Ovens NS savour their Sciath na Scol success

It was a day of celebration last Wednesday for Ovens NS girls after they won the Rebel Óg Allianz Sciath na Scol DC2 camogie title at SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh.

They won the all-Muskerry affair in the final after getting the better of Scoil Bhailenóra on a scoreline of 6-5 to 4-3 in what was a gripping match.

The team in red and yellow were spearheaded by Lucy Collins and Julia Twohig with Collins scoring a remarkable five goals while Twohig was unerring from placed balls. She landed 1-5 (0-4 f).

It was a real panel effort throughout the competition with every girl playing a valuable role. They finished top of their respective group before defeating Scoil Eoin Innishannon in the semi-final after extra time before claiming success six days ago.

Joe O’Loughlin was part of the management team that included Cork senior footballer Seán Meehan, Shane McCarthy and Katie McCarthy. The Clare native was full of praise for his team after what they achieved.

“I think it’s a testament to the character of the girls in terms of what they have done," O'Loughlin says.

"The final was a very close game, particularly in the first half. The girls showed great resilience to come through. They have been training very hard since March for this. It was a collective effort.

“The team were really, really excited about playing in SuperValu Páirc Uí Chaoimh. There was great excitement and a real buzz about training in the build-up. On the day, yes, they were excited, but they enjoyed the game and it was great to see such a great crowd of supporters and a great crowd of parents there.

“The players didn’t get overly phased by the occasion in that they performed to the best of their ability on the day, which was great to see.” 

Having Éire Óg GAA right next to the school has helped Ovens NS massively over a long period of time. The GAA is part of the fabric in the school. Andy Concannon is the principal, a former Cork minor and junior football player and a Ballingeary legend.

“We’re very lucky to have such great facilities on our doorstep that we can use for training and matches. We can’t thank Éire Óg enough for making their pitches and facilities available to us.

“We are also very lucky to have a lot of teachers who are really, really interested in the GAA as well. They’re very generous in giving up their time after school and during the school day. It really helps the players.” O'Loughlin concluded. 

The Ovens NS panel that contributed to winning silverware last week is below.

Panel: Julia Murphy, Aideen Fitzgerald, Rebecca Regan (c), Sophie O’Connor, Molly O’Brien (v-c), Bella Crowley, Emily Boland, Caroline O’Sullivan, Lucy Hayes, Millie Arundel, Julia Twohig, Anna Roche, Chloe McGillicuddy, Lucy Collins, Amy Mulcare, Eimear O’Brien, Amy Dillon, Lucy Maguire, Mia Coakley, Lucy Hosford, Chloe Whelton, Róisín Johnston, Ciara O’Mahony, Amy Nyhan.

Management: Joe O’Loughlin, Seán Meehan, Shane McCarthy, Katie McCarthy.