McCormack excels as Castlepollard win first Leinster title
Leinster Schools Camogie Junior ‘D’ Final: Castlepollard Community College 3-8, Killina Secondary School 0-1
Gerry Buckley reports
A tour de force by joint-captain Caoimhe McCormack was the main talking point as the junior camogie players from Castlepollard Community College proved much too strong for their counterparts from Killina Secondary School in last Saturday morning’s well-attended Leinster ‘D’ final, played in cold but dry conditions on the resplendent all-weather pitch at Heywood Community School.
McCormack scored all bar a goal of her side’s total in a marvellous individual display. She also popped up all over the pitch to good effect, and was ably assisted by her midfield partner Caoimhe Ginnell, who wrapped up the scoring with a 58th-minute goal, and several others such as powerful defensive pivot and joint-captain Emma Gilchrist. A gallant Killina outfit seldom threatened and their only point came from the conversion of a soft free in the second half.
A crossfield wind seemed to favour neither team, and it was the ‘Pollard girls – under the joint-tutelage of Aoife Brady and Karen McDermott – who exerted all the early pressure. This culminated in a fourth-minute point from McCormack. She doubled her tally seven minutes later from a 45-metre free. The first two attacks by the girls in all-navy resulted in a brace of scoreable frees, but neither was converted.
In the 19th minute, Sarah O’Rourke’s free – moved closer to the target for dissent – came back off the post, and Kate Arnold whipped the rebound wide. Jennifer O’Neill was blocked with a goal as her target, and it was left to McCormack to keep the scoreboard ticking over by converting two very difficult frees in the closing stages of the first moiety. Castlepollard Community College led by 0-4 to 0-0 at the interval.
The girls in white, blue and gold jerseys got a tonic start to the second half when a McCormack ‘45’ deceived all and sundry and the sliotar ended up in the back of the Killina net. The same player followed up with a superb brace of points under pressure. O’Rourke got the County Offaly side on the scoresheet in the 38th minute from a routine free – the award seemed soft.
McCormack continued to be the dominant player on show, but she failed to find the net in the 40th minute from close range when she seemed sure to do so. Arnold came close to raising a green flag for the losers, but McCormack was unstoppable at the other end and she rifled over a tremendous individual brace of points in the 49th and 50th minutes.
Lively ‘Pollard sub Sophie McCabe almost got in for a goal, as did Keela Nolan (who was denied by Ella Cantwell). McCormack soon netted from a tight angle, with Cantwell unlucky to spill the ball on this occasion. Ginnell rounded off match scoring from point-blank range with two minutes of normal time remaining.
After the match, the chairperson of the Leinster Schools Camogie Council, Jerry Drennan, presented the cup to the joint-winning captains, Caoimhe McCormack and Emma Gilchrist.
Scorers – Castlepollard CC: C McCormack 2-8 (1-0‘45’, 0-3f), C Ginnell 1-0. Killina SS: S O’Rourke 0-1 (f).
Castlepollard Community College: Summer McCauley; Ellie Fitzsimons, Doireann Manley, Kayla Kennedy; Chloe Wong, Emma Gilchrist, Alisha Harte Bulloch; Caoimhe McCormack, Caoimhe Ginnell; Jennifer O’Neill, Keela Nolan, Lily O’Farrell; Ali Hannon McCarthy, Ava Murphy, Isabel Robinson. Subs used: Sophie McCabe for Robinson (h-t), Lauren Sullivan for O’Neill (41), Eleanor O’Neill for Murphy (41), Emma O’Reilly for Hannon McCarthy (49).
Killina Secondary School: Ella Cantwell; Grace Rigney, Sarah Costello, Kathy Foy; Meadbh McDonagh, Polly Duffy, Katie Hannon; Sarah O’Rourke, Florrie Brickland; Grace Waters, Aoife O’Brien, Sinead Nunan; Kayla Hanlon, Kate Arnold, Claudia Casey. Subs used: Aoife Minnock for Brickland (h-t), Grace Scully for Casey (40), Ciara Nugent for Hanlon (47), Claudia Casey for Nunan (55).
Ref: Kieran Bowe (Laois).