St Patrick’s, Maghera 4-14 St Killian’s, Garron Tower 1-8
ST PATRICK’S, Maghera won their 20th Corn Uan Uladh title, and third in a row, when they beat St Killian’s, Garron Tower at the Dub Arena in Belfast on Sunday with a high powered display of camogie.
The St Killian’s girls just couldn’t get going in the opening quarter, despite grabbing the first score of the game through Eva McNeill. From then on St Pat’s held the upper hand and despite a revival from the Garron Tower girls in the second quarter they still led by 2-09 to 0-06 at the interval.
After the change of ends, St Killian’s had a lot more possession but they found the scores a lot harder to come by against a top class Maghera defence. They fought to the very end and could have been a bit closer had they taken a couple of good goal chances, one from an Eva McNeill penalty which rattled off the under-side of the crossbar with the St Pat’s keeper well beaten.
However the Maghera side were deserved winners and must surely fancy their chances of competing for an All Ireland title when they face Galway champions Gort Community School in three weeks’ time.
Eva McNeill sent over an early point from a free to give St Killian’s a good start but St Pat’s hit back right away and Grace Kelly fired low to the net after a high ball had been blocked out. That opened the door for a flood of scores from the champions and Emma Quinn, full forward Caoimhe Chambers and Aoibh Mulholland all found the target.
Things went from bad to worse for St Killian’s when the Maghera side grabbed their second goal nearing the end of the opening quarter, full forward Chambers firing home and three pointed frees soon followed from the accurate Emma Quinn, plus one from play by Chambers and the gap was into double figures.
Eva McNeill steadied the ship a little when she sent over three more frees and when Amy McAlister and Cliodhna Thompson grabbed points apiece the gap was down to 2-9 to 0-06 by the time match referee Julie O’Neill sounded the half time whistle
During the third quarter the Garron Tower girls battled hard and had good spells of possession, despite playing ‘up the slope’, but St Pat’s skill level kept them firmly in control. Two goals from player of the match, Ahoghil centre forward Katie McCloskey, put the icing on the cake for St Pat’s.
St Killian’s kept their hard work going and got some reward when midfielder Leona Gillan grabbed a goal and full forward Cliodhna Thompson sent over a point. However the cup was on its way back to the Maghera for the third year in a row.
St Patrick’s: O Johnston, O McCartney, E Griffin, A McWilliams, R Doherty, E Murray capt, B Brolly, C Conway 0-2, MT McCullagh 0-1, G Kelly 1-2, K McCloskey 2-0, L Cassidy, A Mulholland 0-2, C Chambers 1-2, E Quinn 0-5, 4 frees
Subs: B Donaghy for L Cassidy (ht), E Conway for B Brolly (41), L McKaigue for A McWilliams (46), É McElhinney for C Conway (48)
St Killian’s: L McNaughton, L McCollum, M McAllister, E McCann, E McNaughton, L Black, E Ward, E McNeill 0-5, 3 frees, L Gillan 1-0, A McAlister 0-1, K McNeill, C McNaughton, R Black capt., C Thompson 0-2, T Black.
Subs: S Carey for C McNaughton (37)
Referee: J O’Neill (Armagh)
Player of the Match, Katie McCloskey
