St Mary's Magherafelt win Fr. Davies Cup for the first time

Fr Davies Cup final

St Mary’s Magherafelt 4-12

St Catherine’s Armagh 1-4

THIS time last year St Mary’s Magherafelt came up a point short against St Patrick’s Academy Dungannon in the Fr Davies Cup final. On Sunday in MUSA however they dominated the 2024 final against St Catherine’s Armagh to set up an All-Ireland semi-final with Coláiste Mhuire Johnstown on Saturday week.

St Mary’s set the pace at the start of each half. Captain and Antrim LGFA All-Ireland Junior medallist Sarah O’Neill opened the scoring when she took a pass from Jemma Shivers after just 45 seconds. By the 10th minute, the Cargin player had also hit the net after St Catherine’s failed to clear a loose ball in their area.

However Shivers had already goaled five minutes earlier and St Mary’s were now 2-2 to no score ahead, their second point coming from Cara McCann who would go on to collect the QUB GAA Player of the Match award.

That Magherafelt managed just two more points, one each from Shivers and McCann, for the rest of the first half owed a lot to the tenacity of the St Catherine’s defence, in particular Eimear McGahan and Rosa McGeary while the Hart sisters at midfield tried to carry ball through to the forward line.

Naoise Hughes eventually got the Armagh team off the mark with a point from a free in the 19th minute and she and Jessica Traynor added further points to leave Magherafelt with a 2-4 to 0-3 interval lead.

As they had done in the opening half, St Mary’s hit hard in the early minutes of the second half. Cara McCann pointed a free inside 40 seconds and added her fourth point a couple of minutes later.

Then in the 34th minute Molly McErlane was impeded on her way to goal and St Mary’s were awarded a penalty. McCann stepped up to strike, but got under the sliotar to register her fifth score. The Creggan girl however made up for that mishit within a few seconds when she picked up the poc out and drove forward to find the corner of the net.

Caoimhe McErlean, the star of the Liatroim Fontenoys Cup final back in November, added a fourth goal for the Derry school in the 39th minute and there was simply no way back for St Catherine’s.

As in the first half, they battled hard and slowed up the Magherafelt scoring for the final 20 minutes. They won a few frees within scoring difference and Naoise Hughes had to go for the net. She found it in the 48th minute and was unlucky with a few other efforts.

But St Mary’s were in command of the final and Cara McCann finished the game with her seventh point to edge out Jemma Shivers, Caoimhe McErlean and Molly McErlane for Player of the Match.

Johnstown claimed the Leinster crown on Saturday with a 2-8 to 0-7 win over St Joseph’s Rochfortbridge and the Kilkenny school will host the semi-final against St Mary’s on Saturday 27th.

St Mary’s: Eimear McErlean, Anna McGuigan, Chloe McGarry, Aoife Rocks, Anna McErlane, Connie Teague, Laura Scullion, Orlaith Devlin, Molly McErlane, Jemma Shivers 1-2, Sarah O'Neill capt 1-1, Caoimhe McErlean 1-0, Leah Stewart, Emma McNally 0-1, Cara McCann 1-7, 0-2 frees, 0-1 pen.

Subs: Caoimhe Ferris for A McGuigan, Eva Forbes 0-1 for L Stewart, Aoibh Bateson for O Devlin, Faye McGuckin for L Scullion, Reanna Rae for A McErlean

St Catherine’s: Mae Lavery, Bella Crossan, Eimear McGahan, Tess McKenna, Rosa McGeary, Erin Murphy, Anna Carson, Emma Hart, Caoimhe Hart, Jessica Traynor 0-1, Maeve Hayes, Maeve Vallely, Niamh Murphy, Kate Daly, Naoise Hughes 1-3 frees

Subs: Lily O’Rourke for M Vallely, Kacey Donnelly for M Hayes.

Referee: Jerome McAllister (Antrim)