Boardsmill clinch title after series of defeats

All good things come to those who wait and after many years of disappointment Boardsmill finally got their reward when they survived a brave Drumree challenge to claim the Meath Junior Camogie title at Dunsany on Sunday. After five final failures in heartbreaking circumstances it was Boardsmill's turn to inflict pain as Caroline Loughran struck a wonder goal six minutes from the end of normal time and then Boardsmill survived six torturous minutes of injury-time. Defeat was cruel on Drumree. They went into the final as massive underdogs. They had lost heavily to Boardsmill twice in the group stages of the championship and few gave them a chance. However, they battled magnificently throughout and were pipped at the post by a side that used the experience of previous defeats to survive. It was all about survival in the closing minutes for Boardsmill. After falling behind to an Emma Doyle goal with 15 minutes remaining, they managed to get their noses in front again and defended like soldiers guarding the crown jewels. Drumree owned the ball for the final 10 minutes. They were camped inside the Boardsmill 20-metre line for that entire time and it took some heroic defending by Boardsmill to keep them at bay. Aileen McGowan was a rock at full-back while birthday girl, goalkeeper Trisha Guy, made a couple of vital saves. In those stressful final few moments Deirdre Hoey made a couple of magnificent clearances while Loughran, Collette Kelly and Deirdre Gibbons also did well. While Boardsmill had their heroines in defence they also had several outstanding performers further out the field with Avril Stellini driving them forward from midfield and Suzanne Keogh tormenting the Drumree rearguard with her probing runs. Shona White also caused Drumree's defence plenty of problems while Enda Kennedy also chipped in with a fine score and provided an excellent outlet to ensure the win. Drumree, who were appearing in their first final, can be proud of their efforts. They pushed the best team in the junior championship right to their limits and if they had enjoyed a little more luck they could have snatched a surprise win. The Drumree midfield pairing of Roisin Dushlaine and, in particular, Cliona Murphy were very impressive while Niamh Kelleher also caused problems. It was a superb defensive display by Drumree. They restricted Boardsmill to just six scores and most of them were from long-range as Drumree were very compact at the back and limited the favourites. In the early stages of the contest it looked sure to be a long afternoon for Drumree as Boardsmill enjoyed plenty of possession and launched wave after wave of attacks. However, Drumree were defensively sound and when Boardsmill did breakthrough Edel Dugdale was denied a goal by a fine save from Cliona O'Riordan. It took seven minutes for Boardsmill to eventually find their range. Great work by Keogh and Sinead McLoughlin set up White for a superb point. O'Riordan denied Karen McCarthy with another fine save and Dugdale blasted the follow-up wide. Towards the end of the first-quarter more great work by Keogh and McCarthy set up White whose long-range drive deceived O'Riordan for a goal which gave Boardsmill a 1-1 to 0-0 lead. It would have been easy for Drumree to capitulate, but instead they regrouped and opened their account when Emma Doyle lofted over a free after Kelleher was fouled. Two minutes later another long Kelleher free broke in the square where Doyle appeared to get the last touch in a scramble to restore parity. Boardsmill were shocked by Drumree's reply, but a superb White point from the right sideline restored their lead. Kim Slater latched onto a centre to leave the sides level again, but Loughran ensured a 1-3 to 1-2 interval lead for Boardsmill when she converted a '45.' Boardsmill were expected to pull clear with the aid of the wind after the break, but it didn't transpire like that. Within two minutes Drumree was level when Murphy pointed and it took a further 10 minutes before Boardsmill opened their second-half account when Kennedy pointed for a 1-4 to 1-3 lead. Then came all the drama of the final quarter. Doyle's goal looked to have won it for Drumree, but Boardsmill's hunger and commitment proved decisive as Loughran's long-range goal restored their one-point cushion and their stern defensive action ensured that lead remained intact. Boardsmill - T Guy; D Hoey, A McGowan, D Gibbons; L Bagnall, C Loughran (1-1, '45), C Kelly; A Stellini, S McLoughlin; S Keogh, S White (1-2), E Kennedy (0-1); E Dugdale, K McCarthy, A O'Rourke. Subs - A Corrigan for O'Rourke 41 mins, K McGowan for Dugdale 43m, A M McLoughlin for Bagnall 52m . Drumree - C O'Riordan; C Kennedy, A McQuillan, S Ennis; L McMorrow, G Flanagan, S Keane; R Dushlaine, C Murphy (0-1); C Dushlaine, N Kelleher, E Kennedy; A Brennan, K Slater (0-1), E Doyle (2-1, one free). Subs - C Kennedy for Keane 34 mins, L Donnelly for Brennan 43m. Referee - Peter Dowd (Ratoath).