Weekend Reports: Seniors ease past Derry, Intermediates secure Newry draw and Tipperary just edge out Minors

Irish Daily Star League Division 1 Round 1
Kilkenny 5-09     Derry 0-01

The new Kilkenny senior management of Ann Downey, Paddy Mullally and Connor Phelan reign began in style as they watched their charges record a comprehensive victory over Derry in Conahy on Sunday.

The victors raced out of the traps and opened the scoring after twenty nine seconds when Sarah Ann Quinlan tapped over a free from twenty one meters. Denise Gaule doubled the cat’s advantage with a well taken point from play in the eight minute. Ann Dalton made it 0-03 points to no score when she tapped over a massive point from fifty meters in the ninth minute. Kilkenny’s good run continued when Aine Gannon got in for the games opening goal in the twelfth minute when she latched onto a Denise Gaule pass to tap the sliotar home from the edge of the small square. Aine Gannon then followed this up with a well worked point from play after latching onto a Michelle Quilty pass from thirty meters in the fifteenth minute. Ann Dalton then chipped in with her second point of the afternoon when she latched onto a Denise Gaule pass from thirty meters in eighteenth minute and it looked even at this early stage that the Oakleaf county were in trouble. Kate McDonald then tapped over a point in the twenty fifth minute from twenty one meters to make it 1-06 to no score. Kilkenny put the game to bed just on the stroke of half time when Denise Gaule latched onto a Michelle Quilty pass to hand pass the sliotar home from the edge of the small square to make it 2-06 to no score at the break.

Derry began the second half the brighter and got there first and only point in the contest through a well taken Karen Kelt effort from thirty meters in the thirty third minute. Kilkenny bounced back and continued where they left off in the first half when Denise Gaule tapped over a brace of points. The first came in the thirty seventh minute from thirty meters, she followed this up with a point from the same distance thirty seconds later. Sarah Ann Quinlan continued Kilkenny good run and got in for Kilkenny’s third goal in the forty first minute when she latched onto a Michelle Quilty pass to tap home from close range. This made it 3-08 to 0-01 point and they were no way back for Derry.  They were a baron patch in the contest, but Sarah Ann Quinlan broke the deadlock with a well taken free from forty five meters. Great credit to the Derry side they continued to compete in the contest and had a couple of goal chances but Kilkenny net minder Emma Kavanagh  pulled off some great saves to ensure the sliotar didn’t find the back of her net. Kilkenny closed out the half in blistering style and added two further goals in the final five minutes. Michelle Quilty got in for the first of the brace in the fifty fifth minute when she latched onto a rebound from an initial Sarah Ann Quinlan shot to tap home from close range. Sarah Ann Quinlan then got in for her second goal of the afternoon in the first minute of injury time when she latched onto a Denise Gaule pass to tap home from the edge of the small square. From the resulting puck out referee Owen Elliott blew the full time whistle to see Kilkenny run out comprehensive victors on a 5-09 to 0-01 score line.  The Kilkenny management team would of being happy with the team’s performance especially the forward division who contributed 5-07 from play, but they are aware that tougher challenges lie ahead. Next up is Intermediate All Ireland Champions of 2015 Waterford on Sunday afternoon next.

In other camogie news the Kilkenny Intermediate team began their Division 2 campaign by making the long trek to Newry on Sunday to take on 2014 Junior All Ireland Champions Down. In tough weather conditions, Kilkenny began the first half playing against a strong breeze but put in an impressive defensive display and only found themselves a point behind at the break 0-04 points to 0-03 thanks to three Roisin Breen frees. Down began the second half the brighter and raced into a 0-06 points to 0-03 lead. Kilkenny were getting more and more into the contest and hit back with points from Edel Frisby and a further Roisin Breen free to cut the gap to a point. Down scorer and chief Niamh Mallon who contributed five of her teams total push Down 0-07 points  to 0-05 clear, but points from Roisin Breen and the equaliser from second half sub Marguerite Hoynes ensured Kilkenny came home with a share of the spoils on a 0-07 points apiece score line. Next up for Kilkenny is 2015 Junior A All Ireland Champions Carlow who narrowly lost to reigning Junior Champions Laois 09 points to 0-07.  That game is fixed for a Kilkenny venue on Sunday afternoon next.

The Kilkenny minor team were also in action on Sunday afternoon in the All Ireland Minor A Championship and entertained Tipperary in a repeat of last year’s All Ireland decider. The reigning All Ireland champions began the game well and were well deserving of their six point lead at half time 2-06 to 0-06. Tipperary began to get a foothold in the game and stormed right back into the contest and ran into a 3-09 to 3-07 lead entering the closing stages. Try as they might Kilkenny couldn’t get the crucial score to claim the win and the Premier County held out to record a 3-09 to 3-07 victory. Next up for Kilkenny is a tricky away trip to Clare where a victory will put the cats right back into contention.

Scorers – Kilkenny: Sarah Ann Quinlan 2-02 (2f), Denise Gaule 1.03, Aine Gannon 1-01, Michelle Quilty 1-00, Ann Dalton 0-02, Kate McDonald 0-01. Derry: Karen Keilt 0-01.

Kilkenny: Emma Kavanagh, Stacey Quirke, Sarah Kent, Jacqui Frisby, Sarah Crowley, Edwina Keane, Colette Dormer, Miriam Frisby, Anna Farrell, Kate McDonald, Ann Dalton, Sarah Ann Quinlan, Michelle Quilty, Denise Gaule, Aine Gannon.

Sub:  Ann Marie Lennon, Kellyann Doyle, Julieann Malone, Laura Murphy, Aoife Neary. Davina Tobin, Grace Walsh, Miriam Walsh, Katie Power, Meg Farrell, Shelly Farrell.

Derry:  Kelly-Marie Hegarty, Cara Farren, Aoife Ni Chaiside, Megan Kerr, Aoife Shaw, Aileen McCusker, Eilis Ni Chaiside, Sinead Faulkner, Shauneen Donaghy, Grainne McNichol, Karen Keilt, Niamh Boylan, Adrienne Gorman, Mary Kelly, Niamh McQuillan.

Subs –Aileen Carmichael, Aimee Devlin, Kathryn McNamee, Dania Donnelly, Aine Kelly, Eimear Mullan, Shauna Quinn, Grainne O’Kane, Dervlagh McGuigan, Anita McCullough, Emer Stinson.

Referee: Owen Elliott (Antrim)