great run to the semi-final they may not carry the same threat as some of the real heavyweights of the game like Pearses of Galway, or Slaughtneil of Derry, the team the Shamrocks beat in the Ulster final.

Dicksboro had a fairly easy win in the Kilkenny final when they beat first time finalists Windgap, but their task became harder in the Leinster semi-final when they faced St Martin’s of Wexford.  Their provincial final opponents were reigning champions St Vincent’s of Dublin and for a while during the third quarter it appeared their great run was coming to an end. However the Kilkenny city side dug deep and showed how good they were by hitting seven points in a row to seal a famous win and calim their first provincial crown.

The Boro certainly have some momentum built up coming into Saturday’s game and Benny Dillon’s side will have a big task on their hands tomorrow. However they have been improving slowly as the season has progressed, and their win over Slaughtneil in the Ulster decider has certainly saw them gain in confidence.

Their Ulster final opponents Laoitrim were out of their depth in that provincial decider in Armagh, and Loughiel got the chance to show their scoring prowess that day. Up until that game the Shamrocks had relied heavily on their two top stars Roisin McCormick and Caitrin Dobbin, but against the Down champions in Armagh that day there was a much wider spread of scorers.

They will need them all against Dicksboro in Ashbourne tomorrow. Dicksboro have proved they are a very good side, and a team very much on the up, but they won’t strike fear into their opponents like some of the giants of the game would have done and if Loughgiel can play anywhere near their best, and manage to grab a couple of goals, then they have every chance of making it through to another final.