Preview of the Electric Ireland Higher Education Championship Finals Weekend
Photo Credit: Kyran O’Brien
Ashbourne Cup
There will be a sense of deja-vu for these two teams on Sunday, as they have already faced off against each other in this year’s Ashbourne Cup. The two teams met in Round 1, when UCD travelled to Cork to face off with UCC. Having come through the preliminary round with a comprehensive victory, beating SETU Waterford by 8-20 to 0-04, UCD played every bit like the side with more confidence, firing in three goals en-route to a 3-07 to 0-12 victory over their final opponents.
It wasn’t all smooth sailing for UCD though, as UL brought them back to earth in Round 2A, beating them 2-14 to 0-01 in Dublin. UCC meanwhile bounced back with a comprehensive 6-20 to 0-04 victory over SETU Waterford to secure their passage to the quarter finals.
Here they would match up with University of Galway, the team that ended their league hopes at the semi-final stage earlier in the year after the Galway university recorded a 3-16 to 1-07 victory. Lightning was not to strike twice however, with UCC getting the victory after a tense affair, coming away 1-13 to 1-10 winners. Meanwhile, in Dublin, UCD had the task of a Dublin derby against TUD, a team they had already dispatched of earlier in the year during the league, winning comfortably that day on a scoreline of 5-18 to 2-09. While it was a closer affair the second time around, UCD were able to overcome their opponent, winning 3-13 to 2-06 to secure their semi-final place.
This would bring the two teams on to the semi-finals, with two very interesting matchups posed to them. For UCD, a DCU team looking to make the final on home turf stood in their way, while for UCC a rematch of last year’s Ashbourne Cup final was in store as they travelled to UL looking to avenge that final loss. UCC v UL was up first, with both sides not willing to give an inch in the fight for a spot in the final. A tight affair throughout, UCC were able to get the scores they needed to see off UL and progress to the final for the second year in a row, while also ensuring there would be a new champion for the first time since 2023.
On the same night in Dublin, UCD made the trip across the Liffey to take on DCU for their second consecutive capital derby. Just when it looked like UL and UCC would put on the tightest match of the night, UCD and DCU refused to be separated until the final moments, with UCD coming out on top by a singular point, winning 1-11 to 1-10, ending DCU home title hopes while keeping their Ashbourne dreams alive.
This sets up a very interesting final between these two universities. While UCD hold the upper hand this year so far, UCC will be buoyed by back-to-back huge wins that got them to this stage, with the chance to go one step further than last year now within reach. UCD are led by team captain and Waterford star Alannah McNulty, who will be hoping to lift her college’s first Ashbourne Cup since 2008. They will be hoping another big performance from Amy Carey can help see them over the line, with the forward coming off the back of scoring 0-7 against DCU. UCC have been waiting even longer for their moment back in the sun, with the college hoping to win their first Ashbourne Cup since 2003 on Sunday. They will be eyeing another set of high-scoring performances from Sophie Pembroke and Niamh McNabola, who hit 0-11 between them in the semi-final triumph (stats courtesy of Gaelic Statsman)
Purcell Cup
It’s a battle between North and South in the Purcell Cup with Queen’s University Belfast facing off against UL 2 with a spot in the Ashbourne Cup for next season on the line. Much like the Ashbourne Cup final matchup, this tie has already taken place this season, with UL 2 having come away from Belfast with a four-point victory on the day.
Before they faced off against each other, both teams started their campaigns with a victory in Round 1, with Queen’s getting a 2-10 to 2-07 victory over MTU Cork in Belfast while UL 2 defeated UCD 2 1-12 to 0-07 in Limerick. Queen’s have also played a game extra than UL 2, due to UL’s head-to-head win in Round 2A, not that this seemed to bother Queen’s on the field, with Ulster University coming to town for a Belfast derby being the main concern. Any potential worries were clearly unfounded however, with Queen’s coming away with a big 5-10 to 0-08 win to secure their semi-final place.
The semi-finals were anything but boring. In Abbottstown, Queen’s saw off the challenge of UCC 2 3-10 to 2-10 after extra time to progress to the final at only their second attempt since their promotion from Fr. Meaghair level. Meanwhile in Limerick, UL 2 seen off the challenge of Maynooth University on a scoreline of 2-11 to 1-08 to progress to their second final in as many years.
This sets up an enticing final in DCU. Queen’s will be looking to lean on the scoring power of Orlaith McAlister in their quest for victory, with her already having struck 1-12 in the two knockout fixtures. UL will be looking to avenge last year’s final defeat, which seen them lose out to MIC Limerick 1-17 to 2-12. This is certainly a game that could go either way, and one not to be missed.
Fr. Meaghair Cup
Trinity and University of Galway 2 come into this game with a piece of trivia none of the other finals can match. Not only is this the only final where the two teams are completely unbeaten going into the game, it is also the only final of the weekend where the two teams haven’t met at any point already this season, with these two having avoided each other in both the league and the championship.
Both teams started their championship campaign off in November, with Trinity making the short trip to DCU 2 to pick up a 2-05 to 3-11 victory on opening day, while University of Galway 2 welcomed UL 3 to campus for a comprehensive 4-17 to 1-03 win. Trinity secured their spot atop the group with a 2-14 to 2-08 victory over TUS Midlands on the second matchday, while University of Galway came back from their bye week with a 2-15 to 1-08 victory over MTU Kerry down in the kingdom.
This set up two enticing semi-final matchups, with Trinity welcoming UL 3 to Dublin, while University of Galway welcomed DCU 2 to campus. Starting with Trinity, despite falling behind early in the game they were able to come back and push themselves out into a commanding lead that they would not let up, winning out on a scoreline of 2-12 to 1-06. University of Galway meanwhile showcased their class against DCU 2, coming away with a comprehensive 4-13 to 1-03 victory to set up a date with Trinity in the final.
Trinity will be hoping that Dublin’s Ellen O’Brien can repeat her goal scoring exploits from the semi-final again, but they will be up against a University of Galway team that has found no problems in getting scores on the bard throughout the championship, with the side averaging 3-13 a game. No matter what happens, it will be a fitting way to start Sunday.
Uí Mhaolagáin Cup
It’s a Galway v Dublin matchup for the Uí Mhaolagáin Cup Final, with ATU Galway squaring off with Marino in Saturday’s final game. ATU Galway have the upper hand going into this game, having the head-to-head advantage over their opponents from their group stage meeting earlier in the championship. That day, ATU Galway found their scoring form, hitting 6-17 to ease past Marino in Galway, who could only find 0-09 on the day. Marino however is not a team short of scores. Their second group game against TUS Midwest showcased this, with Marino winning out on a scoreline of 5-16 to 0-08 in Dublin. Not to be left out of the scoring fun, ATU Galway found 5-11 of their own against their opponents from the Midwest, winning against TUS Midwest 1-11 to 5-11.
This set up the two semi-finals, with ATU Galway facing off with St. Mary’s and Marino travelling to face UU Magee.
Starting with Marino, who made the trip up to Bellaghy to take on the competition top scorers UU Magee. Having seen their opponents hit 20-42 in their two group stage games, Marino came with a plan to shut down the UU Magee attack and executed it well, coming away 4-10 to 3-12 winners to book their final place. The following day in Blanchardstown, it was the turn of ATU Galway to try their luck for a spot in the final when they faced off against St. Mary’s. ATU continued their run of perfect results, getting past their opponents on a scoreline of 3-19 to 1-01 to set up a second meeting of the year with Marino.
For Marino, slowing down the scoring threat of ATU Galway is their key to victory. They will have their work cut out though, with ATU Galway’s Kate Gilchrist and Shannon Corcoran finding form in recent weeks to fire ATU Galway into this final. ATU Galway will be looking for another big performance from Nessa Daly, who travels home from her college placement in Brighton, England for games with the college, a true testament to the dedication she has to the sport. Whatever happens on Saturday, a great game of camogie is guaranteed
Ashling Murphy Cup
Not for the first time, two teams that have already faced off are meeting again in a final, this time being DCU 3 and UU Coleraine. When these two teams met the first time back in November, it was DCU 3 who came out on top, taking down UU Coleraine by four points, 3-11 to 2-10.
Since then, they have both faced off against Queen’s University Belfast 2, although they had different fortunes on the day. Despite their opening day defeat, UU Coleraine managed to bounce back and record a good win next time out, taking down Queen’s 2 5-12 to 2-06. DCU could not replicate their opening day victory, falling to a 3-06 to 1-06 defeat. Despite this, DCU 3 still progressed atop the group, with UU Coleraine going through on score difference in second place.
This set up the two semi-final matchups, with DCU 3 welcoming University of Galway 3 to campus while UU Coleraine made the trip down to Cavan to face off with MIC Thurles. In Dublin, DCU 3 were able to dispatch of University of Galway in a 1-13 to 0-06 victory, while UU Coleraine seen off the challenge of MIC Thurles 1-11 to 0-06.
Having been tied up at half time, UU Coleraine’s rally in the second half to push themselves clear will boost their confidence heading towards the weekend. Westmeath forward Caoimhe McAteer will be hoping that she can grab another goal just as she did in the semi-final win which helped push her side clear. Dublin’s Cara Ware will have her DCU backline on full alert as they look to repeat their victory in the first round.
Maura McCloy
It’s a Limerick derby in the inaugural Maura McCloy cup final when UL 4 face off with MIC Limerick 2 in the curtain raiser for finals weekend on Saturday. Like almost every other final this weekend, these two teams have met once already this year, with MIC Limerick 2 getting the better of their county counterparts on the day, winning 0-18 to 0-07. Since that game, it has been a quiet championship for UL 4, who received victories via concession over MIC Thurles 2 and UCD 3 en route to the semi-final. For MIC Limerick 2, they also received a victory over UCD 3 via concession, but they did face off with MIC Thurles 2, coming away with a 3-24 to 0-03 victory on the day.
Thankfully, both teams did have a semi-final match to play, with UL 4 travelling to Sligo to face off with ATU Donegal while MIC Limerick 2 made the trip to Cavan to take on UU Magee 2 in Breffni Park. Starting in Sligo, UL 4 came out on top of a tight affair by the minimum, taking down ATU Donegal 1-03 to 0-07 to secure themselves a trip to Dublin. Meanwhile in Cavan, MIC Limerick 2 put on a scoring display to take down UU Magee 2, coming out on top 4-10 to 0-05 winners in their quest to become Maura McCloy Cup champions
