Westport’s Sacred Heart Secondary School capture Connacht camogie title

Connacht Senior D Colleges Camogie Final

Sacred Heart Secondary School Westport 5-13

Ballyhaunis Community School 1-8

In the Connacht GAA Air Dome, Bekan 

WE’VE seen plenty of Connacht hurling titles arrive into east Mayo, but to see one leave the home of the small ball in Mayo is quite a rare thing indeed. 

But that is exactly what came to pass when Westport’s Sacred Heart Secondary School brought provincial silverware from the hurling heartlands to the banks of the Carowbeg River. Ballyhaunis Community School were loud, proud and regal on the field and on the sidelines. 

They were well in it for quite a while too. That could not be said for the second half, where they were held to 1-2 against a Westport team that played the game on their terms. 

“It was fantastic to have two Mayo teams in a camogie final. We’ve had some super games along the way, this was by far our toughest game today,” Sacred Heart joint-coach Gillian Broderick told The Mayo News after Méabh Tunney and Annie McGreevey collected the cup on behalf of the team.

“This is a very proud moment when the final whistle blew because the girls were superb from start to finish.”

Beside her, McGreevey and Tunney smiled from ear-to-ear, knowing deep down that every word was true. 

“I think we were all just up for it and wanted it more,” said Tunney after a stellar midfield display. 

With it being a de facto meeting of Tooreen and Westport, it wasn’t today or yesterday this west Mayo side came together.

“We’ve been playing together for years and it’s just something really special that we are all from the one club,” said McGreevey.

“We train together all year round. It doesn’t matter what age group you really play in. I actually love it. It’s something very different from football or any other sport, we are all from the one place, one family one team, even if you’re not from the town of Westport. It’s actually something really good we’ve got going on here. Long may it continue.”

Ballyhaunis will argue, fairly, that they were the better team in the opening stages. 

The locals enjoyed most of the possession and got plenty of breaking balls, yet found themselves trailing 0-7 2-6 at the break. 

This was partly down to bad luck on their part and clever thinking on the part of Sacred Heart. 

Two goals from Mayo Minor footballer Christina MacEvilly drove a big wedge between the sides. 

She showed great ingenuity for the first when she kicked the ball into the net when her opponents expected her to lash a camóg at it. 

Her second found the bottom of the Ballyhaunis net despite being blocked by a defender en route. 

Ballyhaunis, despite doing so much right, trailed for all but two minutes in the first half. 

Lots went through the Laoise and Cathy Greally (no relation) as the black and red gave the sky blues lots to think about in the first half. 

They'd have been right in the mix had Laoise Greally not seen her 25th-minute penalty well blocked by Westport’s Rebecca Hastings. 

MacEvilly's cúls, plus points from Mayo U-16 footballer Aoife Meaney (2), Mayo Minor camogie captain Méabh Tunney (two from placed balls), Katie Hughes (2) had them 2-6 0-8 to the good at half-time. 

Down, but certainly not out, Ballyhaunis got the second half’s opening score after just 80 seconds. 

From then on, it was Westport’s game. The group of lads in the stand who’d treated spectators to Amhrán na bhFiann, the Black Velvet Band and Dirty Old Town before throw-in didn’t roar again until Éala Greally cracked home their second and final score of the second half with a 55th-minute goal. 

The girls in blue had long since taken control of the game, stringing together five unanswered scores and narrowly missing goal chances. 

Aoife Meaney and Méabh Tunney bossed the middle eight for the entire second half until Éala Greally’s goal put six between the teams.

Sacred Heart then went all-in, hitting their opponents for 3-2 in seven minutes. 

Áine Gallagher found the net with a looping shot before the excellent Méabh Tunney struck two singles.

She later raised a green flag directly from a 60-yard free just after Eimear Jennings cracked home a goal from a much closer distance. 

Then off went the silverware to the land where the mountain meets the sea. 

BALLYHAUNIS COMMUNITY SCHOOL: SJ Keadin; M Glavey, M Collins, E O’Brien; M Squires, É Delaney, A Gallagher; L Greally (0-5, 5f), L Flanagan; É Greally (1-1), K Tener, L Gallagher; A Greally, C Greally (0-2), E Gallagher

Subs: E Higgins for O’Brien (22), A Gildea for E Gallagher (54)

SACRED HEART SECONDARY SCHOOL: R Hastings; A Maloney, K McGreal, M Flynn; N Crowe, L Hastings, L Furlong; M Tunney (1-6, 1-3f, 0-1 ‘45), A McGreevy; A Meaney (0-4), C MacEvilly (2-0), A Gallagher (1-0); MK McHale, K Hughes (0-2), D Guilfoyle

Subs: A Kelly for Gallagher (20), E Jennings (1-1) for Flynn (20)

Referee: J Lundon (Athenry)