Strong second half sees the Shamrocks advance

Clonduff (Down) 1-14, Loughgiel (Antrim) 6-13

THE Shamrocks weren't found wanting in this Ulster senior camogie championship semi final when they came back with a stunning second half which to blow the opposition away eventually winning by 14 points.
In a tightly contested first half ending in just one point of a difference, Clonduff 1-9 Loughgiel 2-7, they dug deep would reach to deliver a volley of goals that stunned Clonduff and put the game beyond any doubt.
Ironically, it was the first half that saw Loughgiel on the ropes at times, as Clonduff stepped up to dominate play in periods, leaving the Hilltown fans wondering could this be the upset they were hoping for.
Despite winning the toss and having an element of the breeze on their backs, the Antrim champions seemed overly focused on scoring early goals, but once they found their stride, the half time whistle was nothing more than a pause in their game plan.
Clonduff opened the game with determination and strength that held the Shamrocks from advancing and scored the first three points, one from a 45 from O’Hagan and two from Sara Louise Graffin inside the opening four minutes.
However, by the tenth minute, Loughgiel turned matter around leaving Clonduff trailing by three points. Loughgiel’s Anna Connolly’sfirst point was followed with two from Lucia McNaughton and then Connolly sent Roisin McCormick blazing through for the first of her hat trick of goals.
Clonduff instigated a recovery using their three prominent players, O’Hagan and the Carr sisters and by the twentieth minute they were just a point down, 0-7 to 1-5 and then Sara Louise Graffin sent O’Hagan through to find the corner of Shamrocks net.
A few minutes later the game had an element of drama as Christine McCloskey reached low to grab a dying sliotar allegedly off the ground, but McCloskey took advantage and sent McCormick through who again drilling the sliotar past goalkeeper Fitzpatrick.
Although Clonduff benefited from late points from Orla Gribben and Paula O’Hagan they still trailed by a point at the break.
On the restart it was the Down champions turn to benefit from playing down the pitch with what looked like a slight increase in the breeze, but they weren’t even able to buy luck as Loughgiel’s Annie Lynn lengthened her stride for the point with the sliotar dropping over the 'Keepers head for goal number three.
And it got worse for the Down lasses when a tactical move involving McCormick and Lucia McNaughton ended with Katie McKillop firing home as the Clonduff ship was punctured yet again to the net.
The drama continued when McCormick’s 45 dropped short and was blocked out into the path of an alert Caitrin Dobbin who swept goal number five to the net.
And at 5-7 to 1-10 this game was done and dusted.
To their credit, Clonduff remained engaged and alert, looking to create opportunities and to close the gap, but a tenacious Shamrocks defence, with solid performances from Clare McKillop, Ciara Laverty and Emma McFadden turned everything that came their way.
And to add salt to the wounds already inflicted Caitrin Dobbin won a fifteenth minute penalty as she was impeded.
McCormick stepped up, eyed inside the left post and despite a brave stretch from Fitzpatrick, completed her hat-trick.
In the final fifteen minutes of the game, O’Hagan, split the posts four times, with Loughgiel replying with five excellent efforts from play to set up a final against the Derry champions, Swatragh on Saturday 16th November.
A slow start from the Shamrocks but boy did they finish this one off in style!