Travel Ireland Coaches Senior Camogie Championship

Cushendall 0-17 Ballycastle 1-8

CUSHNEDALL picked up their first points in their home fixture in the Travel Ireland Coaches senior championship on Saturday, inflicting a second successive defeat on Ballycastle.

The key period of the match was between the 20^th minute of the first half and the 20^th minute of the second when Cushendall outscored their opponents by ten points to a single free from Sionainn Graham.

Graham and Niamh Cosgrove were Ballycastle’s best players along with goalie Danielle McMichael who saved a penalty early in the second half. However the young ‘Dall side impressed particularly Catherine O’Boyle, Dervla Cosgrove, Caoimhe McNaughton, Anna McNeill and goalie Louise Mulholland.

It was three points each after a hard-fought 20 minutes with midfielders Sionainn Graham and Cara O’Boyle the only scorers from play.

Another point from O’Boyle and two more frees from Dervla Cosgrove put Cushendall 0-6 to 0-3 ahead at the break.

Cosgrove and O’Boyle added three more between them earlier in the second half before Sionainn Graham responded from a free and Laura McMullan (two), Cosgrove and O’Boyle made it 0-13 to 0-4 after 50 minutes.

There was a brief flurry from Ballycastle that produced a goal from Janey McIntosh and a point from her sister Faye to reduce the gap to five points, but in the end they turned out to be no more than consolation scores.

Cushendall: D Cosgrove 0-9, C O’Boyle 0-4, L McMullan 0-2, O O’Hara 0-1, S McKillop 0-1.

Ballycastle: J McIntosh 1-0, S Graham 0-3 (2 frees), S McKillen 0-2, Á Donnelly 0-1 free, N Cosgrove 0-1 fee, F McIntosh 0-1.

Under 16 A Camogie Championship Final at Fr Maginn Park

Cushendall: 2-9 (15) Dunloy: 4-12 (24)

Dunloy Camogs pulled of a shock on Monday evening when they beat League champions Cushendall in the final of the Under 16 A Camogie Championship at Fr Maginn Park, Glenravel. Dunloy started the game with a scoring burst which set them up for the victory and though Cushendall came back well there chances of victory received a bad blow when they lost a player to a straight red card. Despite this setback the Ruairis got it back to just two points by half time (0-10 to 0-08) but a goal four minutes into the second half and another five minutes later set them up for a deserved win.

Early points from Eobha McAllister and Mary McArthur were followed by a goal from Adria McAllister to put the Cuchullains five clear and Mary McArthur fired over again to stretch the gap to six by the sixth minute.

Three pointed frees from Eva McNeill got Cushendall up and running but Dunloy came back with three of their own through Eobha McAlister, Kerry Rose Drain and McAlister again to restore the six point cushion by the end of the opening quarter.

A goal from Cushendall full forward Niamh McNeill and a point from midfielder Kady McNeill cut the gap back to just two and the Ruairis were back in game and even though they lost a player to a red card they still kept the gap at two until half time as Eva McNeill answered a point by Dunloy’s Eobha McAllister in first half injury time.

When Amy McAlister cut the deficit back to just one with a well taken point Cushendall must have felt they were back in a strong position, but Dunloy’s ability to grab goals at vital times paid dividends again as Hannah O’Neill got her team’s second 34 minutes. Niamh McNeill pulled a point back for the ‘Dall soon afterwards but when Erin McMullan grabbed Dunloy’s 3^rd major they were well on top.

Poinst from Kady McNeill, Tamara Black and Cliodhna Thompson, in reply to one from Dunloy’s Eobha McAllister kept Cushendall in with a chance, but the final quarter belonged to Dunloy and they pressed home their advantage with five scores in a row, one of them a goal by Hannah O’Neill, to win by nine in the end and seal convincing win.

DUNLOY

Myla McKinley, Rebecca McGrath, Brid O’Kane, Carley McNamee, Carragh Boyle, Casey Crawford, Sarah Louise Kearns, Eobha McAllister, Micha Cunningham, Erin McMullan, Marty McArthur, Adria McAllister, Hannah O’Neill, Kerry Rose Drain, Hannah Richmond

CUSHENDALL

Laoiseach McNaughton, Naoise McDonnell, Maebh McAlister, Cara McNaughton, Erin McNaughton, Laura Black, Erinmae Mitchell, Rhianna Black, Kady McNeill, Mia McKeegan, Eva McNeill, Louise Black, Amy McAlister, Niamh McNeill, Cliodhna Thompson.

Referee Ryan O’Reilly (Con Magees)

Antrim Under 16 B Camogie Final

Loughgiel 4-9 Portglenone 1-9

Loughgiel won the Under 16 B Camogie Championship when they beat Portglone in the final at Cargin on Monday evening. In a hard fought battle the Shamrocks led by a point at half time 2-3 to 0-08, their ability to get goals at vital times proving decisive. When they turned to play with the breeze in the second half they started to open a gap and won in the end by three goals.

With midfielder Cliodhna McKeever to the fore for Portglenone in the first half they gave as good as they got, but two goals by corner forward Caela Dobbin in the opening quarter gave the Shamrocks the edge and they went in at the break leading by 2-3 to 0-1.

A Dobbin point just after half time and a goal from substitute Fionola McCormick stretched the Loughgiel lead to five. McKeever pulled a point back for Portglenone on 36 minutes but a goal and a point from Caela Dobbin and a point from Aine Smith put nine between the sides. A goal from Cliodhna McKeever midway through the second half gave Portglenone renewed hope. The Geraldines battled or every ball and a great solo score from Naoise Henry gave them a glimmer of hope, but the diminutive Maire Laverty grabbed a couple of points at the other end to see the Shamrocks safely home

LOUGHGIEL

Maeve Scullion, Rhea Dickson, Orlaigh Breen, Aoibhinn Fennelly, Caoimhe McGarry, Sarah Flavin, Brianna McCloskey, Eva McGarry, Eibhinn Kearney, Miara Laverty, Anna Smith, Rionna McCaughan, Caela Dobbin, Catherine McGarry, Grace McLean.

Subs – Aoife McKinley, Clare McNeilly, Niamh Corr, Saoirse Irvine, Caoimhe Bateson, Roma McGarry, Aiobheann Giallen.

PORTGLENONE

Una McGowan, Siofra McKay, Anna Graham, Sally Scullion, Cara Friel, Jo Jo Darragh, Caitlin Graffin, Cliodhna McKeever, Anna Frield, Ellen McAleer, Cara Burns, Naoise Henry, Aoife McGroggan, Caitlin McFall, Hollie Martin.

SUBS – Caoimhe Kelly, Naoimh Martin, Gemma McAuley, Aedin Vallely, Fionola McCormick, Eva McCann, Eira Mctague, Orla McFall

Travel Ireland Coaches Antrim senior championship

Loughgiel 3-13 Dunloy 1-13

DESPITE being out-scored by Dunloy 11-3 in the second half, Loughgiel comfortably recorded their second victory in the Travel Ireland Coaches Antrim senior championship on Saturday.

That suggests that the damage was done in the first half, more specifically in the opening seven minutes when the Shamrocks cracked home their three goals on their way to leading 3-10 to 1-2 at the break. There may be a little soul-searching as to why they malfunctioned during the second half, but they are still the team to beat in Antrim.

It was some start from Loughgiel! Caitrin Dobbin fired home the opening goal before 60 seconds had elapsed. The corner forward added her second in the sixth minute and Orlagh Laverty grabbed a third a minute later.

Dunloy were struggling to stay afloat at this point and they badly needed Cassie McArthur’s strike in the 15^th minute to give them something to cling to. Dobbin was turning the knife with four points, Laverty added two and Roisin McCormick had three to her name by half-time.

Whatever happened at the break saw Dunloy emerge a different team and, as the half wore on, their confidence returned. They closed the gap with four points from McArthur, three from her cousin Áine Magill, three points from the Molloy sisters and one from Erin Elliott.

The gap though was too wide to fully close and Loughgiel added three points to keep them at arm’s length, including one from Lucia McNaughton making a welcome return to the team as a second half substitute.

Loughgiel sit out the next round of fixtures at the end of the month when Dunloy play Ballycastle.

Loughgiel: C Dobbin 2-4, 0-1 free, O Laverty 1-2, R McCormick 0-4, C Laverty 0-1, A Boyle 0-1, L McNaughton 0-1.

Dunloy: C McArthur 1-4, 0-2 frees, Á Magill 0-4, 1 free, C Molloy 0-2, 1 free, K Molloy 0-2, E Elliott 0-1

Antrim Camogie Minor B Final at Dunsilly

Cargin Camogie 3-11 Rasharkin 1-6

Cargin won the Minor B Camogie title when they beat Rasharkin in the final in difficult conditions at Dunsilly on Wednesday evening. The Toome girls led by 1-15 to 0-2 at half time after playing with the wind behind them in the first half and when they increased their lead to eight early in the second period it looked like they would walk away with the game. However Rasharkin began to find a bit of rhythm in their play and two quick points were followed by a great goal direct from a free by centre forward Cora Henderson and suddenly the gap was down to just three. Cargin appeared to be in a bit of bother as they faced the stiff breeze, but brilliantly led by centre forward and Captain Sarah O’Neill they steadied the ship again and outscored their opponents by 3-3 to a 0-1 in the final thirteen minutes to win convincingly in the end.

Cargin’s Sarah O’Neill receives the trophy from Antrim Camogie Chairman Liam Vallelay

Rasharkin took a two point lead in the first six minutes as Ciara O’Boyle and Cora Henderson fired over, but once Cargin got their first score from a Sarah O’Neill free on eight minutes they began to gain the upper hand. They got a great break when a long delivery from O’Neill bounced awkwardly on the edge of the square and ended in the back of the net and they pushed on to added two more points through O’Neill and two from Sarah Quinn to lead by 1-5 to 0-2 by half time.

A point in the opening minute of the second half from Rasharkin’s Ciara O’Boyle (whose brilliant long range striking was one of the highlights of the game) to cut the gap to five. However Cargin responded really well and hit the next three points, two of them from Rosin Quinn and one from Sarah O’Neill.

Rasharkin’s Ciara O’Boyle whose long range stringing was one of the features of the game.

The gap was now out to eight, but O’Boyle’s long deliveries were creating chances for Rasharkin and points from Sinead Hasson and O’Boyle cut the gap to six. Luck was not on their side when they had shot come back off the post, but in the scramble that followed they were awarded a free and centre forward Cora Henderson blasted the ball low through a line of Cargin defenders and into the net.

Suddenly there were just three points separating the sides with fourteen minutes left to play, but to their credit Cargin stepped up the mark when it was most needed. Full forward Eimear McErlain started the scoring run when she pointed on 47 minute and soon afterwards Play of the Match Sarah O’Neill grabbed her team’s second goal to stretch the lead to seven. Two minutes later it was out to ten when Eimear McErlain got her team’s fourth goal and O’Neill added two more points to seal a terrific win

Cargin’s Sarah O’Neill in action during the Minor B Camogie final against Rasharkin