Drumragh Ladies hope to atone for last year’s final loss

LADIES DIVISION THREE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL PREVIEW

By Niall Gartland

DRUMRAGH Sarsfields and Sperrin Óg will battle for Division Three Championship honours as part of a bumper triple header this Saturday (5pm) at O’Neill’s Healy Park.

The Sarsfields are bidding to go one step further than last year, where they narrowly lost to Beragh on a scoreline of 2-9 to 1-10.

They’re managed by Eamon Duncan, assisted by Jimmy Campbell, and Duncan said he’s immensely proud of his players’ efforts in making it back to this point.

“We got to the final last year, and the girls have shown great fortitude, determination and pride in climbing the mountain again. There was no guarantee of getting back to the final again so I’m immensely proud of them.”

The Sarsfields, who are skippered by Coblaith McKenna, booked their spot in the final with last weekend’s victory over Strabane. It’s already been a memorable season for the club and Duncan says that’s down to determined club people who devote so much of their time and effort to all-things Drumragh.

“The minor girls won the league title, the minor boys reached the final of the Grade Two Championship, and the senior men are still in the hunt for their championship.

“There’s a good mood around Drumragh. It’s a result of the great structures that are in place all the way down the club. It’s starting to bear fruit, the dedication of the coaches, and the organisational qualities of the commitee.”

Standing in their way of the title is Sperrin Óg, the Greencastle-based club managed by Sean Teague and Mena Tuohey.

They made a historic Senior Championship final appearance in 2022 but have undergone a significant transition in the intervening years. However, an influx of talented younger players aligned with the return of some key names has helped spearhead their run to county final day.

Teague said: “At the start of the year we were struggling for numbers and we talked a few girls into coming back. A couple of girls returned from abroad. Niamh O’Neill is back, and Leah McGuigan was away for most of the year and she made her return a few weeks ago.

“We’ve lost a couple of girls as well so for much of the season we’ve had to make do with what we have. We got a couple of really talented U16s on board, so we have a good panel at the right time.”

Looking ahead to Saturday’s final, Teague said: “Drumragh’s the stand-out team, they’ve beaten the next three best teams in it. They beat Castlederg who were unbeaten in the league. They’ve definitely been on the harder side of it.

“We’ll go out and give it our best though. There’s a nice buzz building around the parish again. There’s a reall good interest around the parish, and it’s a wee lift for everyone.”