CAMOGIE| Defeat for Derrylaughan In Ulster.

Monday 03.10.2016

 

Tyrone intermediate champions Derrylaughan travelled to Corrigan Park home of St Johns, Belfast to compete in the Ulster Junior championship quarter final on Sunday. Having won the toss the loughshore girls decided to take a wind advantage in the first half.

 

The home side registered the first point of the game within a minute of the start. Derrylaughan then went on the attack and Caoimhe Rafferty turned her marker to level the scores. A series of frees followed in the next five minutes and captain Emma McAliskey punished the opposition with pin point accuracy to extend her team’s lead. The visitors were winning all the crunch tackles early on and level heads were required as tempers ran high. St Johns took a point of their own from a free just before Niamh Coney for Derrylaughan latched onto a loose ball in front of goals to score the first goal of the game.

 

The visitors were closing down the home side with great determination and coupled with their tight defence they were frustrating the home team. Rafferty then received a perfect pass and again turned her opponent to send the ball into the back of the net. A St John’s free was again converted but Lisa McAliskey took her first score of the game when she launched the sliotar from distance over the St John’s keeper into the back of the net.

 

There was twenty minutes gone of the game at this stage and the intensity was at fever pitch as every ball was contested with vigour. The home side added the next two points before Derrylaughan were awarded a penalty which McAliskey(E) coolly fired into the net. St John’s added a point from a tight angle just before they themselves were awarded a penalty which they failed to capitalise on just as the half ended.

 

Half Time St Johns 0-6 Derrylaughan 4-3

 

As the old cliché goes ‘it’s a game of two halves’ and that’s exactly the way the second half panned out. Derrylaughan had the chance to take the first score of the half from a free but the ball fell just short and the home side cleared their lines. The home side converted a free with just three minutes gone and a minute later they found the back of the net to reduce the deficit to five points. The next ten minutes was littered with heavy tackles and frees and on the fifteen minute mark St Johns added another point from a free.

 

With a quarter of the game remaining the momentum appeared to be swinging in favour of the home side despite some valiant Derrylaughan defending. A point from open play narrowed the game further before another free and a point from play had the gap down to two points.  A goal from the home side with 8 minutes of the game remaining put them in front.

 

The free count was punishing the visitors as with them came points for St John’s. A goal at the death ended a very entertaining and fiercely competitive contest between two very good sides. St Johns will now play Castleblaney in the semi-final as they overcame An Riocht of Down.

 

Full Time

 

St Johns 3-14 Derrylaughan 4-3

 

Derrylaughan Scorers

Emma McAliskey 1-2 Caoimhe Rafferty 1-1 Niamh Coney 1-0 Lisa McAliskey 1-0