Camogie
Senior Match
Lavey claim All Ireland Title
Lavey Senior Camogiers Enter the History Books!!!
By Shauna McCrystal
Sunday 13th December 2009 saw Lavey Senior Camogiers enter the history books and become the first ever Derry Camogie Team to have won an All Ireland Final. In stark contrast to the previous Sunday, the conditions and the weather were ideal for an All Ireland Final as Ashbourne played host yet again. Lavey looked focused and ready as the ball was through in and the week of anticipation for the replay did not seem to have a negative effect. As always Lavey were strong from the start and got on the scoring sheet first with an Attracta McPeake free dropping short for the lightening speed of corner forward, Paula McCloy to convert to the first point of the game. This was quickly followed by another point from Mary O’Kane who was displaying the same good form as the previous week. Great defensive displays from Alana McMullan and Ciara Mullan meant that Lavey continued to push forward in the first ten minutes of the half. It wasn’t long before the attacking play from Lavey’s forwards resulted in a well worked point from the stick of full forward, Mary O’Kane.
With Clare McCloy in centre half forward, Lavey had a player who was unique in her ability to combine her great skill and physicality to drive the girls forward. As the game progressed well into the first half, Lavey’s defence held off Dunhill’s threat with Ceara Cushnahan and Siobhan Convery proving to be great readers of the game. Further back, Aedin McVeigh and Kathleen Taggart closed ranks and produced some fabulous tackling to ensure Lavey did not concede any goals. Lavey as a team continued to dominate the half and points from Paula McCloy and Mary O’Kane secured their lead as well as a great point from free taker Attracta McPeake.
Half Time Lavey: 0-06 Dunhill 0-04
When both teams arrived on the pitch in the second half, it was Dunhill that looked the sharpest with the first score. Lavey quickly got to grips with the game again and Attracta McPeake produced yet another score from a free. As the tension in the game increased, supporters began to wonder if this was going to be a repeat of last week’s match and a point for point game. At this stage, Lavey’s work rate was going into overdrive with Attracta McPeake delivering a well placed ball into Helen O’Neill’s path. As Helen sided stepped two Dunhill backs she took one final look at the goals and drove straight between the sticks to eruptions within the Lavey Spectators. This looked to be the security that Lavey needed, but not before long their defence was tested yet again. At this point goal keeper, Ciara Boyle pulled off a great save and there was a huge amount of strength added with Edelle Henry now controlling the game from the half back line. Lavey continued to plug away and work hard and a foul on Theresa McElroy meant that Attracta McPeake converted another free to a score to bring it to 1-08 to 0-06.
Lavey now looked to be making a sprint to the finishing line with Attracta McPeake and Denise McShane claiming the finish of the scores between them. It was all hands on deck as Lavey dominated the closing ten minutes of the half. Trojan performances from Clare McCloy, Mary O’Kane, Ciara Mullan and Edelle Henry allowed Lavey to produce score after score. Paula McCloy and Denise McShane continued to prove a handful for their opponents to mark and Theresa McElroy attacked with a vengeance. Lavey displayed in the final quarter what an unbelievable team they are. They continued to grow with confidence as the game progressed and when the final whistle went it was somewhat surreal that finally Lavey were the All Ireland Camogie Champions 2009.
Final Score: Lavey 1-13 Dunhill 0-07.
Huge congratulations must go to the team and their management for the work rate and commitment they have shown since February this year. It has been a pleasure to stand as a supporter and watch this team develop and progress since they played Bellaghy in the first round of the Championship to becoming the ultimate: All Ireland Champions 2009.
This team will now go down in the history books in Lavey and indeed with in Derry. In Lavey GAC they now have joined our Senior Footballers who won an All Ireland in 1991 and this team has equally captured the imagination and hearts of its parish and supporters when they set out to achieve an All Ireland title. A special word of thanks must go to all our supporters who travelled and in particular our parish priest, Fr O’Donnell for all the support he has given the team and management throughout the year. Thanks also to all those who supported Lavey from different clubs within Derry. As a group of girls and management they have brought great recognition to the game of Camogie within Derry and Ulster. It was a day filled with great pride as a Lavey GAC supporter and long may the celebrations last.
Lavey Progress to All Ireland Final
Sunday 15th November 2009
Lavey V Four Roads
By Shauna McCrystal
Lavey Senior Camogiers along with their fantastic group of supporters travelled to Ballyforan in Roscommon to face the Four Roads side that had seen off Tara Camogie team from London in their previous encounter. Despite Four Roads having the home venue it was the Lavey Team who received the biggest cheer as they made their way to the pitch.
As the game began it looked to be Lavey who were the sharpest and most intent on a victory. With Edelle Henry and Attracta McPeake lining out in midfield they began the attack early on with high balls in to the full forward line of Paula McCloy, Mary O’Kane and Helen O’Neill. It wasn’t long before these girls caused headaches for the Four Roads defence and Paula McCloy was quickly on the move by claiming her first goal of the game and Lavey’s first score in the 6th minute. Defensively, Ciara Mullan refused to give an inch and pushed forward from her position of corner back. Lavey quickly followed with great tackling from Theresa McElroy and Denise McShane which resulted in a point from the hurl of Mary O’Kane. Lavey continued to hold off any attack from Four Roads with Ceara Cushanan, Siobhan Convery and Alana McMullan providing trojan performances in the half back line. In particular, Alana McMullan dictated the game from her position and held Four Roads All Star, Niamh Coyle scoreless throughout the game. On the back of the defence working tirelessly, Lavey continued to slot points over from Mary O’Kane and Attracta McPeake. Every Lavey player continued to work hard and none more so than centre half forward, Clare McCloy whose physicality was outstanding throughout the game. The turning point of the half came with a well worked goal from Theresa McElroy back to the waiting Alana McMullan who delivered a well placed ball into the hands of Mary O’Kane, who as always, made no mistake as she claimed Lavey’s second goal. Mary O’Kane was in fine form as she quickly followed this with another point making the score a convincing 2-04 to 0-0 from Four Roads. As Lavey continued to work hard, in particular the defence of Kathleen Taggert, Aedin McVeigh and Ciara Mullan it was free taker Attracta McPeake who reflected this with her ruthless ability to convert every free to a score. Before the end of the half she added 2 more points to bring Lavey’s tally to 2-06 at half time.
Half Time: Lavey 2-06 Four Roads 0-02
As the second half began it looked like Lavey wanted to pick up were they had left off and went on the attack but failed to convert in the first few minutes. Continued support from midfielder Edelle Henry and half forward Denise McShane ensured that the full forward line had an endless supply of the ball and this quickly resulted in Paula McCloy claiming Lavey’s first point of the half. Lavey displayed their huge strength on the ball and in the tackle when they were awarded a penalty 10 minutes into the second half. Paula McCloy stepped up and drove hard but was denied by the stick of the goalie to be awarded a point. Again as in the Ulster Final, Attracta McPeake continued to bolster Lavey’s lead with her fantastic free taking which resulted in three more points. This left the score at 2-11 to 0-02. As the game progressed it became clearer that Lavey were dominating the game in every part of the pitch and the forwards took every opportunity to strengthen Lavey’s lead. Mary O’Kane seized the most opportunist moment of the game when she struck Lavey’s third goal by striking the ball through her legs. At this time in the game Aedin McVeigh made way for Faoiltiarna Ward. Denise McShane continued her fine form in the second half by claiming a well took point and this put Lavey 3-12 ahead. Lavey management made substitutions as Seanine McCann came on for Mary O’Kane, Donna Magill for Theresa McElroy, Eimear Murphy for Paula McCloy and Joanne McCloy for Helen O’Neill. Lavey forwards continued to attack with Joanne McCloy and Seanine McCann looking sharp on the ball.
This was a huge game for Lavey Senior Camogiers and all credit must go to their forwards for taking every opportunity offered, however the game belonged to Lavey’s defence who worked at an outstanding level to hold Four Roads to 2 points throughout the entire game. Displays from Captain Siobhan Convery, Ciara Mullan, Alana McMullan, Ceara Cushanan, Aedin McVeigh and full back Kathleen Taggert showed how tirelessly they worked to tackle and hassle. A special mention for Goal Keeper, Ciara Boyle who provided a fantastic save in the dying seconds to hold on to her clean sheet.
Again, this Lavey team and management deserve huge amounts of credit for the performance they turned out on Sunday. They showed how much they wanted to reach an All Ireland Final and were truly professional in everything they did. This will be the first Camogie All Ireland Final that Lavey have ever graced and it will be a huge day for Lavey GAC. Praise to their management team of Damien O’Boyle, Orla McCarthy, Mickey McShane, Donard McErlean and Eileen Downey. A special mention of thanks to all the supporters who traveled the massive distance to support the girls and to ensure you are aware that your job is not yet done. You are all expected to be there and very vocal for the All Ireland Final on Sunday 29th November against St.Anne’s Dunhill!!
We wish the team and management all the best for the All Ireland Final and hope that you return to Lavey as Al Ireland Champions. Onwards and Upwards!!!
Lavey win Ulster Title for Second Year
Lavey Senior Camogs complete a two in-a-row by winning their Second Ulster Title!!
By Shauna McCrystal
Our Senior Camogiers made Lavey GAC a very proud club on Sunday 4th October when they retained their Ulster title against Keady, in a repeat of last years final. Doiretreasc was the venue for this thrilling encounter which saw Lavey face old rivals Keady. As both teams looked fired up from the start, it was Lavey who got off to the better start with Paula McCloy looking as sharp as ever up front and claiming her first goal of the game. Every player found themselves in a tough and physical contest with their opposite number and none more so then Lavey’s two midfielders, Attracta McPeake and Edelle Henry who went through a trojan amount of work to stem Keady’s attacks. Lavey’s full forward line continued to cause problems for the Keady full back line as Paula McCloy claimed her second goal of the day and Mary O’Kane along with Helen O’Neill looking extremely dangerous on the attack.
Free taker, Attracta McPeake was ruthless with every score and continued to bolster Lavey’s lead. Theresa McElroy added a third goal to Lavey’s score line with great skill and team work.
Keady continued to claw back and began to attack at pace which saw Lavey’s lead start to diminish, however fantastic shot stopping from goal keeper Ciara Boyle denied them on more than one occasion. Lavey retained control again before the end of the half with Ceara Cushanan marshalling her defence from centre half back and continuing to feed the half forward line with the help of Alana McMullan.
Half Time Score: Lavey 3-5 Keady 3-1
Lavey began the second half with Mary O’Kane leaving no one in any doubt that they meant business by hand passing Lavey’s fourth goal to the net. Keady reacted quickly and efficiently and after a few scores reduced the margin to just 6 points. At this stage of the game Lavey Camogiers dug deep and produced 20 minutes of hard, fast and thoroughly entertaining camogie. Defensively Lavey were outstanding with Edelle Henry cancelling out Collette McKeever and Ciara Mullan and Aideen McVeigh producing great performances from corner back. In true captain’s style Siobhan Convery stepped up when needed from half back and became unstoppable in pushing the Lavey girls forward. Clare McCloy was a power house in midfield and demonstrated her strength on the ball as she was becoming more determined as the game progressed. Kathleen Taggart continued to take control in full back along with goal keeper Ciara O’Boyle to ensure not an inch was given.
As the Lavey girls continued to push forward from the hurls of Siobhan Convery and Clare McCloy they were rewarded with a well worked goal from Denise McShane to Paula McCloy who claimed her 3rd of the day. Again, Attracta McPeake’s free taking proved to be the difference when she slotted over a fantastic point that appeared to seal the victory for Lavey. Keady continued to chip away at Lavey’s lead through points from frees as a result of Lavey’s defence holding them out but in the end there was just two points between them at the final whistle.
Final Score Lavey 5-8 Keady 4-9
This Lavey team and management deserve huge amounts of credit for the performance they turned out on Sunday. They were fully deserved victors and proved that they truly are a great team in order to achieve 2 Ulster Titles in a row. Praise should go to their management team of Damien O’Boyle, Orla McCarthy, Mickey McShane, Donard McErlean and Eileen Downey. Thanks to all the supporters who travelled to support the girls and to ensure you are all there and vocal at the All Ireland Semi Final. Lavey GAC would like to wish the team management and players all the very best for the upcoming All Ireland Semi Final.
Lavey progress to another Ulster Final
Senior Camogs progress to another Ulster Final
By Shauna McCrystal
Lavey Senior Camogs have made it through to another Ulster Final on Saturday when they saw off the tough challenge of Clonduff. In Lavey’s home turf it was them that looked to be the sharper when they opened the scoring with three unanswered points from the hurls of Mary O’Kane and free taker Attracta McPeake. As Lavey struggled to convert their possession into scores Clonduff began to fight back with Fionnuala Carr halting a lot of Lavey’s attacking play. Lavey worked tirelessly in midfield with Edelle Henry delivering another Trojan performance and Alana Ward in the half backs delivering another great individual performance. Lavey soon pushed forward again and it was Mary O’Kane who looked dangerous when she closed in on goal to secure Lavey’s only goal of the game. Lavey’s defence continued to hold tight against the Clonduff attack and with Kathleen Taggert, Ciara Mullan and Aideen McVeigh refusing to give an inch for the Clonduff forwards.
With the wind proving to be a huge factor on the day in was Clonduff who appeared to be playing with the advantage in the second half and opened the half looking the more focused. Lavey persisted in their defending and with Attracta McPeake ruthless free taking Lavey continued to hold the lead. Paula McCloy went on one of her trade mark solos leaving a few of Clonduff defenders behind her but was unfortunately denied by the post. Lavey held on for a thoroughly deserved win on a score line of 1-9 to 0-7 points. They go on to play Keady in the Ulster Final in a repeat on last year’s final.
Lavey Team: C O’Boyle, C Mullan, K Taggert, A McVeigh, A McMullan, C Cushanan, S Convery, E Henry, A McPeake, T McElroy, C McCloy, D McShane, H O’Neill, M O’Kane, P McCloy.
Lavey Seniors Make it 3 in a Row
Lavey Senior Camogs make it three in a row!!
By Shauna McCrystal
Michael Davits Park in Swatragh was the venue for this Derry Camogie Final hosting Lavey and Castledawson. The opening quarter of the senior final saw some physical and hard hitting camogie and it displayed how much both teams craved this title. It was Lavey who recorded the first few scores of the game from the hurl of full forward Mary O’Kane and Paula McCloy in corner forward also proved how speedy she can be when she side stepped her marker and headed straight for the onion bag. This gave Lavey the cushion they needed to stride forward into half time. Not a team to rest while ahead Lavey quickly converted all frees from the stick of midfielder Attracta McPeake who proved ruthless in taking her scores and achieving a player of the match performance. There were great displays from their defence when they were called into action and in particular a great individual performance from goalkeeper Ciara Boyle whose shot stopping was excellent. The work rate of this Lavey team throughout the pitch was immense, Edelle Henry in midfield proved to be the engine of the team as she hassled and harried for everything around the middle. Clare McCloy also put in a workers performance in centre half forward. Lavey led at half time 1-6 to 0-2.
With the second half under way in looked like Lavey were picking up were they left off with Helen O’Neill creating all kinds of problems for the Castledawson defence and claiming the first point of the half. This was quickly followed by a classic goal from Mary O’Kane and another point from Paula McCloy. Lavey’s defence coped extremely well under the expected pressure of Castledawson onslaught with every defender holding her own and outstanding performances from Ceara Cushanan and Alana Ward showed that they were more than up to the task. A captain’s role was played by Siobhan Convery, who wore number 7 which proved to be coincidental as she picked up her 7 County Championship that day. With 15 minutes still left on the clock Lavey’s half forward line of Teresa McElroy and Denise McShane continued to push forward and feed the full forward line which resulted in Mary O’Kane claiming her second goal of the afternoon. Trojan performances from full back Kathleen Taggert, Aideen McVeigh and Ciara Mullan saw off any hope of Castledawson attempting to get back into the game. To seal the deal Mary O’Kane achieved her hat trick of goals and Denise McShane converted a great score from the half forward line to make Lavey convincing winners on a scoreline of 4-13 to 2-4.
This meant that Lavey Senior Camogiers achieved 3 County Championships in a row, something that has never been achieved by a Lavey Senior Camogie team before. Special Congratulations must go to Siobhan Convery who played a part in every one of the 7 Championships won from 1995 until the present day and especially because she captained Lavey on Sunday past. All credit to the management of Damien O’Boyle, Orla Downey and Mickey McShane and we wish you all the best for the upcoming Ulster Championship against Clonduff on the 5th September.
Lavey Team: C Boyle, C Mullan, K Taggert, A McVeigh, A Ward, C Cushanan, S Convery, A McPeake, E Henry, T McElroy, C McCloy, D McShane, H O’Neill, M O’ Kane, P McCloy.
Seniors defeat Ballinscreen in the League
All Ireland Champions, Lavey took on Ballinscreen in the league on Friday evening in Lavey and secured victory with points from Edelle Henry, Mary O’Kane, Helen O’Neill, F Ward and Attracta McPeake. Goals came from the hurls of Paula McCloy and Sister Joanne and Mary O’Kane. Final Score Lavey 4-17 Ballinscreen 1-7.
Reserves defeat Limavady
Lavey reserve camogiers defeated Limavady on Saturday night at Lavey. Scores from Janette Martin, Helen Collins, Aileen McElwee and Clodagh Shaw saw Lavey race home with victory on a scoreline of Lavey 6-9 Limavady 1-0.
Lavey Seniors defeat Slaughtneil in the first Round of Championship 2010
Lavey Senior Camogiers begin their defence of the Derry Championship!
On Saturday evening Lavey Senior Camogiers began their defence of their Derry Championship by defeating Slaughtneil at Glen. It was a match that had great amount of scores and skill and went to extra time with ten minutes being played each way. Slaughtneil were the team that began the game sharpest by gaining momentum as the game progressed. Lavey took a little bit longer before coming to grips with the game but points from Attracta McPeake, Mary O’Kane and Edelle Henry kept Lavey in touch. The introduction of Clare McCloy seemed to influence the game in Lavey’s favour with her physicality and reading of the game proving to be invaluable. Lavey continued to press on throughout the second half and goals from Paula McCloy and Mary O’Kane just seemed to give Lavey the edge. Slaughtneil continued to work hard and some great defending from Alana McMullan, Ciara Mullan, Ceara Cushnahan and goal keeper Ciara Boyle denied Slaughtneil the goals they were seeking. With the game being pushed into extra time Lavey continued to work hard and points from Attracta McPeake saw Lavey win by one point when the final whistle was blown. Final Score Lavey 4-11 Slaughtneil 2-16.
