AIB Ulster Bridie McMenamin Shield final

Drumsurn (Derry) 5-10 Rasharkin (Antrim) 2-3

THE dominance of Antrim clubs in the AIB Ulster Bridie McMenamin Shield has come to an end.

Drumsurn recovered from a poor start in Saturday’s final in Portglenone to dominate the game and bring the Shield to Derry for the first time since Slaughtneil won back to back titles in 2007-08.

Rasharkin can have no real complaints about the result. Their team had done extremely well to reach the decider but they were up against it from the start. The red card for Jade Henry after 26 minutes made life very difficult for them. They were already 2-6 to 2-1 down and struggling to put any attacks together.

Yet it all seemed to start very promising for the Dreen women with two frees going straight to their opponents’ net in the 7^th and 8^th minutes.

Emer McAteer had given Drumsurn a good start with a point after three minutes. In Rasharkin’s first attack, Cathleen Mooney was fouled and Jade Henry caught everyone by surprise by going low and finding the corner of the net. A minute later Niamh Mooney sent a long free into the Drumsurn goal area and it also went all the way to the net.

However they didn’t get time to settle on that lead as Drumsurn were quickly back in the game when Ceallach buried a goal less than 40 seconds after Mooney’s strike.

By the end of the first quarter Player of the Match Catherine McCloskey had the north Derry club 1-4 to 2-0 ahead. McCloskey brought her personal total for the half to 1-3 in the 26^th minute when she finished a move down the left wing with a confident strike to the net. She was also the recipient of an off-the-ball strike that earned Henry a red card while she also picked up a yellow.

At the start of the second half Saoirse McMullan brought off two point blank saves in quick succession and Ciara O’Boyle pointed a free at the end to keep Rasharkin’s fading hopes alive.

However McCloskey ended whatever hope they had with her second goal after a quite brilliant solo run from midfield in the 38^th minute.

Ceallach Mooney then completed her hat-trick with goals in the 42^nd and 45^th minutes as Drumsurn won the McMenamin Shield for their county, after four successive victories for Antrim sides over their Derry opponents.

Drumsurn: MR McLaughlin, S Duffy, E Kealey, Ciara McCloskey, H McCloskey, H Caldwell, C Ferris, Catherine McCloskey 2-4, 0-1 free, Ú Rafferty, B McCloskey, C Cassidy 0-3 frees, S McGonigle 0-1, E McAteer 0-2, C Mailey 3-0, S Mullan.

Subs: M McAteer for S Duffy (42), C Doran for Ciara McCloskey (57), J Murphy for H McCloskey (57), L Gilloway for B McCloskey (57), C Hilman for C Ferris (57)

Rasharkin: S McMullan, N McFerran, N O’Kane, E Hardy, B McFerran, S McFerran, C McLernon, K Darragh, N Mooney 1-0 free, C O’Boyle 0-1 free, E Quigg 0-2, 1 free, J Henry 1-0 free, Cathleen Mooney, C Henderson, E O’Neill.

Subs:Cara Mooney for B McFerran (33), S Hasson for Cathleen Mooney (40), C O’Neill for C O’Boyle (42), C Smith for E O’Neill (55), R Hardy for N McFerran (55).

Referee: L Bannon (Cavan)

Ulster Senior Camogie Club Final

Athletic Grounds Armagh-Sunday

Loughgiel Shamrocks (Antrim) Liatroim Fontenoys (Down)

Loughgiel bid to claim another Ulster Senior Camogie title when they take on Laoitrim Fontenoys in the decider in Armagh on Sunday at 2pm. The Antrim champions beat Slaughtneil in a first ever semi-final meeting between the sides two weeks ago and will go into Sunday’s showdown as favourites.

In a game that never reached any great heights, Loughgiel came from behind after a low scoring first half which saw Slaughtneil lead 0-4 to 0-1 at the break.

Olivia Rafferty fired over three first half points for the Derry champions while Loughgiel’s only score came from a ‘45’ from Caitrín Dobbin.

Dobbin who recorded the opening score of the second half, added another on the restart before Róisín McCormick pointed four frees between the 40^th and 49^th minutes to give the Shamrock’s the lead.

Those scores put Loughgiel in command and Dobbin quickly added two from play to take them into the safety zone at 0-8 to 0-4 while Therese Mellon hit Slaughtneil’s only score of the half in added time.

The semi-final win came on the back of five busy weekends for the Loughgiel side with wins over Ballycastle, Dunloy, Ruairi Og and Bridini Og in the Group stages before a 3-10 to 0-8 win over the Cushendall girls in the semi-final.

They followed that up with a win over Ballycastle, who had produced a strong performance to beat Dunloy in the other semi-final, in the Antrim decider.

Two superb goals in the last ten minutes from star forwards Roisin McCormick and Caitrin Dobbin steered Loughgiel to their tenth title in a row at Pairc Mhuire, Cushendall and dashed the hopes of challengers Ballycastle.

Entering the last ten minutes it appeared that Ballycastle’s long search for a senior title might be coming to an end when Aine Donnelly’s point from play brought them within a single point of the champions, after having trailed by six at one stage.

However the introduction of Roisin McCormick (who hadn’t started because of injury) and the re-introduction of Caitrin Dobbin (who had been substituted due to injury in the first half) swung the game back in Loughgiel’s favour, and five minutes later it was all over bar the shouting.

Loughgiel face Liatroim Fontenoys in Sunday’s final in a repeat of a meeting between the same sides back in 1997 which the Shamrock’s won emphatically.

They face a side who have been in good form themselves lately and who collected their 28^th Down title with a 0-11 to 2-4 win over Ballygalget in the final in a tension-filled final in Castlewellan that could well have gone against them.

The Fontenoys looked to be coasting but were hit by a goal from Alannah Hagan that brought Ballygalget level at 0-8 to 2-2.

Seconds later a long delivery released Ballygalget’s Dearbhla Magee into the left corner. Magee’s pass found sub Caitlin Davidson who was dragged to the ground inside the area for a penalty. 

However Davidson retaliated, picked up a red card and then saw the penalty decision changed to a throw-in. From that play Ballygalget won a free on the sideline and Nicola Braniff posted a point.

Although Braniff twice edged Ballygalget ahead with frees, Aimee McAleenan from a free and then Karen McMullan tied the teams, befoe McAleenan fired over the winner in the 58th minute to send Liatroim into the Ulster final after a gap of seven years

Sunday’s final is part of a double header at the Athletics Ground with Cushendall and Ballygalget meeting in the hurling semi-final and a big crowd is expected at the Armagh venue.

Laoitrim, who have an Antrim connection this year after St John’s stalwart Paddy Nugent and his son Domnhal took over the management reins, will pin their hopes on Aimee McAleenan who scored 0-9 (0-8f’s) in the Down decider and Karen McMullan for the scores that they will need if they are to regain the Ulster title after a long abscence.

The Shamrock’s side who will start as favourites but they will want to see a bigger spread of scores than they have been producing in recent games. Caitrin Dobbin and Roisin McCormick got all their scores in the semi-final win over Slaughtneil and the vast majority in the Antrim final against Ballycastle. There are plenty more up front with scoring potention and the Loughgiel managent will want so see a few of them get on the board as they bid to add back to back Ulster titles

A young Loughgiel fans watches the action from his dad’s shoulders during the 1997 Ulster final in Laoitrim. Will he be in Armagh to cheer on the Shamrocks again on Sunday

Bridie McMenamin Final

Kelly Park Portglenone 2-00pm

St. Mary’s Rasharkin v St. Matthew’s Drumsurn

Rasharkin remain on course to bring the Bridie McMenamin Shield to Antrim for a fifth successive season after travelling down to Ballela to record a comfortable semi-final victory over the Down champions.

In fact this will be the fifth successive final that has an Antrim v Derry pairing after Drumsurn had an easy 1-16 to 0-4 win over St Brigid’s in Armagh on Saturday.

Ahoghill and Lavey clashed in 2019. The following season Creggan made it two in a row with a narrow 1-6 to 1-5 win over Magherafelt. Magherafelt made it back to the 2021 final but again lost by a point, this time to St John’s Belfast.

Then last year Ruairí Óg reserve team made it four in a row with a 2-9 to 1-6 win over Ballerin and Rasharkin have the opportunity to make it five on the bounce when they take on Drumsurn in Portglenone on Saturday.

In the Antrim final St Mary’s Rasharkin withstood a strong comeback by St. Paul’s in a sometimes fractious second half to lift the Junior Camogie championship title at Saturday’s venue.

Goals from the outstanding Jade Henry after 11 minutes and a Cora Henderson double late in the half propelled St. Mary’s to a fairly comfortable looking 3-2 to 0-3 lead and indeed that lead could have been greater had it not been for a couple of excellent saves from Orlaith McKnight in the St. Paul’s goals.

St. Paul’s came strong in the second half but Rasharkin defence came into their own and St. Mary’s had done enough in the opening half to win in the end to see them through with that meeting with Ballela a fortnight ago.

Rasharkin got off to an excellent start with points from Jade Henry and Eimer O’Neill inside the opening minute. When Ciara O’Boyle added a third point, the North Antrim side were really motoring. However Aoibhne Magee brought them back down to earth by drilling a free to their net and just five minutes had passed.

Rasharklin responded and O’Boyle and Henry had added points apiece before O’Boyle set Cora Henderson up for a Rasharkin goal in the 17^th minute. Again O’Boyle and Henry (from a free) tagged on points and they led by 1-7 to 1-1 at the break.

Tara McAnarney hit back with an excellent point for Ballela on the re-start, but Jade Henry cancelled it when she drilled home a penalty in the 36^th minute. Ciara O’Boyle added a point and then a goal inside 30 seconds midway through the half and the Antrim junior champions were following their predecessors by reaching the provincial final.

In fact this will be the fifth successive final that has an Antrim v Derry pairing after Drumsurn had an easy 1-16 to 0-4 win over St Brigid’s in Armagh on Saturday.

Their opponents on Saturday, Drumsurn beat Ballerin in the Derry final which was a repeat of the 2016 final between the two sides. Drumsurn won that one as well and following a resounding win over St. Brigid’s Armagh in the Ulster semi-final will be confident of breaking the Antrim monopoly of the Bridie McMenamin Shield.

They are a good mix of youth and experience with up to a dozen players remaining from that 2016 success and their manager, Martina O’Connor is hoping for a repeat of that result.

 “I think there were around 13 of them on that [2016] panel so just under half the panel have had that experience of the win, but the rest haven’t,” she said in a recent interview.

“We have a lovely blend of youth and experience; three or four of our players are in their 30s, so there is a nice mix there.

“They have a great will to win and a willingness to work; their commitment, attitude and attendance throughout the season has been phenomenal.”

St Matthew’s started the season well but stuttered mid-summer as exams and holidays took their toll. They suffered a defeat to Greenlough that they managed to avenge in the championship.

“Greenlough beat us in the league by a fair amount around that time and I think that was whenever we were going through a patch of exams and holidays,” said Martina, who coaches the team along with Mary O’Kane.

Aimee Carton, Aine Murray, Bronagh McCloskey, Caitlin Cassidy, Cara Doran, Casey Ferris, Catherine McCloskey and Catherine Mullan are just a few of the names that will put their shoulder to the Drumsurn challenge and they will go into the final in confident mood.

Jade Henry has been one of the outstanding performer in a strong Rasharkin side while Cadhla McLernon, Ciara O’Boyle, Eimer O’Neill and Cora Henderson have been outstanding for St. Mary’s ’ this season with Henry likely to come in for close attention from the Drumsurn defence.

There might not be too much in it at the end of 60 minutes at Kelly Park but I expect an in-form Rasharkin to add to their county final success and make it five in a row for Antrim sides in the Bridie McMenamin Shield.

Glenann Primary School, won the Cumann na mBunscol indoor Camogie tournament at Cross & Passion College on Wednesday holding off the challenge of St Joseph’s Dunloy in the round-robin competition to just get over the line. The Dunloy school were a very close second as their star player Caoilbhe O’Kane tried her best to get her team over the line as she walked away with the Player of the Tournament award. Glenann however had too much for them and walked away the trophy for the second year in a row.

St Olcans Armoy won the b tournament as they were just too strong for their opponents. Eloaise Purdy from St Brigid’s Ballymoney won the Player of the Tournament in this section, as her skill and determination was ‘top notch’.

Overall it was a great event and a good display of Camogie by all the girls that participated also special thanks to the CPC students who helped keep the day running smoothly.

The hurling section of the competition will take place tomorrow. (Friday)