Home » Loughgiel come out as Ulster Champions after taking their chances on a wind swept day!

Loughgiel come out as Ulster Champions after taking their chances on a wind swept day!

On a blustery day in Owenbeg Loughgiel can be thankful they took their chances by narrowly defeating a misfiring Eoghan Rua team in the AIB All Ireland Club Championship Ulster Senior Final by one point.

With a swirling wind it was a game for the sharp shooters to take as many chances as possible and Loughgiel can be thankful their Full Forward Racquel McCarry was in top form as from the off Racquel took every chance she had. Loughgiel went into an early lead getting a couple of scores and setting the tone for the afternoon, but before Eoghan Rua could get a grip on the game their star player Grainne McGoldrick was carried off after an accidental collision, unfortunately for the Coleraine team Grainne would be unable to return and after 5 minutes they were two points and a star player down.

New Ulster Senior Camogie Champions: Loughgiel

As much as Eoghan Rua pushed in the first half nothing seemed to be going their way with missed chances from frees and from play, these were chances that on any other day any Eoghan Rua player would take with ease but down the other end everything Loughgiel touched seemed to go their way against a resilient Eoghan Rua defence and after 15 minutes Loughgiel were 0-3 to 0-0 up. Eoghan Rua finally managed to get their first score and gave their supporters a bit of hope that they could end the half on a high but unfortunately Loughgiel hit right back with four points to go in at half-time 0-7 to 0-1 up. We can’t put Loughgiel’s dominant first half down only to Eoghan Rua misfiring as their half back line of Nuala McAuley, Emma Connolly and Siobhan McCloskey were outstanding.

The two captains with referee Julie O’Neill

With the second half underway we continued as we left off with Loughgiel starting strong with the first three points, now having a 0-10 to 0-01 advantage and at this stage a small miracle was needed to get Eoghan Rua back into this game, they hit back quickly with a score, only their second of the game but Loughgiel replied with another score from Racquel McCarry to leave it Loughgiel 0-11 Eoghan Rua 0-2 almost halfway through the second half.

Eoghan Rua

As we are all aware it would be a foolish person who would right off Eoghan Rua and with less than fifteen minutes to go they eventually started to get to grips with the game and have a bit of luck; hitting back with three unanswered points to make it Loughgiel 0-11 Eoghan Rua 0-05 and the Eoghan Rua support started to see a bit of hope, this was extended when Megan Kerr managed to rattle the back of the net for Eoghan Rua leaving it 0-11 to 1-05 with just under 10 minutes to go.

The Eoghan Rua defence was letting nothing through and seemed determined to retain the title, centre half back Meabh McGoldrick with three points to her name. Again Eoghan Rua continued to push with another two points leaving a one point difference between the teams in the dying minutes, but they just couldn’t get the equaliser thanks to some excellent defending from a very strong Loughgiel half back line and the north Antrim ladies managed to hold on to the one point advantage and became the new Ulster Senior Champions.

Ulster Camogie would like to wish Grainne McGoldrick our best wishes with her recovery. Grainne has been an ambassador for Ulster Camogie on and off the field. Hopefully Grainne will be back in action very soon.