St Martin’s 8‑15 Blacks & Whites 6‑10 — Minor ‘C’ Camogie League Final, Sunday 30th August 2026
St Martin’s are Minor ‘C’ League champions, but they had to come from behind with a quarter of an hour to play to get there.
Sunday afternoon in Coon offered tough conditions for a showpiece — a strong wind blowing down the field and a couple of heavy downpours that made ball handling a lottery. That neither side let the elements dilute the quality of this pulsating encounter is the highest compliment that can be paid to them: fourteen goals in a final tell their own story.
The game ebbed and flowed from the throw‑in. Blacks & Whites, playing with real intent, matched St Martin’s score for score and turned round narrowly ahead, 4‑7 to 4‑6, a single point separating two sides who could scarcely be told apart — though St Martin’s had the considerable consolation of knowing the wind would be at their backs after the restart. Eabha Farrell and Sophie Ryan gave Blacks & Whites a foothold around the middle, Rachael Duff and Kate Hayden lifted the tempo every time they got on the ball, and Mia Farrell carried a constant goal threat that kept the St Martin’s rearguard on edge.
Each time Blacks & Whites threatened to pull clear, Ruby Doyle steadied things, striking a series of superb long‑range scores that kept the board ticking and refused to let the gap stretch. Alongside her, Mollie Rose Keegan stood firm when it mattered most, and Aoibhínn McGuinness made a couple of telling interventions. Ball into Julia Healy and Andrea Roche invariably meant trouble for the Blacks & Whites rearguard.
The pattern held deep into the second half. With roughly fifteen minutes remaining, Blacks & Whites still had their noses in front at 6‑10 to 6‑9 — six goals apiece, a point between them, and a final that could have gone either way.
What followed settled it. St Martin’s tightened their grip on the middle third and refused to release it, Sian Bolger and Úna Cummins winning a succession of vital breaks until the supply finally began to tell. In those closing fifteen minutes St Martin’s plundered 2‑6 without reply, turning a one‑point deficit into an eleven‑point win.
That final margin does scant justice to Blacks & Whites, who led for the bulk of the afternoon and will look back on the chances that got away. For St Martin’s, it was silverware earned the hard way.
For all the wind and rain, this was terrific fare — honest, open camogie played at pace by two sides who deserve enormous credit for the standard they set. Both teams now turn their attention to the championship, and both go into their respective semi‑finals with plenty to build upon.
St Martin’s: Aoibhínn McGuinness, Elise Dooley, Emma Daly, Hazel Feeney, Mollie Rose Keegan, Ruby Doyle, Emma Brennan, Sian Bolger, Úna Cummins, Caroline Coughlan, Ella Mullins, Ruby Mullins, Julia Healy, Róisín Healy, Andrea Roche, Catherine Scully, Sarah McDonald, Aisling Malone, Deirbhile Coughlan, Mia O’Dwyer, Holly Walsh, Ava O’Brien (inj.)
Blacks & Whites: Kate Long, Ruby Savage O’Shea (JC), Eabha Kelly, Annie Farrell, Gracie Cleere, Gwen Wade, Emily Cleere, Eabha Farrell, Sophie Ryan, Kate Hayden, Rachael Duff, Bríd Farrell, Mia Farrell, Ruby Farrell, Saoirse Pilcher (JC), Sarah Doyle, Róise McGilligan, Chloe O’Reilly
By PRO Sat 5th Sep
