CAMOGIE: ALL-IRELAND SNR ‘B’ S-FINAL
Dominicans denied by last-gasp Mary’s
Daire Walsh
DOMINICAN College were cruelly denied a place in the All-Ireland Schools Senior ‘B’ Camogie Championship decider by a resilient St Mary’s, Nenagh at St Mobhi Road last Saturday.
Leading by a single point with five minutes remaining, the Griffith Avenue side looked set to book a final date with Castlecomer CS. There was enough time for a final twist, however – a last-gasp Caroline Browne effort floated into the net to give the Tipperary visitors a 1-8 to 1-6 triumph.
It had been an unforgettable January for Dominicans following their successes in the Junior ‘A’ and Senior ‘A’ county finals, both of which came at the expense of Loreto Beaufort. The latter victory on January 18 was back-boned by the scoring prowess of Saibh Mangan and Eile O Ceallaigh.
They secured a passage into the All-Ireland series – five years on from the school’s last appearance on the national stage. Having overcome Loreto College, Mullingar in a semi-final on that occasion, they subsequently fell short in an All-Ireland Senior ‘D’ decider to Glanmire CC.
Eoin Ryan’s charges were seemingly unfazed on their return to competitive action, as skipper Caoimhe Walsh, O Ceallaigh and Anna Sullivan all found the target to leave Mary’s three points in arrears. They were facing into a strong breeze during the opening period, though, and their Nenagh counterparts eventually found their feet at the northside venue.
Thanks to four scores on the bounce, they brought a slender cushion into the interval (0-4 to 0-3). Despite this, Dominicans remained very much in the reckoning upon the resumption.
Although St Vincent’s and Whitehall Colmcille were heavily represented on the day, the majority of the team were playing on their home pitch of Na Fianna. A total of nine players from the Glasnevin club featured in the starting line-up, including attacker Anna O’Dwyer.
Her unerring accuracy off placed-balls kept Mary’s at arm’s length and set up a tantalising closing-quarter. Indeed, courtesy of her 55th-minute goal, they were 1-6 to 0-8 ahead with the final whistle approaching.
They looked set to hold out, until Nenagh turned the tables on them in the most dramatic fashion imaginable. The Munster outfit were searching for an equalising point only to instead gain a maximum return off a late Browne free.
It was a disappointing end to the campaign for the Dominicans U18s, but it is one they can look back on with considerable pride.