Errigal Group Derry senior Camogie championship round-up

Group A - Bellaghy 1-15 Ballinascreen 2-14; Kilrea 0-5 Sleacht Néill 6-18. Group B - Lavey 1-11 Swatragh 0-14

The game of the opening round of the Errigal Group Derry senior championship was in Gulladuff where a goal and a point in added time from Carla Collins secured a share of the spoils for Lavey against the title-holders Swatragh.

The Davitt’s will feel they should have won it, given the gap at the start of added time, but in truth the game was evenly contested from the start with Collins’ accuracy from the dead ball negating the efforts of Dervla O’Kane, Cliona Turner and Ciara O’Kane.

Collins scored five times in the opening half to leave Lavey a point in arrears (0-7 to 0-6) at the break with Dervla O’Kane on the mark three times for the visitors.

Collins levelled on the re-start and it was 0-8 each when Máiréad McNicholl came off the bench to hit two in a row for Swatragh who then pushed on. Dervla O’Kane looked to have scored the insurance point in the 60th minute, but a free from Collins left it a one score game once more and she buried the equalising goal two minutes later.

That means that Glen’s 2-18 to 2-5 win puts the Maghera side top of Group B.

Meanwhile in Group A Sleacht Néill, as expected, had a very comfortable win over last season’s Intermediate champions Kilrea in Pearse Park.

Aoibh Mulholland did most damage with a hat-trick of goals, while Olivia Rafferty, Siobhán Bradley and Clíodhna Ní Mhianáin also hit the net. Blathnaid McLaughlin kept Kilrea going with four of their five points.

Ballinascreen won the other Group A game in Sean Brown Park, but they were pushed all the way by the home side.

Indeed Bellaghy had the better start and went 0-3 to 0-1 ahead after 10 minutes. The ‘Screen however levelled before Lauren McKenna drove through the centre for the opening goal and that was basically the difference between the teams at the break, Bellaghy trailing by 1-7 to 0-6.

They narrowed the game to two points during the third quarter, but Megan Clarke’s goal opened a gap again and there were five points between the teams after 52 minutes. A late goal from Anna McFaul made for a nail-biting finish, but Ballinascreen held out for the points.

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The ‘Screen will be favourites to add a second victory when they have home advantage against Kilrea on Friday evening while Bellaghy have to go to the foot of Carntogher to take on Sleacht Néill.

In Group B Swatragh host Glen while Newbridge have the job of curtailing a rising Lavey side.

Scorers

Kilrea: B McLaughlin 0-4 (3fs), E Maguire 0-1

Sleacht Néill: A Mulholland 3-1, O Rafferty 1-3 (0-1 f), S Bradley 1-1, C Ní Mhianáin 1-0, C Mulholland 0-3 (2fs), T Bradley (fs) and S Mellon 0-2 each, C Kearney and E McGuigan 0-1 each

Bellaghy: A McFaul 1-0, O Hull (4fs) and A Cassidy 0-6 each, R Downey 0-2 (fs), C Chambers 0-1

Ballinascreen: M Clarke and L McKenna 1-0 each, E McGuigan 0-10 (fs), J Donnelly and R McAllister 0-2 each.

Lavey: C Collins 1-9 (0-8fs), A Shaw 0-2

Swatragh: D O’Kane 0-6 (fs), MT McCullagh and M McNicholl 0-2 each, C O’Kane, A McWilliams, A Mullan and B McCullagh 0-1 each.

Fixtures: August 29:- Group A: Sleacht Néill v Bellaghy and Ballinascreen v Kilrea. Group B: Newbridge v Lavey and Swatragh v Glen