Electric Ireland All-Ireland Minor ‘C’ Championship Final

Cavan 1-9 Louth 2-4

Over the hour, Cavan just deserved their victory. They were that wee bit sharper on the ball, particularly in the second half when they burst out of the blocks scoring 1-4 inside the first seven minutes to lead 1-7 to 1-3, reversing a 1-2 to 0-3 interval deficit.

Chasing the game from there on in, Louth struggled for scores but got within a point of Cavan when Caoimhe Callaghan got possession of the ball at half-way and soloed past and through the Cavan rearguard before driving a terrific shot past Rebecca Clarke in the Breffini goals to make it a one point game, 2-4 to 1-8, on 60 minutes.

Ultimately though, Louth couldn’t close the gap with Cavan making it a two point game on the final whistle.

Louth though will look upon a goal chance in the first half that hit the bottom of a Cavan post and a decision after 15 minutes by Dublin referee Jenny Casserly not to send off Cavan’s Scarlett Burns.

Burns, who started in corner-forward in place of Kora Fitzsimons, had won a free in front of the main stand but when she got off the ground, she swung her hurley out towards a Louth player only missing her head by inches.

The understanding is that under camogie rule, the action is classified as ‘dangerous conduct’ and warrants a red card with the original free reversed. Casserly surprisingly however, gave Burns a yellow card and the free remained with Cavan.

The Breffni side started the livelier and had a point on the board within 30 seconds after Caoimhe Callaghan won the throw-in and made space for a pass to Kate McSeain who, under pressure, kicked the ball over the bar to put her side into the lead.

However, the Breffni advantage was short-lived when, from the resultant puckout Louth won a free on half-way. A long effort in from Helen O’Reilly landed in front of goals. In the clamor for the ball that followed, it was Louth full-forward Maedbh Thornton who got the vital touch to put the ball into the back of the Cavan net to put her side 1-0 to 0-1 to the good after just a minute.

The opening period was racked with errors as players, more down to nerves than anything, tried to get a handle on playing in an All-Ireland final. Cavan did have the better of those early exchanges but their return was only three wides as Louth defence began to get to grips with the fast pacey Cavan forwards.

A point from a Siún O’Sullivan free made it a one-point game nine minutes in but Louth responded with two points, one from Chloe Condon, who picked up a cross-field ball and fired it over following a fine Callaghan run, and another from Aoife Carroll as her side led 1-2 to 0-2 14 minutes in.

Then came the incident involving Burns’ swinging stick and her yellow card. Louth would have reason to feel aggrieved on two counts, the Cavan player wasn’t sent off and the free wasn’t reversed. While the free was missed by Clodagh Gaffney, Burns was to have a major influence in the second half as Cavan came from behind to eventually win.

Minutes later, the referee was at the centre of attention again when she stopped play as Cavan’s Player of the Match McSeain had the ball in hand just yards in front of the Louth goal. There was a Louth player on the ground close by, but it clearly wasn’t a head injury and she wasn’t interfering in play. It was however, Cavan’s loss.

Casserly has probably had better days with the whistle, and while it was a scrappy physical game to referee, it was the inconsistency of some of the refereeing decision that frustrated both sets of supporters in the stand.

Scores were hard to come by for the remainder of the half as the two sides scrapped for every ball – the turnovers and misplaced passes only adding to what was exciting fare.

There were goal opportunities with Louth’s Erin May McCabe hitting the butt of the post with a shot and the goalkeeper beaten, while at the other end, O’Sullivan drove a free from the edge of the small arc low and hard but it was cleared by Louth.

Cavan did grab a point just before the interval when O’Sullivan was chopped down with Clodagh Gaffney converting the 21 metre free.

Trailing 0-2 to 1-2, Cavan started the second half at a frantic pace; a point from Lynch was quickly cancelled out by a Síorcha Tredwell effort before Clarke found McSeain with the resultant puckout and the Ballinagh player fire over a superb point from distance – and there were only two minutes of the half played.

Cavan then won the Louth puckout and the ball was moved quickly from O’Sullivan to Lynch who fire the ball low past Nicole Fisher in the Louth goal.

Now leading 1-5 to 1-3, Cavan added two further points from an O’Sullivan free and a Gaffney placed ball to open up a four point advantage, 1-7 to 1-3, with 39 minutes played. Louth responded with a point from Deirbhíle Morgan two minutes later.

The two sides were throwing everything, including themselves, at the game with the referee having to intervene and throw the ball in between two players more times then enough as players battled for possession.

A point from McSeain on 51 minutes put it out to a four-point game again, 1-8 to 1-4 but with the clock ticking down and Louth struggling to create scoring opportunities in front for Cavan’s goal, came a moment of magic that gave the Leinster side hope.

Callaghan got the ball in the middle of the park and had only one thing in mind – head toward the Cavan goal. With the ball on stick, she sped past and through the Cavan defence before launching a blistering shot to the Cavan net.

Now it was 2-4 to 1-8, a point between the sides going into time added on.

Cavan won the resultant puckout and a free, but Gaffney put her effort wide. However, instead of going long with their puckout, Louth went short and lost possession but Cavan’s McSeain was blown up for over-carrying.

A free out for Louth was mis-hit and went yards instead of down the field. McSeain won possession but was fouled 45 metres out. Up stepped Gaffney to make no mistake this time driving the free over the bar to the sound of the final whistle.

Louth: Nicole Fisher; Lily McClean, Aoife Carroll 0-1, Meabh O’Hora; Clódagh Caraher, Caoimhe Hynes, Helen O’Reilly; Deirbhile Morgan 0-1, Caoimhe Callaghan 1-0; Erin May McCabe, Tara Reilly 0-1, Niamh Kearney; Chloe Condon, Maedbh Thornton 1-0, Síorcha Treadwell 0-1. Subs: Sorcha Magee for Caraher (37), Jemma Harvey for Condon (47), Ruby Gibney for McCabe (53), Nikki Cunningham for O’Hora (55), Saoirse Hynes for Treadwell (58).

Cavan: Rebecca Clarke; Ellie Halpin, Faith Dunne, Eavan O’Sullivan; Eadaoin Morris, Ali Lynch 0-1, Freya McKiernan; Molly Smith, Clodagh Gaffney 0-3 (0-3f); Gráinne Gilroy, Siún O’Sullivan 0-2 (0-1f), Emma Lynch 1-0; Megan Brady, Kate McSeain 0-3, Scarlett Burns. Subs: Ciara Brady for McKiernan (h-t), Katie Lynch Brady (55), Laura Mundy for Lynch (58).

Referee: Jenny Casserly (Dublin)