Report and photos from Antrim County PRO Michael Corcoran at Bellaghy
Derry’s Saoirse McCullagh tracked by Antrim’s Georgie Twigg and Aoife Molly
Antrim’s U14 Camogie squad were invited to an U14 development day with Derry, last Saturday 26th April in Bellaghy. Rain threatened to dampen the early 11am game between Antrim and Derry, but thankfully that managed to stay away, with only a little drizzle at times, with the 1pm afternoon slot being handed over to Down.
Antrim’s Sofia Reilly taps the sliotar safely over the bar during Saturday’s development game against Derry
Antrim’s Saff’s engaged well across the three thirds of the hour, with everyone getting play time and learning a lot from Derry’s strength and playing style. Although it proved to be a tough encounter for the girls from the Bathshack sponsored Academy, Antrim was delighted to have the exposure and by taking a lot away from the game, this will be rolled into future training schemes, another useful aspect of playing development games.
Derry’s Cara McNally closes in on Antrim’s Maggie Kearns during Saturday’s game in Bellaghy
Later, Antrim expressed their gratitude to Derry for arranging the games and an additional thanks to Bellaghy for allowing the girls to play on a super pitch.
More photos from the development game can be found by clicking on the following link…
TWO goals and three points in the opening eight minutes of the second half of this Fr Davies Cup quarter final in Creggan on Tuesday morning have set St Dominic’s Belfast up with a first ever semi final against St Patrick’s Keady next week.
Overall St Dominic’s were the better team with strong performances from the half-back line of Niamh Murray, Nina McBride and Aoibhinn Austin with Sadhbh Drain and Niamh Keenan strong in the forward line.
Loreto
Nevertheless Loreto Coleraine, driven on by Dunloy pair Clíodhna O’Kane and Anna Martin in defence and dangerous forward Ellie McCaul from Dungiven, had a promising start to the game spurred on by a goal from McCaul in the first minute.
Points each from Aela Niblock and Niamh Keenan helped St Dominic’s settle and Chloe Irvine pushed them ahead with a 12th minute goal. However Loreto hit back with goals from McCaul and Glenullin’s Nellie Rose Bradley.
A goal from Niblock put St Dominic’s back level and Carragh Flynn edged them into the lead before a late goal from Ciara Christie left them 3-4 to 3-0 ahead at the break.
On the re-start the Falls Road side pushed on to put the game to bed. Points from Flynn, Niblock and Aoibhinn Austin (a 45) were followed by goals each from Sadhbh Drain and Chloe Irvine and there was no way back for Loreto at 5-7 to 3-0.
However a goal and two points in the last quarter from Nellie Rose Bradley better reflected their contribution on the scoreboard to the overall play.
St Dominic’s: C Irvine 2-1, A Niblock 1-2, S Drain 1-1, C Christie 1-0, C Flynn 1-0, N Keenan, A Austin (f), S Fryers and I Smyth 0-1 each
Loreto: NR Bradley 2-2, E McCaul 2-0
Starting teams:
St Dominic’s: Cara Garland, Amelie Donnelly, Jay Austin, Niamh Wallace, Nina McBride, Aoibhinn Austin,
Match report and photos from Michael Corcoran at Fr. Healy Park, Loughgiel
Summer arrived in Fr. Healy Park and temperatures hovered around 20 degrees at the 7pm throw-in. The pleasant warm air augmented the evening’s sporting entertainment as spectators lined the Park in short sleeves.
Jerome McAllister officiated the game and once the sliotar was rolled in, Ballycastle’s Elen McIntosh had the honour of the first strike for a point but the sliotar floated wide of the post and that honour would fall to Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty who took possession straight from the puck out.
Loughgiel’s Carlina Sullivan and Anna McKillop would improve their score with another two points before Ballycastle’s Sionainn Graham closed the gap by one, a minute later.
Pushing up into Ballycastle’s half resulted in another two points for Loughgiel, both coming from close quarter passing from Christine McCloskey to Ciara Laverty and McCloskey took her own point as Marie Laverty offered up the sliotar.
Ballycastle’s Nuala Devlin keeps the sliotar ahead at arms reach as Loughgiel close in
Loughgiel’s free taker, Katie McKillop, stepped up to take her first free of the evening with ten minutes elapsed on the scoreboard; McKillop’s dropping sliotar finding the back of the net from an acute angle, dropping just under the bar, but Ballycastle would quickly neutralise that green flag when a goal mouth scramble from a sliotar brought safely to earth by keeper, Shauna McKillop, resulted in the sliotar momentarily rolling over the goal line from an outstretched stick of Sionainn Graham. McAllister was quick to acknowledge the umpire’s call, and the game quickly reverted to a four-point game, Loughgiel 1-05 Ballycastle 1-1.
For the remainder of the first half, both sides went toe to toe for the next six points but drama wasn’t far away as Loughgiel’s Marie Laverty closed in on Ballycastle’s goalkeeper, Erin O’Hara, although O’Hara’s first block prevented Laverty from a score off the stick, the quick-thinking Shamrock kicked the sliotar towards the goal, but Kathyrn Mullan was on the line to save the Town from a certain goal. At the other end of the pitch, Ballycastle’s Eimear McCaughan found the sliotar after a long puckout from O’Hara, solo running and a strike to a certain goal had it not been for the heroics of Finvola McVeigh stretching to deflect the sliotar wide. At the short whistle, Loughgiel held onto a four-point lead, 1-11 to 1-07.
Loughgiel’s Shanna Deery shakes off Ballycastle’s Fay McIntosh in tonights league game
The second half of tonight’s fixture witnessed a comeback from Ballycastle, as they mounted their attack and over nine minutes, found the catch net four times compared to Loughgiel’s one point from a 45. One of those points from Ballycastle’s Eimear McCaughan wouldn’t be found in any camogie textbook, as she took her point intentionally from striking a bouncing ball. That peppering of Loughgile’s catch net closed the gap to just two points, but with only seven minutes left of normal time, the Shamrock’s appeared to drop into another gear and cruised five points without reply to the long whistle, the scoreboard registering Loughgiel 1-20 Ballycastle 1-13.
This was a great game to watch so early in the league campaign, even though both sides were missing players, spectators were treated to a fast and physical game.
Loughgiel panel and scorers
Shauna McKillop, Charlene Campbell, Finvola McVeigh, Maria Lynn, Sarah Flavin, Megan McGarry, Maeve Shannon, Louise McKillop, Ciara Laverty, Katie McKillop 1-11 (2×45, 5f), Marie Laverty 0-02, Christine McCloskey 0-02, Ciara Connolly 0-01, Carlina Sullivan 0-01, Anna McKillop 0-01, Emma McAllister, Aoibheann Gillan, Erin Connolly, Anna Connolly, Therese McKinley, Shanna Deery 0-01
Ballycastle panel and scorers
Erin O’Hara, Niamh Ann Donnelly, Kathryn Mullan, Maria Donnelly, Maebh O’Neill, Enya McShane, Catherine McShane, Aoife Toner, Fay McIntosh, Elen McIntosh 0-07 (1×45, 4f), Sionainn Graham 1-02, Riana McBride, Nuala Devlin 0-01, Marie Bakewell 0-01, Eimear McCaughan 0-01, Fionnuala Toner, Louise McBride, Christina Hamilton, Fay Roddy, Eva Graham, Mary Cate Slevin, Olivia Connolly
Photos from this evening’s game can be found by clicking on the link here…
Brídíní Óga Glenravel picked up their third successive victory of the season in Division 1 camogie league in Fr Maginn Park on Tuesday evening with Geraldine’s Portglenone the visitors.
As has been the situation to date in the competition, both teams were short their county players and, while there was a big effort put in by all the players on the pitch, there were very few quality passages of play and it was no huge surprise that all eight points in the opening half came from frees.
Orlagh Convery landed three points, the first score of the game and then two just before half-time. In between Torie Edgar fired over five points for the home side including one from inside her own half.
Kirsty Laverty scored the first point from open play in the sixth minute of the second half, and it was followed inside 30 seconds by the first goal, a long ball from Shauna McDonnell in midfield fell loose in front of the goals and Aimee Traynor forced it over the line.
Orlagh Convery responded with a free for Portglenone who were doing fairly well containing the Glenravel forwards, but having difficulty getting any change out of the home side’s defence.
There were a couple of close calls before Molly Woulahan grabbed two goals in the final quarter to leave the home side safe. The game finished with frees each scored by Shauna McDonnell and Orlagh Convery.
The games ahead for both teams before the May break will be fairly tough; Brídíní Óga make the short trip to Loughgiel with home venue the following week against Dunloy, while the Geraldine’s are away to both Ballycastle and Ruairí Óg.
Cushendall scored a thirteen point win over Ballycran in last weekend’s game at Pairc Mhuir, Cushendall. With both teams short a good few regulars because of senior county commitments the Ruairis fielded five of the Antrim Under 20 side who made their exit from the Leinster U20 Championship three days earlier, and they all played their part in a decisive win.
Sean McAfee seems unafected despite having a hurl broken over his arm during Cushendall’s league win over Ballycran at Pairc Mhuir
The home side laid down a marker in the opening five minutes and after Conor Woods opened the scoring for the Down men they hit back with 1-03 without reply, the points coming from Joe McNaughton, Fred McCurry and Fergus McCambridge, while McNaughton also got the goal. Ballycran stayed well in touch as David Gilliland Ehtan Small and Conor Woods got three of the next four points but points in reply from Joe McNaughton and Fergus McCambridge, plus a goal from Thomas McLaughlin started to put daylight between the teams.
Woods and Bell closed the gap for the Down men with two points inside thirty seconds but Cushendall finished the half strongly with four of the next five points, three of those coming from corner forward Fiontan Bradley, to lead by 2-10 to 0-08 at the break.
Conor Woods struck the first point of the second half to leave seven between the sides but Cushendall came back strongly when Joe McNaughton got his second goal, while McNaughton and Thomas McLaughlin added points. By this stage it was clear the points were going to the home side and they carried on in convincing fashion as they added a further 1-07, 1-03 of them from the highly dangerous Bradley to win in the end by 4-16 to 0-15.
Ballycran’s Dominic McGrath in action during his team’s league game in Cushendall
TO SEE MORE OF SEAN PAUL’S PICS FROM THIS GAME CLICK ON THE LINK BELOW
