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Cork cruise past Derry to lift Division 2 crown, while Dublin defeat Rossies to take Division 3 title

The Rebellettes ran out 14-point winners.

Division 2

CORK WERE SINGING in the rain at the Coralstown Kinnegad grounds, producing a power-packed second half performance to win by 2-16 to 1-5 and lift the Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 2 title for a fifth time.

Cork's players celebrate winning the league Tom Beary / INPHO Tom Beary / INPHO / INPHO

It was a disappointing capitulation by Derry, after competing well in the first half and only going in at the break trailing by 0-9 to 1-3.

Cork had caused Derry plenty of trouble in that initial period though despite playing into a strong wind and with their own defence restricting the Ulster side to just two points after the restart, the result was never really in doubt.

Rachel O’Shea scored six points to be named player of the match but she had strong opposition for the individual award, with defenders Lauren Callanan and Sarah Buckley in particular standing out.

It was a good boost for Leeside camogie, with the seniors having lost the Division 1 final a week ago. They were able to call upon three of the players who started that game against Kilkenny – Jennifer Barry, Niamh McCarthy and Linda Collins – and possessed an all-round depth that proved too much for Derry.

The persistent rain made it difficult for both sides but Cork laid the foundations for their victory in that opening half, as they used a sweeper between the two traditional defensive lines to cut off the avenue of supply to the Derry inside forwards.

It didn’t work immediately however, as after Collins and Karen Kielt exchanged early points, Mary Hegarty grabbed a long delivery on the edge of the square and blasted it to the Cork net.

Caroline Sugrue with Shauneen Dohaghy Tom Beary / INPHO Tom Beary / INPHO / INPHO

Niamh McCarthy pointed for Cork but two on the trot fromHegarty and Kielt stretched the Derry lead to four inside eight minutes of the throw in.

Callanan and Buckley began to exert significant influence from half-back however and a brace of points from Maeve McCarthy, four from O’Shea and one more from Katelyn Hickey established that three-point lead at the interval.

Finola Neville and O’Shea stretched the advantage early in the second half but Áine McAllister replied with a brace to keep Derry in touch.

They wouldn’t score again though, while Cork always looked dangerous. Caroline Sugrue was introduced by Paudie Murray and she had an instant impact, grabbing a goal and a point.

The excellent Maeve McCarthy and O’Shea added to the tally before another sub, Sarah Fahy put the icing on the cake with an excellent goal.

Scorers for Cork - R O’Shea 0-6(3fs); M McCarthy 0-4; C Sugrue, S Fahy 1-1 each; N McCarthy, K Hickey, F Neville, L Homan 0-1 each

Scorers for Derry - M Hegarty 1-1; K Kielt (fs), A McAllister 0-2 each

Cork: A Lee, R Killeen, S Harrington, N Ní Chaoimh, L Lynch, S Buckley, L Callanan, F Neville, J Barry, K Hickey, K McCarthy, M McCarthy, N McCarthy, L Collins. Subs: C Sugrue for Collins (36), L Homan for K McCarthy (49), S Fahy for M McCarthy (49), M Buckley for Hickey (50), J Crowley for Barry (54), H Ryan for O’Shea (58), A Kelleher for Killeen (58), N O’Callaghan for Neville (59)

Derry: N McQuillan, R Bradley, C McAtamney, S Donaghy, J McGuckin, A Ní Chaiside, B Ní Chaiside, Á McAllister, K Kielt, A Devlin, G McNicholl, A Quinn, M Hegarty, A McCusker, D O’Kane. Subs: E Ní Chaiside for B Ní Chaiside (33), R Cassidy for Quinn (42), N McBride for Kielt (51), N Boylan for O’Kane (56)

Referee: J Dermody (Westmeath)

******

Dublin celebrate winning the league final Tom Beary / INPHO Tom Beary / INPHO / INPHO

Division 3

Dublin came good in the second half to secure their first Littlewoods Ireland Camogie Leagues Division 3 title with an 0-12 to 0-7 win over a Roscommon side that just fell short for the second consecutive season.

The Rossies can take some inspiration from Dublin however, who lost three finals in succession from 2013 to 2015 after claiming Division 4 honours, and were beaten in last year’s semi-final before finally getting over the line this time around at Coralstown Kinnegad.

The teams had met in the Institute of Technology grounds in Blanchardstown in the middle of February, when Dublin prevailed by seven points to commence a campaign that has remained unblemished since.

Both sides have progressed since then though and while Dublin got off to a strong start in this, it was Roscommon who had the better of the opening period overall and led at the change of ends by 0-5 to 0-3.

A neat point from play in the first minute by Laoise Quinn got proceedings under way. Caragh Dawson added to Dublin’s tally four minutes later but Niamh Watson’s score settled Roscommon down and they were more than a match for the Metropolitans for the remainder of the half.

Minor star Shauna Fallon brought the sides level from a free and though Aoife Bugler restored Dublin’s advantage, it was momentary, as Roscommon shot the next three points to establish that two-point interval advantage.

Fallon equalised for the second time with a good score from play before the experienced Kelley Hopkins found the target from a brace of frees and it was the crew managed by Noel Finn and Noel Murphy that held the upper hand.

Their counterpart Shane Plowman and his mentors earned their corn during the break however and as well as making a change in personnel, with the introduction of Gráinne Power for Eimear O’Riordan, their instructions clearly had an impact as Dublin re-emerged with a significant increase in intensity.

Emma O'Flynn with Julie Healy Tom Beary / INPHO Tom Beary / INPHO / INPHO

They were level within two minutes, thanks to dead-eye shooting from Quinn and Dawson and though the scoring rate dropped, it was the Sky Blues that found it easier to hit the mark.

A pair from Quinn pulled them clear and though Fallon responded, Quinn and Róisin Drohan made put a goal between them.

Again, Fallon pointed for Roscommon but they only managed two scores in the latter period, while Dublin had a wider range of potential suppliers, particularly from play.
Plowman’s charges finished with a flourish as Dawson, Bugler (45) and Drohan plit the posts to ensure that it was their captain Emer Keenan that would be collecting the silverware.

Scorers for Dublin - L Quinn 0-5(4fs); C Dawson 0-3; A Bugler (1 45), R Drohan 0-2 each

Scorers for Roscommon - S Fallon 0-4(2fs); K Hopkins 0-2(fs); N Watson 0-1

Dublin: A Spillane, C Buchannan, L Walsh, E O’Flynn, E Barron, D Johnstone, G Free, E O’Riordan, R Drohan, R Baker, A Bugler, C Dawson, L Quinn, E Keenan, S Nolan. Subs: G Power for O’Riordan (ht), N Gleeson for Walsh (43), A Walsh for Baker (52)

Roscommon:  C Connaughton, E McNally, E Lennon, M Tiernan, S Spillane, E Daly, J Beattie, R Fitzmaurice, L Fleming, N Watson, K Hopkins, R Brennan, S Fallon, F Connell, L Kenny. Sub: J Healy for Connell (11), C Whyte Lennon for Kenny (31), R Dolan for Lennon (43)

Referee: A O’Brien (Wexford)

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