Loughgiel travel to Ashbourne on Saturday to take on Kilkenny and Leinster champions Dicksboro in the All Ireland semi-final. Here we take a look back at the their Leinster final and semi-final wins over St Vincent’s of Dublin and St Martins of Wexford, plus their emphatic win over Windgap in the Kilkenny final

Many thanks to Billy Culleton for the use of his brilliant photos

Dicksboro win their first Leinster title

AIB Leinster Final

Dicksboro (Kilkenny) 0-12  St Vincent’s (Dublin) 1-7

Dicksboro won their first ever Leinster title when they beat reigning champions St Vincent’s of Dublin by two points in a thrilling final at Netwatch Cullen Park, Carlow on Sunday 19^th of November.  

The Kilkenny champions had to battle all the way to get the better of the Dublin side. The game was level at half time on 0-5 apiece but St Vincents took control early in the second half when left half forward Niamh Heatherton found the Boro net, and when corner forward Ava Lamh pointed to open up a four point gap the Kilkenny side appeared to be in trouble. It was nine minutes into the second half before Dicksboro raised a flag, Aoife Prendergast sending over a free. That score settled the Boro nerves and they started to close the gap, and when Rachael Dowling added another from play the gap was down to two.

Jenny Clifford cut the gap back to the minimum with two pointed frees Prendergast got their noses back in front. In control now the Boro pushed on, actually hitting seven points without reply to take a grip on the game as they opened a three point lead. 0-12 to 1-6’

With just three minutes of normal time left to play St Vincent’s were awarded a free 30 metres from goal and Aishling Maher made a late bid to save the day for her side as she went for goal. However the Dicksboro defence were up to the challenge and the ball was deflected out for a 45.

Maher picked off the point this time to leave just two between the sides, but that was as close as it would get as the Kilkenny champions held out to seal the club’s first provincial title and set up Sunday’s meeting with the Shamrocks in Ashbourne.

Dicksboro – Aoife Prendergast (0-6, frees), Rachel Dowling (0-3), Amy Clifford (0-2), Jenny Clifford (0-1).

St Vincent’s – Aisling Maher (0-4, 0-3 frees); Niamh Hetherton (1-0); Ali Maguire, Anna Sullivan, Ava Lambe (0-1 each).

Dicksboro – Kirsty Maher; Jane Cass, Tara Clifford, Katie Byrne; Niamh Phelan, Caoimhe Dowling, Ciara Phelan; Ciara O’Shea, Aobha O’Gorman; Asha McHardy, Amy Clifford, Rachel Dowling; Aoife Prendergast, Orla Hanrick, Jenny Clifford (capt).

Subs: Niamh O’Donoghue, Danielle Kenny, Tara McGrath, Bronagh Doheny, Lucinda Gahan, Caoimhe Carroll, Angela Carroll, Rose Kelly, Aisling Browne, Sarah O’Gorman, Orlaith Moore, Emer Phelan, Becky Peters, Sinead Carroll, Isabel Roberts, Rachael Egan, Isabelle Fahy, Isabelle Egan, Kate O’Neill, Libby Carroll.

Leinster Senior Club Semi Final

Boro see of St Martin’s of Wexford

Dicksboro 1-10 St Martin’s (Wexford) 0-8

Dicksboro made their way through to the Leinster Senior Club Final after a hard fought contest with St Marin’s of Wexford at Palmerstown.

The Boro struck early with a point inside the first minute from an Aoife Prendergast free and the high scoring corner forward added another soon afterwards to push the led out to two. However they never raised another flag for the next thirteen minutes and St Martins battled their way back to level things up at 0-6 apiece at half time.

A great individual goal by team captain Jenny Clifford handed the Boro back the imitative early in the new half  and they pushed on to stretch their lead to six (1-10 to 0-7) as the brilliant Prendergast kept picking off the points

Ciara O’Connor pulled one back for St Martin’s but that was as close as they would get and the Kilkenny girls kept control to book their place in the Leinster Final!

Scorers – Dicksboro – Aoife Prendergast 0-8 (8f), Jenny Clifford 1-0, Asha McHardy 0-2

St Martin’s – Ciara O’Connor 0-7 (6f), Linda Bolger 0-1

Dicksboro – Kirsty Maher, Jane Cass, Tara Clifford, Katie Byrne, Niamh Phelan, Caoimhe Dowling, Ciara O’Shea, Ciara Phelan, Aobha O’Gorman, Asha McHardy, Amy Clifford, Rachel Dowling, Aoife Prendergast, Orla Hanrick, Jenny Clifford (Capt)

Subs – Rose Kelly for Orla Hanrick, Tara McGrath for Ciara O’Shea,

Dicksboro overpower first time finalists Windgap

Kilkenny Senior Camogie Final

Dicksboro 3-18 Windgap 1-11

Playing in their fourth final in five years Dicksboro had too much power throughout the field when they faced first time finalists Windgap in last month’s  Kilkenny final in Mooncoin. Goals from Clifford and McHardy all but killed off the Windgap challenge by half time, and send the City side in at the break with a 2-11 to 0-5 advantage.

A third goal from Orla Hanrick early in the second half saw them continue where they left off and the actually stretched their lead to seventeen points, such was their dominance. Windgap battled to the end and Denis Gaule got two late points before blasting a twenty metre free to the net, but it was a case of too little, too late at Dicksboro regained the county title they last held in 2021

Scorers – Dicksboro – Aoife Prendergast 0-8 (7f), Asha McHardy 1-4, Amy Clifford 0-3, Jenny Clifford, Orla Hanrick 1-0 each, Rachel Dowling 0-2, Aobha O’Gorman 0-1

Dicksboro – Kirsty Maher, Jane Cass, Tara Clifford, Katie Byrne, Niamh Phelan, Caoimhe Dowling, Ciara O’Shea, Ciara Phelan, Aobha O’Gorman, Asha McHardy, Amy Clifford, Rachel Dowling, Aoife Prendergast, Orla Hanrick, Jenny Clifford (Capt)

Ulster Schools Senior Camogie

St Killian’s 2-16 St Louis 0-6

Pics by Micky Morgan

A strong second half saw St Killian’s beat St Louis in the last of their round robin games in the Ulster Schools Senior Camogie at Ballymena. St Killian’s started strongly with four points in the first our minutes, two of them from Eva McNeill, one from Tamara Black and one from Laura Black to put themselves in a strong position.

However once Anna McKillop got St Louis opening score in the fifth minute the Ballymena school settled into the game and two more from the right half forward closed the gap to a single point by the 12^th minute. Eva McNeill pointed for the Tower in the 17^th minute to put them two clear but St Louis replied through Eimear McMullan and McKillop again to square things up at five apiece by the 24^th minute and though Ciara Boyle put St Killian’s back in front the Ballymena girls came back with a late point to send the teams in on level terms at 0-6 apiece.

Things seemed to be set up for close game as the second half got underway, but St Killian’s took command of the game and with centre forward Eva McNeill leading the line they pulled clear hitting five points in the first seven minutes, five of them from McNeill. Orlagh McCurry, Ciara O’Boyle, Amy McAlister all joined McNeill on the scoreboard as they popped over points while Orlaith McAlister finished things off with a goal for a 2-16 to 0-6 win.

ST KILLIAN’S

Louise Mulholland, Caoimhe Morgan, Eimear McMullan, Eimear Butler, Aisling Mulholland, Abi McNeill, Maeve McAlister, Laura Black, Kady McNeill, Orlaith McAlister, Eva McNeill, Rihanna Black, Tamara Black, Orlaith McCurry, Amy McAlister.

Subs – Ciara O’Boyle for Caoimhe Morgan; Clodagh McPeake for Rhianna Black; Cliodhna O’Hara for Eimear McMullan

ST LOUIS

Eimear McGivern, Carragh Boyle, Aisling O’Donnell, Leah McGarry, Erin Coulter, Dearbhail Dobbin, Casey Crawford, Orlaith Gould, Alicia Boyd, Anna McKillop, Cora Henderson, Erin McMullan, Aoife McKenna, Cara Burns, Ciara O’Boyle.

Subs – Orla Kane, Grace Anne Kelly, Caitlin Agnew, Eimear McCloskey, Aoife Campbell, Ciara McCann, Rhianna Doherty, Kirsty McAuley

Sciath na gContaethe camogie final:

Rathmore Grammar 1-8 St Joseph’s Donaghmore 1-3

RATHMORE Grammar collected their first ever Ulster schools’ camogie title yesterday when they won Sciath na gContaethe final in Meadowbank at the expense of St Joseph’s Donaghmore
The Belfast school has only recently entered camogie through Ulster schools’ and they made their way through to yesterday’s decider after winning a group that featured last year’s winners St Ronan’s Lurgan, St Benedict’s Randalstown and Dominican Fortwilliam.
They then comfortably defeated St Aidan’s Cootehill before Halloween to reach the final.
The group games featuring St Joseph’s Donaghmore had been delayed before the mid-term break, but the Tyrone side emerged to beat St Paul’s Bessbrook in last week’s semi-final by 3-1 to 1-2.

Although Rathmore registered the first two points through Player of the Match Róise Matthews and Anna Adams (free), they didn’t make their dominance of possession through the first quarter count on the score-board.
St Joseph’s grew into the game and the diminutive Charlotte Daly caused all kinds of problems during the second quarter, opening the scoring for her team with a point and then setting Bláithín McGee up for a goal.
Donaghmore led by 1-3 to 0-2 coming into the break, but with the last play of the half, captain Róise Stevenson sent a 45 into the goal area where a scramble resulted and Erin Wall forced the sliotar over the line.
Anna Adams tied the teams from a free at the start of the second half before Róise Matthews took over to score four points from play to gradually edge Rathmore clear.
Matthews made the difference with those second half scores, but there were also sound performances from Jessica Morgan and Róise Stevenson in defence as well as Anna Adams and Olivia Morgan.
St Joseph’s also had a number of good players particularly Hollie Croucher in goals and Holly Stinson and Niamh Donaghy in defence. But once Rathmore got to grips with the threat of Charlotte Daly and Bláithín McGee, it was a matter of wearing that defence down for enough scores to win.

Rathmore: E Wall 1-0, R Matthews 0-5, A Adams 0-2 (frees), O Morgan 0-1.
St Joseph’s: B McGee 1-0, C Fitzpatrick 0-2 (frees), C Daly 0-1.
Rathmore: Roisha Grant, Roisin Quinn, Jessica Morgan, Mia Molloy, Sophie Bell, Róise Stevenson capt., Lucy Kelly, Anna Adams, Olivia Morgan, Róise Matthews, Lila McCann, Lila McCavannagh, Poppy McGarrity, Ella Rose Watson, Eirinn Wall.
Subs: Niamh Lagan, Hannah Rush, Jane Carlin, Siofra Wall, Néabh Pendleton.
St Joseph’s: Hollie Croucher, Brianna Holland, Holly Stinson, Tiegan Lennon, Niamh Donaghy, Clodagh Mallon, Amelia Sheehan, Clara Burns, Katie McEldowney, Aoibhe Kerr, Chloe Fitzpatrick, Charlotte Daly, Eabha Coyle, Blaithin McGee, Clare McKee