Clonduff seal 11th senior camogie title

Clonduff seal 11th senior camogie title

22 October 2025

LAST month’s return of All-Star nominee Niamh Mallon raised expectations that Portaferry could dethrone Clonduff and claim their second-ever Down Senior Camogie title.

However, by 4.30pm on Saturday afternoon, despite Mallon scoring nine times, Portaferry left the Drumaness pitch dejected, as Clonduff’s greater, all-round team performance secured the Hilltown side’s 11th senior title,

Fionnuala Carr, Sarah Louise Graffin and Paula O’Hagan were yet again central to the success — all three have played in each of the club’s 11 victories, stretching back to 2007. Carr delivered an early goal and three points in the first half and took over frees in the second, hitting a further four points. 

O’Hagan hit the target five times, while Sara Louise, unusually for her, did not manage to register a score, but she played a significant part in the win.

Beth Fitzpatrick and 20 year-old Niamh McConville also had fine games in what really was a strong team performance.

Portaferry did better than last year’s final, which they lost by 10 points, but they still have a distance to travel before they can topple the champions, despite strong performances from defender Aimee Mallon, midfielder Saoirse Sands and, of course, Mallon.

The only goal of the game came early, after just seven minutes, putting Clonduff in control of the first half, and ultimately the rest of the match. 

For a start, it gave them a lead of 1-3 to 0-1, after early points from O’Hagan, McConville and Carr, whose major strike opened a gap.

Although Mallon came back with her second and third points from frees, Clonduff had scores from Carr and McConville between them, and they pushed on with a further four scores, two each from Carr and O’Hagan, to lead 1-9 to 0-3 after 21 minutes.

Mallon, Portaferry’s only scorer in the opening half, brought her tally to five at the break, but, Clonduff were looking comfortable and leading 1-10 to 0-5. 

It was difficult to see Portaferry eating into that lead, and Mallon, who was well marked, never looked like getting in for a goal.

Indeed, for 20 minutes of the second half, neither team scored from open play. Eventually, teenager Caileigh McConnell split the posts in the 50th minute, the first Portaferry score that did not come from a Mallon free.

Carr had taken over free-taking duties from O’Hagan earlier in the half, and she responded to McConnell’s score with her third point of the half. 

She added another point, her seventh of the afternoon, before Mallon finished the scoring with a last-minute point.

Clonduff have retained their county crown and will now want to push on and take a step further than 2024. 

They are straight through to the Ulster Championship final, on the third weekend of November, where they will take on the winners of Slaughtneil’s clash with Loughgiel. 

Every provincial title since 2014 has been won by one of those two teams, with the Derry champions ahead by six to five.

The Ulster final represents a big step forward for Clonduff, who now have four weeks to prepare.

Clonduff: C Kelly, E Rafferty, J Boden, K Morgan, C McGilligan, B Fitzpatrick, C Kearney, N McConville, O McCusker, F Carr, S L Graffin, C Fitzpatrick, C Byrne, K McGilligan, P O’Hagan. Subs: E Shields, A Morgan.

Portaferry: M McNally, L Mason, A Mallon, L Coulter, E Gallagher, N Savage, G McGrattan, S Sands, E McCarthy, C McConnell, N Mallon, C Doran, C Devlin, E McGrattan, Á Rossiter. Sub: F McGarry.