Intermediates make it four from four with O’Moore victory

All Ireland Intermediate Camogie Championship Group 1

Kilkenny 2-15    Laois 0-11

The Kilkenny Intermediate team who were already certain of a semi-final spot next weekend against Kildare made it four wins from four when they recorded a 2-15 to 0-11 point victory over Laois in Tullaroan on Thursday last.

It was the victors who started the brighter and ran into a four points to no score lead in the opening ten minutes. Ciara Holden opened the scoring with three frees on the spin. She started the run with a free from twenty-one meters in the second minute after Jenny Clifford was fouled. She followed this up with a further free from twenty-one meters in the sixth minute after Catherine Walsh was fouled.  She tapped over a further free in the eight minute after Sarah Walsh was fouled from thirty-five meters.  Keeva Fennelly then tapped over a point from thirty-five meters in the tenth minute after latching onto a Jenny Clifford pass to make it 0-04 points to no score.  Laois responded with a brace of points through Sarah Ann Fitzgearld. She started the brace with a free from forty-five meters after Louise Mahony was fouled in the thirteenth minute. She followed this up with a well-taken point from thirty-five meters from out near the sideline in the sixteenth minute to make it 0-04 points to 0-02.  Kilkenny hit back with 1-02 on the spin. Keeva Fennelly started the run with two well-taken points on the trot. She started the run with a point from thirty-five meters in the seventeenth minute after latching onto a Jenny Clifford pass. She followed this up with a point from the same distance in the nineteenth minute after latching onto an Angela Kennelly pass.  Jenny Clifford then got in for the game’s opening goal to put daylight between the sides when she latched onto a cross-field pass from Keeva Fennelly rounded her marker to blast home from twenty meters to make it 1-06 to 0-2 points. Sarah Ann Fitzgearld stopped the rot for the O’Moore County with a free from thirty-five meters in the twenty-fifth minute. Kilkenny responded with a brace of point through Sarah Walsh from twenty-one meters in the twenty-eight minute and Catherine Walsh from thirty-five minutes a minute later to make it 1-08 to 0-03. Sarah Ann Fitzgearld responded for Laois with a massive free from sixty-five meters in the thirty-first minute. Ciara Holden closed out the first half scoring with a free from twenty-one meters in the thirty-third minute after Mary Corcoran was fouled to make it 1-09 to 0-04 points at the break.

Laois began the first half well and got three points on the spin through Sarah Ann Fitzgerald frees. She started the run with a free from fifty meters in the thirty-second minute. She followed this up with a well taken free from forty-five in the thirty-fifth minute, before she tapped over a massive free from sixty-five meters in thirty-seventh minute to cut the deficit to five points 1-09 to 0-07. Kilkenny responded through a Jenny Clifford point from twenty-one meters in the thirty-eight minute. She was nearly in for a goal a minute later when she gained possession on the twenty-one but Laois net minder Laura Dunne pulled out a good save from Clifford’s shot.  Sarah Ann Fitzgerald then tapped over a further long-range free from sixty meters in the forty-first minute. She followed this up with a forty-five in the forty-fifth minute to narrow the gap to four points 1-10 to 0-09. This was as close as Laois would get as Kilkenny hit back with 1-03 on the spin. Catherine Walsh started the run with a point from twenty-one meters in the forty-ninth minute. Ciara Holden followed this up with two points on the trot. The first from a free from twenty-one meters in the fiftieth minute and followed this up with a well-taken point from play from twenty-one meters after latching onto a Keeva Fennelly pass. Keeva Fennelly then got in for Kilkenny’s second goal in the fifty-sixth minute when she latched onto a Ciara Holden pass thirty meters from goal cut through to kick home from the edge of the small square to make it 2-13 to 0-09. Laois stopped the rot through a Sarah Ann Fitzgearld free from twenty-one meters in the fifty-seventh minute. Sarah Walsh responded with a well-taken point from twenty-one meters in the fifty-ninth minute. Sharon Moylan tapped over a point for Laois in the sixtieth minute. A good victory was rounded off in the sixty-second minute when Megan Walsh (daughter of the late Michael Ducksie Walsh) latched onto a Jenny Clifford pass to tap over a point from twenty-one meters to the cheer of the Kilkenny fans in attendance, a tribute to Megan who came back after a very difficult couple of weeks for the Walsh family. The referee then blew the full-time whistle to see Kilkenny home on a 2-15 to 0-11 points score line.

Kilkenny will now progress through to the All Ireland semi-final against Kildare on Saturday next. Time and venue to be confirmed.

Scorers- Kilkenny- Ciara Holden 0-06 (5 frees), Keeva Fennelly 1-03, Jenny Clifford 1-01, Sarah Walsh 0-02, Catherine Walsh 0-02, Megan Walsh 0-1. Laois – Sarah Ann Fitzgearld 0-10 (8 frees, 1-45, Sharon Moylan 0-01.

Kilkenny- Kirsty Maher, Roisin Phelan, Jennifer Norris, Niamh Sweeney, Niamh Leahy, Katie Nolan, Edel Frisby, Angela Kenneally,  Edel Coonan, Jenny Clifford, Catherine Walsh, Ciara Holden, Sarah Walsh, Keeva Fennelly, Mary Corcoran.

Subs- Aoife Norris, Aine Fahey (Capt), Miriam Bambrick, Sabrina Walsh, Eilish Regan, Aisling O Farrell, Lydia Phelan, Laura Greene, Ciara Phelan, Niamh Bambrick, Roisin Kealy, Roisin Breen, Sophie O Dwyer, Eimear Corr, Megan Walsh, Noelle Maher, Ciara Murphy.

Laois- Laura Dunne, Aishling Burke, Mairead Burke, Aoife Hyland, Sarah Creagh, Elaine Mahony, Olga Parkinson, Sile Burke, Elizabeth Ryan, Joan Dollard, Louise Mahony, Sarah Ann Fitzgearld, Aoife Burke, Niamh Dollard, Margaret Hogan,

Subs – Sharon Moylan, Roisin Kilmartin, Sarah Bergin, Ciara Cuddy, Aisling O’Dea, Niamh Coss, Mary Ann Reddin, Katie Reddin, Claire Walshe.

Referee: Aidan O’Brien (Wexford)