Late Late goal spells glory for Gowran in see saw tussle

Marble City Travel Kilkenny Senior Camogie Championship – Sunday, 9^th August 2020

Young Irelands 5-9 Clara 3-12

Young Irelands overcame Clara after a tense and close encounter in the 2^nd Round of the Marble City Travel Senior Championship last Sunday in sun drenched Clara

Young Irelands sprung from the traps, hitting 1-3 without reply in the first 6 minutes

Steffi Fitzgerald scored the 1^st two points from play on the 50 sec mark and on three minutes. Grace O’Donnell added a lovely point in the 5^th minute. A minute later her sister Sarah met the sliotar on the ground and with a well struck shot saw it sail past the Clara goalkeeper

Keara Ryan opened Clara’s account in the 8^th minute with a point from play after a big clearance from defence by Aisling Curtis

Sarah Ann Quinlan added another point from play for Young Irelands in the 9^th minute

Keara Ryan then scored two pointed frees for Clara to leave the score 1-4 (YI) to 0-3 (C) at the end of the first quarter

Nessa Farrell scored a point from play for Young Irelands from the wing after Tiffanie Fitzgerald had played a great ball to her

In the 19^th minute Sarah O’Donnell (YI) ran up the sideline towards the corner and played a delightful ball across towards the goal and Sarah Ann Quinlan fielded it, went around her marker and hand passed it to the net. Grace O’Donnell scored a neat point for Young Irelands after her sister, Sarah had passed to her on the edge of the square and this put Young Irelands 9 points ahead

In the 29^th minute, Mary O’Connell soloed through the Young Irelands defence and she hit a low shot pass the outstretched hurl of the goalie into the net.

This was followed by a pointed free by Keara Ryan and a point from Siobhan Curtis after she had ran at the Young Irelands defence and split the posts. This left the interval score Young Irelands 2-6 Clara 1-5

On the resumption of play, Clara’s Aisling Curtis played a ball upfield to Emma Shortall. She fired a shot towards goal but it was blocked out but Keara Ryan caught the sliotar and played it out to Grainne Glynn who blasted the sliotar to the back of the net

Over the next 8 minutes, the match ebbed and flowed, with both defences playing well to keep the forwards from scoring

In the 39^th minute, Ciara O’Keeffe soloed with speed through the Clara defence and riffled the sliotar into the bottom corner of the net

From the puck out, Siobhan Curtis fielded the sliotar and she ran towards goal and she hit an unstoppable shot into the Young Irelands net

Mary O’Connell scored a pointed free for Clara which was sandwiched between two Ciara O’Keeffe points from play for Young Irelands

In the 51^st minute, Laura Langton played the ball upfield into the corner to Grace O’Donnell. She ran along the endline before cutting back infield and struck an unstoppable shot to the back of the net. Young Irelands now led by five points. But Clara weren’t finished!

Clara then hit a purple patch between the 51^st and 58^th minute, while keeping Young Irelands scoreless. Keara Ryan hit two pointed frees, Mary O’Connell hit two points, one from a free and Siobhan Curtis added another point from play

In the 61^st minute, Grace O’Donnell took a shot towards goal for Young Irelands, but it was diverted out for a 45’ which Steffi Fitzgerald converted

From the puck out, Clara played the sliotar upfield and it was also diverted out for a 45’, which Mary O’Connell converted to level the match

Young Irelands were awarded a 30m free and Steffi Fitzgerald’s shot was batted out by the Clara defence but it bounced in front of Grace O’Donnell who doubled on it and it flew into the Clara net leaving the final score Young Irelands 5-9 Clara 3-12

Young Irelands – Grace O’Donnell (2-2), Sarah O’Donnell (1-0), Ciara O’Keeffe (1-2), Sarah Ann Quinlan (1-1), Steffi Fitzgerald (0-3, 1 45), Nessa Farrell (0-1)

Clara – Keara Ryan (0-6, 5f), Mary O’Connell (1-4, 2f, 1 45), Siobhan Curtis (1-2), Grainne Glynn (1-0)

Young Irelands – Hannah Brennan, Eimear Naddy, Nicole Carter, Mia Murphy, Amy Lennon, Tiffanie Fitzgerald, Aoife Farrell, Ciara O’Keeffe, Ruth Loughlin, Nessa Farrell, Steffi Fitzgerald, Grace O’Donnell, Sarah O’Donnell, Sarah Ann Quinlan,
Paula Farrell

Subs – Laura Langton for Paula Farrell, Meabh O’Neill for Amy Lennon, Rachel Doyle, Rebecca Lennon, Niamh Walsh, Kate Drennan, Rebecca Nevin, Orlaith Byrne, Emma Farrell, Aoife Walsh, Sinead Healy, Lea Brennan, Caitlin Simpson

Clara – Lisa Kehoe, Margaret Kehoe, Aine McDonald, Katie Ryan, Tamsin English, Aisling Curtis, Claire Nolan, Aisling Nolan, Rebecca Nolan, Keara Ryan, Siobhan Curtis, Mary O’Connell, Emma Shortall, Niamh Byrne, Grainne Glynn

Subs – Rachel Whelan, Leah Phelan, Laoise Nolan, Ciara Treacy, Anna Walpole, Dianamh Phelan, Aoife Treacy, Aoife Glynn, Roisin Kealy