Monday the 24th of February was a great day for St Caimin’s junior LGFA team and a big step in the right direction. Caimin’s overcame Coláiste Muire’s second team in the Junior B semifinal, to put Caimin’s through to the County final. This is a massive achievement for St Caimin’s as they had just moved up a division after overcoming Tulla in last year’s Junior C County final.
The ball was thrown in at 12 o’clock in Lees Road to get the semifinal started. Caoimhe Hourigan took the first score for Caimin’s with a point from the throw in. Weather conditions suddenly changed for the worse with a torrential downpour. However, both teams continued to battle on through the rain and strong wind. St Caimin’s continued to add to their scoreline when Eva Considine batted a ball to the back of the net early in the first half. Despite the setback, Coláiste drove on and tacked on 1-2 to their scoreline. Coláiste continued to pile on the pressure, but the Caimin’s backs were well up for it with excellent performances from Courtney Behan, Aibhe Ring and Olivia McMahon. The Caimin’s forwards continued to keep the scoreboard ticking over with points from Lily Fahy, Eva Considine, Olivia Darcy, Caoimhe Hourigan, Evie O’Malley and Naoise Hegarty. The closing score at half time gave the Caimin’s girl a generous lead of 2-11 to 1-2.
Weather conditions were still equally as bad when both teams lined out for the second half, with a strong wind at Coláiste’s backs. This inspired them to push on and they began to put the Caimin’s girls under pressure once again. However, the Caimin’s backs responded positively by working together to clear multiple balls out from the back line and then once again working as a team, to attack the Coláiste goals. This was one of the key elements to Caimin’s win, their excellent teamwork. Coláiste didn’t give up that easily, however, they then went on to score two quick goals to bring their score up to 3-02. Caimin’s had a fantastic response to this by scoring two of their own goals from centre back Aibhe Ring and midfielder Caoimhe Hourigan. Coláiste kicked three more points but at that stage it was far too late in the match for a comeback. Caimin’s continued to tip away with points to keep their healthy lead. The final score saw Caimin’s beating Coláiste 4-17 to 3-5, a comprehensive 15-point victory and a fantastic day for St Caimin’s. Now the question is will they be able to replicate a performance like this to win the county final?
