‘Cran camogs facing replay at Casement

‘Cran camogs facing replay at Casement

6 February 2013

AFTER 80 minutes of highly skilled and competitive camogie, Ballycran and Castlegar have it all to do again at Casement Park this Sunday at 2pm.

Having won the toss, Ballycran chose to play with the wind and Catherine McGourty opened their account with a well struck free from 45 metres.

Laura Hughes doubled the Ballycran lead with a well taken point from play and Bríd McGourty showed great pace and class by picking of another point.

Ballycran’s success this year in built on an excellent defensive unit. Time and time again Michelle Dorrian, Nuala Mallon and Emma Keith plucked the ball out of the air and drove forward and delivered quality ball into midfield.

They restricted the Castlegar and Aislinn Connolly to two points from frees.

At the other end of the pitch Ballycran were guilty of wasting a number of good chances to open a substantial lead and on the stroke of half-time Brid McGourty broke free to drive the ball over the bar to leave a half-time score line of Ballycran 0-5 Castlegar 0-2.

Clever play from Castlegar brought them  to within a point of Ballycran, but two quick points from Catherine McGourty and Naomi Morgan settled both the travelling players and supporters’ nerves.

A Bríd McGourty pass found Morgan who showed all her experience and composure to drill the ball past Eva Concannon into Castlegar’s net. Ballycran looked like they were well on their way to the final.

The Galway girls were not going to go down without a fight and Elaine Murphy and Ruth Flaherty combined well with Aislinn Connolly to put enormous pressure on the ‘Cran defence.

Six unanswered points, including a converted free a minute into injury time, forced the game into 20 minutes of extra time. Full time score Ballycran 1-7 Castlegar 0-10.

Playing with the wind in the first period of extra time, Ballycran failed to take advantage and Connolly again showing all her class added a point from a free and another with a classic hand pass score after ping her hurl to give Castlegar a slender lead.

In the second half of extra time Ballycran displayed a greater maturity and the half backs, led by their inspirational captain Bríd McGrattan, restricted the Castlegar attack to long range attempts on goal and they managed a point to lead by three.

Two frees from Catherine McGourty made it a single point game and it was super sub Nicola Torney who found the target with a well taken point to level the match and force a reply.

The winners will play Rower-Inistioge of Kilkenny who defeated Kilmaley of Clare 2-9 to 1-5.

Final score: Ballycran 1-10 Castlegar 0-13.

Ballycran: Ciara McCarthy, Nuala Mallon, Michelle Dorrian, Emma Keith, Jennie Fowler, Bríd McGrattan (capt), Sabrina McCullough, Catherine McGourty (0-5f), Charlene Clarke, Bríd McGourty (0-2), Nicola Braniff, Naomi Morgan (1-1), Amy McCarthy, Laura Hughes (0-1), Deirdre Savage. Subs: Eimear Dynes, Mary Gilmore for N. Morgan (50 mins) Fiona Hughes, Mary Hughes, Suzelle Johnson, Laura Keith, Orla McCarthy, Jennifer McHugh for D. Savage (45 mins), Nicola Torney (0-1) for N. Braniff (73 mins), Ciara Woods, Paula Hughes, Audrey Hughes.