Navan O’Mahony’s 2-08
St Peters Dunboyne 1-05
Navan O’Mahony’s claimed their first adult camogie championship in sixteen years in Batterstown on Sunday morning, defeating St Peter’s Dunboyne in the final.
Storm Ashley had a massive impact on the game, blowing towards the clubhouse corner and making it difficult for both teams to score against its gales, St Peter’s Dunboyne opened the scoring with a point within two minutes.
With the wind against O’Mahony’s in the first half, Ailbhe Leahy equalised in the tenth minute. Donal Hogan’s charges took the lead three minutes later, when Caoimhe McKenna set up Jorja Keogh and Isabel O’Connor for a point.
Midway through the half, the Dunboyne goalie blocked a Cara Ratty pull to send it for a 45, which Lizzy Brennan duly converted. Dunboyne added two points in quick succession to leave things level and Mags Tompkins made an impressive save in the nineteenth minute.
Throughout the half, the entire O’Mahony’s team worked hard to prevent Dunboyne taking advantage of the wind, with Alannah Brady, Izzy Kinsella, Saoirse O’Regan, Róisín Tobin and Amanda Feeney particularly impressive. Brennan added a free in the 23rd minute to give O’Mahony’s the advantage at the break.
Navan O’Mahony’s 0-04
St Peters Dunboyne 0-03
Three minutes into the second half, the sides were level once again when Dunboyne pointed. O’Mahony’s were slow to start the second half, until the fifth minute when O’Connor kicked the ball to the net. Ten minutes passed without score, including a number of wides (which both teams had with the wind), before O’Connor added a point to leave four between the sides.
Indeed, O’Mahony’s would have had more goals only for impressive saves from the Dunboyne netminder. In the eighteenth minute, Dunboyne pointed a free to leave three points between the sides approaching the final ten minutes. Lauren Woods put distance between the sides for the first time with a goal in the twenty-first minute.
O’Mahony’s drove on from this and pucked the last three scores of the game, with midfielder Becky Coen adding her name to the previous list of scorers. Brennan added a free with five minutes remaining before O’Connor, rounding out her player of the match performance, scored the last score of the game.
The referee’s whistle was met with scenes of joy from the O’Mahony’s players, celebrating their first adult championship success since 2008. Before the presentation, Isabel O’Connor was presented with the player of the match trophy. Captain Lizzie Brennan accepted the Richie O’Donnell Cup, before making an excellent speech. She paid tribute to the opposition, officials of the club, to management teams past and present, the supporters and of course to the players themselves.
Navan O’Mahony’s
Mags Tompkins, Megan Kinsella, Saoirse O’Regan, Alannah Brady, Caoimhe McKenna, Tara Fay, Amanda Feeney, Róisín Tobin, Becky Coen (0-01), Jorja Keogh, Isabel O’Connor (1-03), Izzy Kinsella, Ailbhe Leahy (0-01), Cara Ratty, Lizzy Brennan (0-03)
Laoise McDermott for Feeney, Lauren Woods (1-0) for Ratty, Annie Hogan for I Kinsella, Claire Mallon for M Kinsella, Doireann Mellett for McKenna, Lilly Dwyer for Keogh
