Yellas look forward to Ulster final after toppling Portaferry to secure 11th senior title
Canal Court Hotel and Spa
Down Senior Championship final
Clonduff 1-15 Portaferry 1-10
By Séamas McAleenan
ONCE Clonduff shackled Portaferry to just five first half points, all from Niamh Mallon frees, and went in at the break with a lead of 1-10 to 0-5 in Saturday’s Canal Court Hotel and Spa Down senior camogie final, they were in a very strong position to make it 11 title wins.
Fionnuala Carr captained the first success back in 2007, when they broke Liatroim’s dominance. Her sister Sara Louise and Paula O’Hagan were also on that team that made the breakthrough and all three were in the Clonduff forward line that put them into the commanding lead at half-time.
Carr was outstanding with a personal tally of 1-7, 1-3 of that total coming from open play over the first half. She was well supported by Beth Fitzpatrick at the heart of the defence and teenager Niamh McConville in midfield while Paula O’Hagan’s accuracy from frees, especially in the opening half, contributed much to putting Portaferry in trouble.
Niamh Mallon’s scoring over the past three games marked her out as a huge threat to Clonduff’s title aspirations, but a return of just one point from play that came in added time at the end of the first half tells you how well she was controlled by the Hilltown side’s defence over the hour.
The All-Star nominee pointed eight frees and there was a decent performance from her cousin Saoirse Sands at midfield and Aimee Mallon in defence, but really the Ards’ side was chasing the game from early on.
The goal was a significant early marker. It came from Fionnuala Carr in the 7th minute to put the Hilltown girls into a 1-3 to 0-1 lead.
Although Niamh Mallon came back with her second and third points from frees with points from Carr and Niamh McConville the meat in that sandwich, Clonduff pushed on with four points, two each from Carr and O’Hagan, to lead by 1-9 to 0-3 after 21 minutes.
Mallon, Portaferry’s only scorer in the opening half, brought her tally to five by the break.
Clonduff however were well in control and the second half turned out to much more congested as illustrated by the fact that all Clonduff’s five second half points came from frees as did the first three of Portaferry’s five.
Up to the 40th minute, there were two points from Niamh Mallon and one each from Paula O’Hagan and Fionnuala Carr. As the final quarter began, Carr responded to a free from Mallon before teenager Caileigh McConnell split the posts in the 50th minute for Portaferry’s first score that didn’t come from a Mallon free.
Fionnuala Carr responded a minute later with her third of the half. She added another point, her seventh of the afternoon, before Niamh Mallon finished the scoring with a point a minute before the full-time whistle.
It was a performance that got Clonduff where they want to be – in an Ulster senior club final for the first time ever. But there would need to be a huge improvement on Saturday’s showing if they are to bridge a gap of 26 years to the last of Liatroim Fontenoys’ five senior provincial titles.
They won’t know whom they will face until Sunday 2 November when Slautghtneil take on champions Loughgiel.
Last year they stayed with Loughgiel for much of the semi-final, but conceded goals to a sharper and more experienced outfit. They have four weeks to help prepare for that challenge.
TEAMS
Clonduff: Clodagh Kelly, Erin Rafferty, Jenna Boden, Katie Morgan, Clare McGilligan, Beth Fitzpatrick, Claire Kearney, Niamh McConville 0-2, Orlaith McCusker, Fionnuala Carr 1-7, 0-4 fs, Sara Louise Graffin, Cassie Fitzpatrick, Ceallagh Byrne 0-1, Katie McGilligan, Paula O’Hagan 0-5, 4 fs.
Subs: Ellen Shields for K McGilligan, Amy Morgan for C Fitzpatrick.
Portaferry: Maria McNally, Lena Mason, Aimee Mallon, Leah Coulter, Eva Gallagher, Niamh Savage, Gerra McGrattan, Saoirse Sands, Eimear McCarthy, Caileigh McConnell 0-1, Niamh Mallon 0-9, 8 fs, Ciara Doran, Cara Devlin, Erin McGrattan, Áine Rossiter.
Subs: Fiona McGarry for E McCarthy.
Referee: Ben Locke
