Errigal Ciaran Ladies defeat Clarkes to clinch senior crown

LADIES DIVISION ONE CHAMPIONSHIP FINAL

Errigal Ciaran 0-10  Dungannon 0-4

By Niall Gartland

THE 2023 and 2024 Tyrone Senior ladies finals were eventually settled after extra-time. Marathon battles where you couldn’t afford to look away for a second. The latest installment was rather different.

Errigal Ciaran were comfortably the better team against Dungannon as they captured their second Senior Championship title in three years on Saturday night in Omagh, a tremendous accomplishment and thoroughly deserved.

They laid the foundations in the first-half, racing into a 0-9 to 0-3 lead. It was a long way back for Dungannon and their efforts at reducing the deficit were repeatedly thwarted by a determined Errigal Ciaran rearguard in no mood to roll out the red carpet.

In that sense, the game became a war of attrition and Errigal had all the answers: the Clarkes were largely limited to potshots and at no stage did a comeback look even remotely likely.

Backboned by five members of Tyrone’s All-Ireland Intermediate winning team, Errigal Ciaran were assurance personified in how they went about their business. A well-oiled machine, they went for the jugular from the word go and could’ve been out of sight by the break. Dungannon had a strong wind advantage in the second-half but Errigal closed off all possible avenues to goal and that was basically that.

Foremost in their minds as well was the injured Áine Harte, who sustained a serious leg injury in their semi-final win over Trillick. Coincidentally, that match also ended 0-10 to 0-4 in Errigal Ciaran’s favour – conceding an aggregate eight points in two games against top-tier opponents is a fine achievement in itself.

From early on in Saturday, it was evident that Errigal Ciaran meant business. Kelly McCaffrey got the show on the road after tidy attacking play from Maria Canavan and Michaela Moore, and they doubled their advantage after their always lively full-foward Aoife Horisk was fouled, dusted herself down and pointed the resulting free.

They could easily have found the net as well – Horisk’s precision shot looked destined for the bottom left-hand corner of the net but was tipped wide by Dungannon net-minder Marciana Martin. Again Maria Canavan was to the fore in the lead-up to the goal opportunity.

With the likes of Elle McNamee, Meabh Corrigan and Kelly McCaffrey forcing early turnovers, Dungannon were struggling to impose themselves and Errigal compounded their advantage with back-to-back frees from Maria Canavan.

The Clarkes got their account up and running with a tidy point from midfielder Faye Loughran, but it was against the run of play and the hugely influential Canavan tagged on her latest score, this time from play.

Dungannon did muster another score but they had to work hard for it, Cara Pinkerton hooking the ball over the bar to leave it 0-5 to 0-2 on the scoreboard midway through the first-half.

Errigal by contrast looked like scoring every time they broke forward, and Horisk tapped over a free after Claire Canavan was fouled on the edge of the square after a defence-splitting pass from Maria Canavan.

The Errigal team was applying massive pressure on the Clarkes kick-outs and Maria Canavan showed neat foot-work in landing her latest score after Meabh Corrigan had intercepted the ball.

An Aine McNulty free kept Dungannon in contention on the scoreboard but Errigal Ciaran finished the half strongly. Elle McNamee, so formidable in the engine-room with Bronagh McAleer, found the target after slick interplay from Claire and Maria Canavan. Maria then knocked over a free to make it 0-9 to 0-3 at the half and it’s fair to say they were full value for their lead.

Mindful of Dungannon’s wind advantage – it was a very blustery evening – Errigal really shut up shop at the back in the second-half. The central channel was completely closed off and the Clarkes struggled to muster meaningful attacks. It certainly wasn’t for a lack of effort – they gave it everything but their opponents were just so tuned in.

Aoife Horisk got the first point of the second half in the 44th minute, a free, and Dungannon responded with a lovely effort from Mary Traynor after a driving run from Faye Loughran.

With six points between the teams in the final 10 minutes, the abiding sense was that the game was as good as over. Dungannon didn’t get a sniff of a goal chance and Errigal were in cruise control in that respect.

Dungannon hit a brick wall on their attacks and the likes of Aoife Horisk were so calm in possession down the other end as they saw the game out and the celebrations began in earnest. Well done to Errigal – a second title in three years, a fine achievement indeed.

Scorers

Errigal Ciaran: Maria Canavan (0-5, 3f), Aoife Horisk (0-3f), Kelly McCaffrey and Elle McNamee (0-1 each)

Dungannon: Faye Loughran (0-2), Cara Loughran and Aine McNulty (0-1 each)

Teams

Errigal Ciaran: Megan O’Brien, Oonagh McAleer, Aine Hamill, Cailín McCann, Claire Canavan, Eimear Corrigan, Michaela Moore, Bronagh McAleer, Elle McNamee, Niamh Quinn, Maria Canavan, Emily Maguire, Kelly McCaffrey, Aoife Horisk, Méabh Corrigan. Subs: Emilie Loughran for Maguire, Mary Traynor for Quinn, Rebecca Quinn for B McAleer, Shannon Cunningham for McCaffrey.

Dungannon: Marciana Martin, Caitriona Ferran, Mary Cassidy, Becky Santos, Ruby O’Donnell, Beth Jones, Claire Pinkerton, Meabh Mallon, Faye Loughran, Cara Pinkerton, Molly Loughran, Cora McGrath, Hannah Cavlan, Aine McNulty, Roisin McErlean. Subs: Maeve Lyons for McErlean, Aoife McHGahan for McErlean.

Referee: Brian McCallion (Castlederg)