Castletown on double
in Bellefield C’TOWN-L MELLOWS 2-6 R’GAROGUE-C’TOWN 1-6
CASTLETOWN-LIAM MELLOWS battled past Rathgarogue-Cushinstown to claim the Junior ‘A’ camoguie league title in Bellefield on Saturday, adding it to the championship crown.
They were good value for their three-point winning margin, and in truth it could have been more comfortable had they been more clinical in front of goal.
The Castletown-Liam Mellows women certainly started on the front foot, as both Donna Morrissey and Hayley Murphy had goalbound efforts saved by Brudge Roche in the opening exchanges.
However, Roche’s early heroics didn’t put Castletown-Liam Mellows off, and when Denise Byrne found Emma Furlong, the full-forward handpassed into the net from close range to break the deadlock.
A confident Furlong pointed two minutes later, but once Joanne Dillon found her range from deadballs, Rathgarogue-Cushinstown started to grow into the game.
After the tenth minute, they won the remainder of the half by five points to two. Dillon hit all five points from placed balls, including one sublime effort from wide right as Rathgarogue-Cushinstown reduced the deficit to one by halftime (1-3 to 0-5).
Megan and Doireann Cullen points in the 20th and 25th minutes respectively were the only thing that kept Castletown-Liam Mellows’ noses in front at the break.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown exploded out of the blocks after the re-start.
They had the ball in the net within 15 seconds as Becca Foley finished to the bottom of the goal, giving them their first lead of the game with their opening score from play.
Unfortunately for Rathgarogue-Cushinstown, they failed to recreate that attacking threat again for the remainder of the game.
Points by Megan and Doireann Cullen levelled the game before a searching low ball by Byrne was swept into the net beautifully by Morrissey (2-5 to 1-5).
Dillon pointed another free to briefly narrow the gap, but the game should have been put out of Rathgarogue-Cushinstown’s reach when Doireann Cullen was denied by Roche again.
Megan Cullen re-set the Castletown-Liam Mellows lead to three in the 51st minute, and that was enough to see them over the line in a stop-start but relatively comfortable final quarter of an hour.
Castletown-Liam Mellows: Ellen Kinsella; Susan Boyle, Amy Dowdall, Lucia Merrigan; Elaine Coade, Doireann Kavanagh, Aoibheann Merrigan; Muireann Fitzpatrick, Megan Cullen (0-3, 1 free); Hayley Murphy, Doireann Cullen (0-2, frees), Denise Byrne; Donna Morrissey (capt., 1-0), Emma Furlong (1-1), Mollie Somers. Subs. - Sarah Merrigan for Murphy (63), also Eimear Goland, Eileen Byrne, Julie McGarry, Olive McGarry, Cáit Kavanagh, Joanna Byrne, Bella Byrne.
Rathgarogue-Cushinstown: Brudge Roche; Gemma Creane, Amy Dillon, Ella Foley; Sinéad O’Brien, Emma Leacy, Róisín Dillon; Sarah O’Neill, Joanne Dillon (capt., 0-6, 5 frees, 1 ‘45); Kate Devereux, Becca Foley (1-0), Shauna O’Connor; Caoimhe Lyng, Niamh O’Shea, Ciara Gaffney. Subs. - Eadaoin Murphy for Gaffney (42), Katelyn Carthy for O’Brien (51), Kate O’Keeffe for Creane (55), Jane Doyle for B. Foley (66), also Orlaith Gaffney, Abbie Delaney, Fiona Lyng, Chloe Byrne, Aoife Barron, Fiona Holohan, Eimear Murphy, Emily Doyle, Oonagh Murphy, Rachel Buckley.
Referee: Mick Lanigan (St. Ibar’s/ Shelmalier).