Castlederg and Drumragh Ladies cruise into the JFC last eight

LADIES TYRONE JUNIOR CHAMPIONSHIP PRELIMINARY ROUND

Castlederg 7-17  Owen Roes 1-5

ST EUGENE’S got their Junior Championship campaign off to an encouraging start with victory over Owen Roes on Saturday.

Castlederg chalked up the tidy tally of 7-17 in this derby tie against an Owen Roes team that battled bravely but they were unable to withstand the steady flow of home produced scores.

The seven ‘Derg goals put the icing on this first round cake but seventeen points in addition supplied a further pleasing ingredient to the tasty performance served up on behalf of the St Eugene’s.

Owen Roes scored 1-5 but more success up front was required given Castlederg’s productivity in range of the posts. The St Eugene’s were good in defence and midfield too as the entire team found their stride in style. Aimee Leonard, Caitlin McCallion, Louise McSorley, Marise Harper, Leah McMenamin and company ensured that the St Eugene’s marched into round two to face the forthcoming challenge which now occupies their full attention.

Drumragh 10-28 Drumquin 1-1

THE Sarsfields and Tones met at Clanabogan where Drumragh turned in a very good team display and they had a great score return on the day too.

This was a tough game for Drumquin but the Tones showed spirit despite Saturday’s lop-sided look on the scoreboard. Sarah-Louise McLaughlin, Grace Gormley, Sarah McCusker and team-mates came up against a Drumragh side that clicked impressively. Caoimhe McCarron in particular enjoyed a stellar day with three goals and seven points to her name.

Caoimhe McCarron had plenty of help from Drumragh team-mates right across the pitch. Beth Donaghy, Caitlin McCarron, Shannon Starrs and Dana Coyle were just some of the home players to shine on a memorable evening for the Sarsfields. The Drumragh squad remain well aware, however, that they need to maintain such strong form as the championship unfolds with other teams also pinpointing the prize on offer.

Aghaloo 4-11  Galbally 2-6

AGHALOO and Galbally dished up a spirited encounter despite somewhat inclement weather making for tricky conditions on Saturday evening.

It was the home side who booked their place in the following round after chalking up 4-11 to 2-6 in reply from the Pearses who made a good contest of this tie over the hour. Aghaloo grabbed two more goals on the day and picked off additional points to help see the O’Neill’s side move forward to the next step in their championship journey.

Anna McGinn and Marie McKenna alongside team-mates gave Aghaloo a strong defensive base from which they launched forward at pace to pose questions for the hard-working Galbally rearguard. Katie McGinn, Erin McGinn, Dervla O’Donnell, Erin O’Hara and company continued to hold sway for the home girls. Galbally landed some well-taken scores themselves but Aghaloo had enough in reserve to seal the victory.

Loughmacrory 6-17  Tattyreagh 1-4

SUNDAY’S tussle between the St Teresa’s and the St Patrick’s went the way of Loughmacrory as they booked a place for the next round in commanding fashion.

Loughmacrory went into this championship tie as recently crowned league champions and so confidence remained in good order for the visit of Tattyreagh. The St Patrick’s showed good spirit but they were unable to match strides with the St Theresa’s on the scoreboard. Loughmacrory had ten different score suppliers as they established a match winning advantage.

Aoife Kelly bagged two goals for the St Theresa’s, with Lisa Melley(0-5) and Laura Duff(0-4) sharing nine points between them on an evening when the entire team played solidly. Cora McElduff, Jayne Lyons, Edel Hughes, Kerri Ward and St Theresa team-mates made a fine impression in this tie but they are keen to push on further forward in the competition.

Beragh 7-14 Strabane 1-4

THE Red Knights won their preliminary round game with Glenelly a week previous and they followed up in good style with a clear-cut success over Strabane on Sunday to continue their progress in the championship.

Beragh netted seven times en route to Sunday’s victory against a Sigersons side hat kept battling away right to the finish of play. The Red Knight girls will endeavour to maintain momentum now as their third stage of the championship approaches.

Sarah-Louise Franey and Bronagh McWilliams around the middle of the park plus the likes of Jayne Lyons, Dervla Farley and Elizabeth McGarvey further forward helped to give Beragh an extra edge. The Beragh defence also performed well with Saoirse Donnelly and Aoife Farley among a strong unit that kept Strabane at bay on the day. The host side sent over some tidy points alongside those seven goals as they ran out convincing winners.

Naomh Eoghan 1-2 Clann na nGael 3-9

HOSTS Naomh Eoghan welcomed Clann na nGael on what turned out to be a productive evening for the guests.

Clann na nGael posted a 3-9 score return here but in defence they didn’t give much away and Naomh Eoghan found it tough to make an impact as play progressed. The Naomh Eoghan girls kept trying through the efforts of Katie-Marie Mayse and Maria Corless plus others but they needed more scores in order to apply pressure on the away team who were holding a healthy lead. Clann na nGael found their scores with better fluency and the visiting wide went on to secure safe passage into the next phase of the competition.

Hannah Sheerin, Aideen O’Kane, Eimear Kerlin, Niamh Doherty, Mairead Conwell and the whole camp can take encouragement from this Clann na nGael display as they prepare to face the forthcoming championship test ahead of them.

Rock 2-10 Stewartstown 0-11

ST PATRICK’S and the visiting Harps provided a close contest that Rock managed to swing in their favour following two timely goals notched along the way.

Stewartstown were not far away at times pressing towards goals themselves but the industrious Rock defence maintained a clean sheet in that regard and the St Patrick’s emerged five-point winners as a consequence. They were glad too that those two goal chances were converted.

Tiarna Little, Aoife Quinn, Racheal Bradley, Laura Kilpatrick and Eimear McVeigh among several others enabled Rock to survive a testing challenge from their Stewartstown counterparts on this occasion. Emma Lowe, Olivia Wylie, Seaneen Coyle, Caoimhe O’Neill and Stewartstown team-mates put in fine shifts but Rock repelled the Harps to reach round two. Endeavouring to get through that upcoming stage is very much the focus now for the St Patrick’s.