Clough/Ballacolla may have fallen short, but their remarkable journey is only beginning

THERE will undoubtedly be a sense of disappointment in the Clough/Ballacolla dressing room after Sunday’s Leinster Junior ‘A’ Camogie Championship final, but when the dust settles, they will have plenty of reasons to look back on 2026 with enormous pride.

A two-point defeat to Westmeath champions Crookedwood was a cruel way for their provincial campaign to end, particularly after putting themselves in such a strong position at half-time. Leading by four points at the break, Clough/Ballacolla were just 30 minutes away from bringing a historic Leinster title back to Laois.

Instead, Crookedwood produced the stronger second-half performance, with Muireann Scally’s fortunate goal proving a significant turning point in a contest that ultimately slipped away from the Laois side.

There is no disguising the disappointment of losing a final, especially one in which victory was so close. However, it is important to put Sunday’s result into the wider context of what this group has achieved over the past 12 months.

This is a club that only played its first adult championship match in 2020. Six years later, they have secured their first adult championship title, conquered Laois and gone on to reach a Leinster final in their debut campaign at provincial level.

That is an extraordinary rise, and one that deserves recognition regardless of the result in Castletown Geoghegan.

Their journey to Sunday’s final was no easy ride either. Having overcome St Brigid’s to claim the Laois Junior title, they travelled to Meath to defeat Dunderry before making another trip to Offaly last weekend, where they overcame Ballinamere/Durrow to book their place in the decider.

Three consecutive weekends of championship action, three victories and a place in a provincial final. It was a remarkable effort from a group that has continued to raise the bar for itself.

On Sunday, they showed again that they belonged at this level. Chloe Boyhan’s first-half accuracy from frees helped establish a commanding position, while the team showed plenty of composure and determination against an experienced Crookedwood outfit.

Ultimately, the Westmeath champions had enough to turn the game around, but that should not overshadow the progress made by Clough/Ballacolla.

There is no consolation quite like winning a trophy, and Sunday’s defeat will sting for some time. But this is not a team whose story ends with a narrow defeat in a Leinster final.

If anything, their first taste of provincial success being so close should provide the motivation to go one step further.

For a club that has travelled so far in such a short space of time, the future looks incredibly bright. They may have missed out on making history on Sunday, but they have already created plenty of their own.