Kilkenny pass a tricky test out West

Kilkenny 1-13

Galway 0-14

Revenge – Cats hit back after League Final defeat with hard-working win over championship rivals Galway

There was sweet revenge for the Kilkenny Senior Camogie Team as they reversed the League Final and made a winning start to their All Ireland Championship with a good result against Galway in Athenry

Keen to make amends for surrendering their League title to the Tribeswomen, the visitors were quick to take the game to their rivals. Anne Dalton and Miriam Walsh picked off the opening points, but the home side came into the game, applying pressure on the Kilkenny defence

Carrie Dolan led the way with two points, the first from a 45, but Dalton split the scores with a point of her own to keep the Cats ahead with 10 minutes on the clock (0-3 to 0-2)

The sides continued to duke it out. Michelle Quilty and Carrie Dolan (free) swapping points to end the first quarter before Katie Power put her name on the scoresheet with another point a minute later

The game’s pace dipped after that, before Galway ended the lull in scoring with another Dolan free. Anne Dalton posted a quick reply from play before Galway got their first point from play when Noreen Coen split the posts. There was enough time for one more Dolan free before half time, leaving the sides locked on 0-6 a piece at the interval

It was notable that the Tribeswomen only scored a single point from play in the first half; the Cats shot just one point from a placed ball

First into stride

The hosts were first into their stride on the restart as a Niamh Kilkenny point gave them the lead for the first time. That advantage proved to be short lived, however, as a Miriam Walsh shot deceived the ‘keeper and ended up in the net

Galway shook off the shock of conceding that goal, drawing level through Carrie Dolan (free) and Noreen Coen. The stalemate continued as Michelle Quilty and Carrie Dolan exchanged pointed frees, but Quilty (free) and Denise Gaule found their mark th leave the visitors two points ahead with 10 minutes left

Mammoth free

Aoife Donohoe shot over the bar from an acute angle to narrow the gap, but a similar score from Michelle Quilty, followed by Denise Gaule’s mammoth free, gave Kilkenny a cushion once more

Approaching the end of normal time Carrie Dolan converted a brace of frees to leave the minimum between the sides, but Player of the match Denise Gaule (free) and Anne Dalton shot a point a piece to edge Kilkenny closer to victory

Sarah Healy shaved a point off the deficit deep into stoppage time, but there was no catching the Cats by then

Scorers – Kilkenny –Anne Dalton (0-4), Michelle Quilty (0-4, 2f), Denise Gaule (0-3, 2f), Miriam Walsh (1-1), Katie Power (0-1)

Galway – Carrie Dolan (0-9, 9f), Noreen Coen (0-2), Niamh Kilkenny, Aoife Donohue, Sarah Healy (0-1 each)

Kilkenny – Emma Kavanagh, Colette Dormer, Catherine Foley, Grace Walsh, Kellyanne Doyle, Claire Phelan, Edwina Keane, Denise Gaule, Davina Tobin, Anne Dalton, Anna Farrell, (JC), Miriam Walsh, Danielle Morrissey, Michelle Quilty, Katie Power

Subs – Meg Farrell (JC) for Danielle Morrissey, Aoife Doyle for Miriam Walsh, Aoife Norris, Michelle Teehan, Niamh Deely, Grace O’Donnell, Edel Coonan, Steffi Fitzgerald, Michaela Kenneally, Katie Brennan, Mary O’Connell, Miriam Bambrick, Aine Phelan

Galway – Sarah Healy, Shauna Healy, Sarah Dervan, (C), Heather Cooney, Tara Kenny, Emma Helebert, Lorraine Ryan, Anne Marie Starr, Aoife Donohue, Niamh Kilkenny, Caitriona Cormican, Niamh Hanniffy, Carrie Dolan, Ailish O’Reilly, Noreen Coen

Subs – Sarah Spellman for Anne Marie Starr, Marie Cooney for Noreen Coen, Laura Glynn, Niamh McGrath, Ciara Murphy, Catherine Finnerty, Dervla Higgins, Siobhan Coen, Leanne Freaney, Elisha Broderick, Ciara Donohue, Molly Mannion, Lisa Casserly, Laura Ward, Mairead Dillon, Niamh Horan, Niamh Murphy, Karen Kennedy, Ava Lynskey, Catriona Lee