05 July 2010
Antrim 2-7 Derry 2-6 In a nail biting finish a goal, from a Jane Adams forty yard free, in the last minute of injury time gave Antrim victory over a Derry team who looked to have the game won with ten minutes left on the clock.
The game was played in Glenariffe with a gale force wind blowing across the field.
This made Camogie very difficult for both sides as the wind ebbed and flowed, changed direction and finally calmed in the last ten minutes.
It was in these final ten minutes that Antrim, facing a five point deficit, moved Shannon Graham into midfield.
She started to win possession and drive at the heart of the Derry defence which resulted in a goal for Rachel McCarry, a pointed free from Jane Adams and that final goal by Jane from a 40 yard free to win the game by the minimum of margins.
The conditions were difficult and in the first half both teams struggled to establish any sort of control and pattern. Antrim raced into a 3 point lead with a point from Katie McAleese and two pointed frees from Jane Adams.
However Derry struck with a first half goal from Katie McAuley against the run of play and from that point onwards Derry held control and appeared to be coping better with the conditions.
However Antrim went in at half time with a one point lead thanks to another two Jane Adams frees while Derry scored a point from full forward Katie McAuley.
Antrim 0-5 Derry 1-1 Within 25 seconds of the restart Derry scored a goal from midfielder Sinead Cassidy and for the next twenty minutes controlled the game, stretching their lead to five points with two frees from Karen Keilt, a further point from Sinead Cassidy and two points from Katie McAuley.
Antrim only reply being two points from Shannon Graham. However the last ten minutes belonged to Antrim and a famous victory was won.
The Antrim girls deserve a lot of credit for their efforts, particularly in those 20 second half minutes when Derry had the upper hand.
Every player fought hard for the ball, even though things were not going for them and the whole team, particularly the defence, worked incredibly hard to prevent Derry creating an unassailable lead.
Congratulations to the players and the management team on a fantastic victory, they have done Antrim proud and deserve the support of all Clubs in the county as they continue their quest for the All Ireland Junior Championship against Laois on 10th July at Corrigan Park.
One final note, there were a lot of injuries today to both Antrim and Derry players, possibly due to the windy condition where it was very difficult to judge the flight of the ball.
We wish all those players a speedy recovery. Final Score - Antrim 2-7 Derry 2-6 Antrim Scorers Jane Adams 1-4 (all frees) Rachel McCarry 1-0 Shannon Graham 0-2 Katie McAleese 0-1 Derry Scorers Katie McAuley 1-3 Sinead Cassidy 1-1 Karen Kielt 0-2 (both frees)
