THY KINGDOM COME Ulster Junior Camogie Championship An Riocht (Down) 6-07 (25) Dunloy (Antrim) 4-13 (25) Some of us will remember the titanic struggles between Meath and Dublin in the Leinster Championship a number of years ago. Well look no further than this years Ulster Camogie Championship where Down Champions An Riocht have locked horns with their counterparts Dunloy of Antrim on two consecutive Sundays and on both occasions a draw has been the result with even extra time unable to separate them. But what a feast of camogie the supporters from both camps have enjoyed as they all look forward to a mouth-watering third go next weekend at a neutral venue (probably Belfast). The conditions while windy were excellent for camogie with An Riocht coming out of the traps determined to make up for last week when they lost a seven points lead to Dunloy which led to the replay. The ever dependable Laura Brennan was first of the mark as she rattled home a magnificent goal followed in quick succession by a glorious point. Dunloy had obviously done their homework on An Riochts version of Sean Cavanagh, the in form Sophie Colgan but it was a case of here we go again as she notched up three consecutive points to put the home team into a comfortable lead. The visitors however are not Antrim champions for nothing and they settled into a pattern of play which the An Riocht midfield and half-back line found difficult to contain scoring two goals and two points without reply. An Riocht fought back hard and a Lisa Hughes goal steadied matters and Sophie Colgan again popped up before half-time with another point to leave the half times score An Riocht 2-5 Dunloy 2-2. On the restart the effervescent Lisa Hughes took control for An Riocht and floated over a lovely point but this was the beginning of the storm for the home side as Dunloy in typical fashion began to apply pressure and An Riocht was under siege from here on in. Four points from Dunloy through their big guns of McNeill and Quinn took them ahead for the first time and an uncharacteristic collapse by the young An Riocht side looked ominous. How often however have we seen character in this team and against the run of play Niamh Mulhern was in the right place at the right time to drive the ball to the net and restore the lead for An Riocht. A lack of concentration almost proved fatal however as Dunloy moved straight up the field to drive the ball past the helpless Joanna Sloan. The last ten minutes had everyone in the ground on the edge of their seats and the crowd could not believe it when young Coleen Fearon picked up the ball and drove a fantastic ball to the top right hand corner of the net with Niamh Mulhern following up with a point. The home side was well placed to advance in the competition when a final free from Dunloy levelled the fulltime score at An Riocht 4-06 to Dunloy 3-09 Unlike last week the referee had been instructed to play ten minutes each way extra time and An Riocht had little difficulty in responding. However Dunloy must have regretted not getting their extra time last week as they came out with all guns blazing to totally dominate the first half of extra time running up a score of 1-3 to a solitary score from Niamh Mulhern for the An Riocht side and but for some stalwart defending by Joanna Sloan and Louise Rodgers this match would have been finished. Time and again the Dunloy attack was allowed to stream forward in packs only to be denied by the heroism of Rodgers and Sloan. Half time came with Dunloy ahead 4-12 to An Riochts 4-07. An Riocht took to the field for the second half determined to make amends for their disastrous first half and playing with a wind they upped their performance. Ciara Trainor and Aine O Reilly were starting to come to terms again with their forwards while the stature and courage of young substitute Ella Colgan making her championship debut helped shore up the defence while Colleen Fearon and Marie Trainor were a constant thorn to the Dunloy forwards. Scores were at a premium and in a last ditch attempt to pull something out of the bag management returned brave young Nicole Kelly, who had pulled up as a result of a hamstring injury, to the fray as a forward. With less than a minute of normal time left she got the ball and was brought down close to goal. Sophie Colgan lofted a high ball to the net to reduce the deficit to two points. In a magical finish An Riocht were awarded another free and last weeks finale was repeated in reverse when again Sophie Colgan fired the ball to the net. In the dying throes of the game and from Dunloys puck out they were rewarded with a free which was sent over the bar to level the match. Final Score (after extra time) An Riocht 6-07 Dunloy 4-13 This game was probably one of the best Camogie games ever seen at Dunavil and this is fast becoming an excellent An Riocht team albeit that it lacks experience. The midfield of Clara Killen, Ciara Cunningham and Aishling Clarke did tremendous work against a strong Dunloy middle while Nicole Kelly was superb in defence before her unfortunate injury. Orla Cunningham on her debut did nothing wrong and will continue to fight for her place while Christina Trainor showed great promise when she came on also to make her debut. The experience at this level is wonderful for this bunch of girls and should stand them in good stead for the future. Team: Joanna Sloan, Ciara Trainor, Louise Rodgers, Nicole Kelly, Marie Trainor Coleen Fearon (1-0) Aine O Reilly, Clara Killen, Ciara Cunningham, Niamh Mulhern (1-2), Laura Brennan (1-1), Aishling Clarke, Orla Cunningham, Sophie Colgan (2-4), Lisa Hughes (1-0) subs: Christina Trainor, Ella Colgan, Emily Keenan, Sarah Jane Harper. Tweet

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