WEEKEND REPORT- KILKENNY ARE UNDER 16 LEINSTER CHAMPIONS AFTER PROVING TOO STRONG FOR BRAVE DUBLIN

Danielle Morrissey finished with 0-11 points as the Kilkenny under 16 team secured the Leinster A title over Dublin in Banagher on Sunday on a 3-18 to 3-06 score line.

It was Dublin who raced out of the traps and opened the scoring through a Ciara Holland point from twenty one meters after thirteen seconds. Danielle Morrissey respond with the equaliser for Kilkenny from twenty one meters in the fifth minute. Ciara Holland put Dublin into the lead again with a point from twenty one meters in the eight minute 0-02 points to 0-01. Kilkenny hit back with three points on the spin.  Clara Hendrick started the run with a point from twenty one meters in the tenth minute. Eimear Farrell continued the good Kilkenny run with a point from twenty one meters in the eleventh minute. Danielle Morrissey put Kilkenny 0-04 points to 0-02 ahead with a massive free from fifty meters in the fourteenth minute. Hollyn Kennedy stopped the rot for the Metropolitans with a point from twenty one meters after an initial Alix Buckley shot dropped short and was brilliantly saved by Kilkenny net minder Leah Dunne.  Kilkenny hit back brilliantly and got a devastating 1-03 without reply.  Danielle Morrissey stated the run with a further long range free from fifty meters in the sixteenth minute from fifty meters. Eimear Farrell then got in for Kilkenny’s first goal in the nineteenth minute when she latched onto a Lisa Donnelly to tap home from the edge of the small square. Lisa Donnelly then tapped over a point from twenty one meters before Suzie Aylward tapped over a point from twenty one meters a minute later to put Kilkenny 1-07 to 0-03 points ahead after twenty two minutes.  Dublin bounced back from the Kilkenny onslaught with a Ciara Holland free from twenty one meters in the twenty six minute. Kilkenny responded with two Danielle Morrissey frees in the twenty ninth and thirtieth minute both from twenty one meters to make it 1-09 to 0-04 points. Dublin responded brilliantly and got in for there opening goal in the thirty third minute after Alix Buckley latched onto a long dropping ball into the Kilkenny square to hit the sliotar home from close range to cut the deficit to five points 1-09 to 1-04.  Danielle Morrissey responded for Kilkenny to close out the first half scoring with free from forty meters in the thirty fourth minute to see Kilkenny lead at the break 1-10 to 1-04.

Kilkenny raced out of the traps at the start of the new half and got 1-02 on the bounce. Danielle Morrissey opened the scoring with a long range point from play from fifty meters in the thirty first minute. Caroline Kennedy then got in for Kilkenny’s second goal in the thirty eight minute. Aoife Doyle then tapped over a point from forty five meters a minute later to put Kilkenny 2-12 to 1-04 ahead. Great credit to Dublin they never gave up and bounced back by getting two goals on the spin.  Ciara Holland started the run when she latched onto a long dropping ball into the Kilkenny square to bat the sliotar home from the edge of the small square. Sinead Wylde then continued the good Dublin run when she gained possession thirty five meters out cut through the Kilkenny rearguard to blast home from fourteen meters to cut the deficit to five points 2-12 to 3-04.  Kilkenny bounced back brilliantly and got 1-06 on the trot. Danielle Morrissey started the run with  four points on the spin. She started the run with two pointed free in the forty sixth minute from twenty one minutes. She followed this up with a massive free in the forty eight minute from fifty five meters. From the resulting puck out she gained possession to tap over a well taken point from play thirty seconds later. She then tapped over a point from forty five meters after gaining possession from the Dublin puck out.  Aoife Doyle then got in on the act with a well taken point from forty nine meters in the fiftieth minute. Rachel Kelly who was just introduced as a sub a couple of moments previous tapped over a well taken point from thirty five meters in the fiftieth minute, Eimear Farrell then put the game to bed in the fifty second minute when she latched onto a Maria Brennan pass to tap home from fourteen meters to put Kilkenny 3-18 to 3-04 clear.  Credit to Dublin they kept fighting in the game and got the last two points of the contest. Sinead Wylde started the run with a point from twenty one meters in the fifty fourth minute. Ciara Holland then tapped over a point from twenty one meters in the fifty sixth minute. Try as they might Dublin couldn’t make any more impact into the Kilkenny lead as the Kilkenny defence held firm to see Kilkenny home on 3-18 to 3-06 score line to claim the Leinster crown. Kilkenny can now head into there All Ireland campaign in July in good spirits with Waterford first up away on the 8th July.

Scorers – Kilkenny: Danielle Morrissey 0-11 (7f), Eimear Farrell 2-01, Caroline Kennedy 1-00, Aoife Doyle 0-02, Ciara Hendrick 0-01, Suzie Alyward 0-01, Lisa Donnelly 0-01, Rachel Kelly 0-01. Dublin: Ciara Holland 1-04 (1f), Sinead Wylde 1-01, Alix Buckley 1-00, Hollyn Kennedy 0-01.

Kilkenny: Leah Dunne, Laura Quigley, Lucy Power, Maria Brennan, Caroline Kennedy,  Nicole Carter, Alannah Gallagher, Caoimhe Dowling (capt), Aoife Doyle, Katie Brennan, Danielle Morrissey, Suzie Aylward,  Ciara Hendrick,  Eimear Farrell, Lisa Donnelly.

Sub: Emily Crowley, Eimear Leahy, Laoise Prenderville, Eve Leacy, Kym Ryan, Ruth Kent, Steffi Fitzgerald,  Una Kinsella, Hannah Kelly, Rachel Kelly, Emily Phelan, Kate Kearns, Dearbhail O’Keeffe.

Dublin: Megan Thomas, Jody Couch, Rebecca Lewis, Jennifer O’Sullivan, Rachel Regan, Chloe Mullen, Jessica McClelland (Capt), Aoife Mahon, Rachel Brennan, Karen Murphy, Derbhla Nolan, Sinead Wylde, Ciara Holland, Laura Quinn, Alix Buckley.

Subs: Ally Ramsden, Amy Ward, Anne McSweeney, Celine Antancio, Giya Batacan, Hollyn Kennedy, Orla Gray, Rebecca McMullen, Saoirse Mai Andrews, Sophie Malone.

Referee: Aiden O’Brien (Wexford)