Walsh and Clifford on song as Kilkenny ease past Dublin

Kilkenny 6-10 Dublin 0-13

The Kilkenny minor paring  of Sarah Walsh and Jenny Clifford made their Intermediate debut on Sunday and it was a day to remember for the minor All Ireland winners as they shared 5-02  (Sarah Walsh 3-00, and Jenny Clifford 2-02) between them as Kilkenny hammered Dublin in there Leinster Preliminary round clash in Artane on Sunday.

Dublin started the game with a gale force breeze behind them and opened the scoring with a Georgina Kelly free in the opening minute. Sarah Ann Quninlan responded for the victors with a point in the fifth minute. Elaine Gallery then tapped over an excellent point from play in the seventh minute when she pointed from out near the sideline. Kilkenny then got two points on the bounce from Jenny Clifford in the eight minute and from Sarah Crowley from forty five meters in the twelfth minute to put Kilkenny 0-03 points to 0-02 ahead. Kilkenny continued this good run with a devastating scoring burst that produce two goals in as many minutes. Jenny Clifford got in for her and Kilkenny’s first in the seventieth minute when latched onto a Sarah Ann Quinlan pass to blast home from fourteen meters. Sarah Walsh then got in for the first goal of her hat-trick when she latched onto a Sarah Ann Quinlan free to handpass to the roof of the Dublin net from the edge of the small square. Niamh Bambrick then tapped over a point to make it 2-03 to 0-02 points after twenty minutes.  Dublin responded well to this onslaught with four points on the spin. Elaine Gallery started the run with a point from thirty five meters in the twenty first minute. Georgina Kelly then tapped over a free a minute later to cut the gap to six points. Jenny Browne then tapped over a massive point from fifty meters in the twenty sixth minute, before Elaine Gallery tapped over a point in the twenty eight minute to make it 2-04 to 0-06 points. Kilkenny responded to this with 1-01 without reply before the break. Sarah Walsh got in for her second goal in the twenty ninth minute when she latched onto a Jenny Clifford pass to blast to the corner of the Dublin net. Sarah Ann Quinlan then tapped over a free a minute later to see Kilkenny lead by 3-05 to 0-06 at the break.

Dublin set out there stall early in the second half when Georgina Kelly tapped over a free in the thirty second minute from twenty one meters. Whatever hope of a Dublin revival was put to bed a minute later when Kilkenny got two goals in the space of a minute. Sarah Walsh got in for her hat-trick in the thirty second minute when she latched onto a breaking ball on the edge of the small square to blast home.  Jenny Clifford then got in for her second goal a minute later when she latched onto a Sarah Ann Quinlan pass, left her marker for death to blast home from close range to push Kilkenny 5-05 to 0-08 ahead. Georgina Kelly responded with a Dublin free in the thirty seventh minute from twenty one meters. Kilkenny then got two points on the trot from Sarah Ann Quinlan in the thirty ninth minute before Deirdre Walsh tapped over a point from thirty five meters a minute later. Laura Keoghan responded for Dublin with a point from forty meters in the fortieth minute.  Kilkenny responded with 1-02 on the trot. Niamh Bambrick started the run with a goal in the forty first minute, she gained possession from a Laura Norris pass rounded her marker to blast home from twenty one meters. Jenny Clifford then tapped over a point a minute later to make it 6-08 to 0-09 points. Claire Aylward then got in on the act with a point in the forty third minute. Dublin responded to this run with four points on the bounce. Georgina Kelly tapped over two frees in as many minutes in the forty ninth and fiftieth minute. Megan O’Reilly then tapped over a well taken point from play in the fifty third minute before Elaine Gallery tapped over a free in the fifty eight minute.  Sarah Ann Quinlan rounded off the scoring for Kilkenny with a point from thirty five meters to ensure Kilkenny secured a semi final date with Wexford in Thomastown next Saturday on a 6-10 to 0-13 points score line.

Scorers – Kilkenny: Sarah Walsh 3-00, Jenny Clifford 2-02, Sarah Ann Quinlan 0-04, Niamh Bambrick 1-01, (1f), Sarah Crowley 0-01, Deirdre Walsh 0-01, Claire Aylward 0-01.  Dublin: Georgina Kealy 0-06 (5f), Elaine Gallery 0-04 (1f), Jenny Browne 0-01, Laura Keoghane 0-01, Megan O’Reilly 0-01.

Kilkenny: Noelle Murphy, Vivienne Forristal, Michaella Kenneally Therese Muldowney, Ruth Jones, Rebecca Cleeere,  Edel Frisby, Sarah Crowley, Laura Norris (capt), Deirdre Walsh, Sarah Ann Quinlan, Claire Aylward, Jenny Clifford, Sarah Walsh, Niamh Bambrick.

Sub: Ann Marie Lennon, Laura Hegarty, Maggie Simpson, Laura Murphy.
Dublin: Ashling Spillane, Gráinne Ryan, Danielle Powell, Maggie McIntyre, Siofra Walsh, Christina O’Reilly, Shauna McBride, Jennifer Browne, Georgina Kelly, Laura Keoghan, Elaine Gallery(capt),  Rachel O’Connor, Joeleen Hoary, Aisling McDonald, Tino Kelly.
Subs: Laura Mulvey, Carolanne Canning, Anneka Kilroy, Ashling Pike, Megan O’Reilly, Rebecca Doherty, Elisa O’Grady

Referee: Brockan O’Reilly