Louth fall to Cavan defeat in All-Ireland Minor C Camogie Championship

The conditions told a story of their own as Louth faced Cavan in the All-Ireland Minor C Camogie Championship on the Breffni Park 3G surface on Sunday.

Hail and driving rain lashed down in the opening half, the skies darkening so dramatically that the floodlights had to be turned on.

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Yet as the half wore on, the clouds lifted, and the sun broke through, a fitting backdrop to a game of shifting momentum and fierce intensity.

Cavan opened brightly, with full forward Kate McSeain splitting the posts in the fifth minute. A titanic midfield battle quickly developed between Louth’s Deirbhile Morgan and Cavan’s Clodagh Gaffney, neither giving an inch.

Morgan produced a moment of brilliance, soaring to claim a high ball before driving the ball into the danger zone. Síorcha Treadwell reacted in a flash, striking low to the net to raise the green flag for the visitors.

Cavan responded clinically. A brace of goals from the ever-present Kate McSeain created daylight on the scoreboard, and she added a fine point to stretch the lead to five approaching the 20-minute mark.

Tara Reilly replied with a superb long-range effort from play to narrow the gap, but just before half-time, Emma Lynch found a sliver of space and buried her shot to the net, leaving Cavan 3-2 to 1-1 ahead at the interval.

If the first half belonged to the storm, the second belonged to Louth’s resolve.

Within the opening minute, Tara Reilly converted a free, and straight from the puck-out, Deirbhile Morgan turned over possession and powered forward for an outstanding individual point.

Two scores in two minutes signalled serious intent. Cavan, however, struck again. Emma Lynch grabbed her second goal, while Megan Brady added two quick goals to steady the hosts and put them in a commanding position.

Many teams might have wilted. Louth did not. Captain Caoimhe Hynes led by example, locked in a battle royale with centre forward Scarlett Burns.

Louth midfield began to dominate, and Caoimhe Callaghan sparked the resurgence, weaving through the heart of the defence for a superb point before claiming a towering overhead catch and bursting through once more to fire an excellent goal.

Cavan’s Kate McSeain broke a 15-minute scoring drought with a point, but Louth were not finished. Deirbhile Morgan had the final word, collecting possession on the 21 and unleashing a fierce low drive to the net.

Across the pitch, the physical exchanges were relentless, with outstanding Louth contributions from Meabh O’Hora, Aoife Carroll, Caoimhe Hynes, Helen O’Reilly, Caoimhe Callaghan, Deirbhile Morgan,  Erin May McCabe and Niamh Kearney.

Cavan were well served by Kate McSeain, Clodagh Gaffney, Faith Dunne, Emma Lynch, Freya McKiernan and Megan Brady.

In conditions that swung from storm to sunshine, Louth matched it with heart and determination, a performance that reflected the character growing within this squad.

Cavan: Caoimhe Smith, Ellie Halpin, Faith Dunne, Eavan O’Sullivan, Eadaoin Morris, Ali Lynch, Freya McKiernan, Clodagh Gaffney, Molly Smith, Emma Lynch, Scarlett Burns, Laura Mundy, Megan Brady, Kate McSeain, Katie Lynch

Louth: Saoirse Hynes, Meabh O'Hora, Aoife Carroll, Nikki Cunningham, Clódagh Caraher, Caoimhe Hynes, Helen O'Reilly, Caoimhe Callaghan (1-1), Deirbhile Morgan (1-1), Erin May Mc Cabe, Tara Reilly (0-2, 1f), Niamh Kearney, Jemma Harvey, Maedbh Thornton, Síorcha Treadwell (1-0)

Subs: Chloe Condon for Síorcha Treadwell (30), Lucy Sheridan for Saoirse Hynes (45), Kate Murphy for Meabh O’Hora (50), Moira Russell for Niamh Kearney (55).