Northern Property Antrim LGFA Under 16C Championship Final
Kickhams Creggan 5-7 St Mary’s Aghagallon 3-4
By Tiernan Millar
Creggan secured the Ladies U16C Championship with a solid performance over Aghagallon on Tuesday night at Dunsilly, but despite the 9-point victory, they didn’t have it all their own way.
Creggan only had two points to spare after their semi-final encounter with Clan na Gael, but Aghagallon broke the half-century mark as they brushed past Aldergrove a week ago. It was the girls from the north of the loughshore who had the brighter start with Clodagh Maguire registering the first point in the fading light before Aoibh McEldowney added a second, and when Annie Rankin chipped Caoimhe McStravick in the Aghagallon goal, Creggan looked to be cruising to victory.


Aghagallon were penned in for large periods, never managing to get the ball past their own 65 for most of the first ten minutes, and on the rare occasion they did, Niamh Sargent was there to sweep it up. Cassie Doherty added another point for Kickhams to put them 6 points up.
Martha Warwick was outstanding for Agahagallon, and helped her team to their first score as she went on a long run out of the backs before feeding Emma Mallon who slotted over the bar. Warwick could have further reduced the deficiet seconds later with a goal when she was through one-on-one with Shauneen Devlin, but she drilled her shot wide to the right.
Creggan piled on the pressure at the other end when Aoibh McEldowney should have had a goal but misjudged her power at close range and fired over the bar and a second goal came as Clodagh Maguire found Erin Donaghy who danced around the ‘keeper to drive the ball into the back of the Aghagallon net. Maguire dropped a free over the blackspot from about 30 meters out to give Creggan a 10-point lead.
Olivia Jordan grabbed a goal for Aghagallon to reduce the gap to seven and, at the other end, Anna Devlin thwarted Doherty’s attempt on goal to leave the score Creggan 2-5 to Aghagallon 1-1 at the break.

The Aghagallon girls started the second half on a better footing as Chloe Geraghty registered a point from a free but the next period minutes would prove fatal for the south-west girls as Cassie Doherty hit two goals in five minutes to kill the game off as a contest.
Agahgallon’s heads didn’t drop however, and to their credit they continued to battle on. Rose O’Hagan was brought down in front of the Creggan goal and Warwick obliged from the spot. Two minutes later, O’Hagan should have added another goal but blasted over the bar and Geraghty added another point from play for St Mary’s.
Two quickfire Connie Daly goals for Creggan put a bit of shine on the scoreboard and substitute Cadhla McMinn got her name on the scoresheet with a point, but right at the death in a goalmouth scramble at the other end, Ciara Maginnis got herself a conselation goal as Creggan ran out winners with 9 to spare.




































