Piltown have Croke Park in their sights

By Kate, Piltown Camogie

If you’re from Piltown you should be making your way to the GAA grounds in Clane, Co Kildare (that’s junction 9 on the M7), on Sunday to see the Intermediate Camogie team take on Clonduff, Co Down in the All Ireland Club Championship semi final. Excitement is building around Piltown GAA Complex over the last few weeks as challenge matches against IT Carlow, WIT and Kilkenny’s Minor camogie team have shown the Piltown ladies team to be in fine form for the showdown against the Ulster champions. Piltown’s training pitch and floodlights are shared with the Shamrocks as the Ballyhale men prepare for their own senior semi final on 7th February. Emotions are high as club members, player’s parents, friends and families cross their fingers and pray for a chance to see their team win on Sunday and reach an All Ireland final in Croke Park in March. As Brian Cody often reiterates with the Kilkenny Seniors “the strength is in the panel”. Thirty two women have been training without a break over the winter for the rare opportunity of representing Leinster at club level. The seeds have been sown over many years at juvenile level. Eleven panellists collected a Munster Senior Schools championship medal last week in a replay win with Scoil Mhuire (Carrick-on-Suir) over Ursuline Secondary school (Thurles) to complement their Leinster Championship medals won with Piltown in November. One of their trainers was a former club player. Other members of the panel train schools teams themselves in their day jobs around the country, one of whom previously trained the Ursuline Secondary team, and another bringing the Our Lady of Mercy, Waterford, to an All Ireland semi final, while some are also playing with their colleges in the run up to the Ashbourne finals. The mix of youth and experience has served Piltown well this year. Many felt aggrieved in 2013 with a County final defeat to Ballyhale Shamrocks by a solitary point after extra time, in particular the players who had experienced the joy of winning the Junior final in 2008. But their disappointment was thrashed out on the training pitch and they stand undefeated in 2014, a rare achievement at any grade. Manager Jim Malone, along with selectors Tony Foley and Eamonn Kenny (all former Piltown hurlers), bring individual talents together to create a well balanced management team and they are confident the ladies are ready for battle, despite previous injury worries and winter bugs. The Clonduff and Piltown U12 teams will provide sporting entertainment at half time with mini matches. A supporters bus will run from Piltown GAA Complex on Sunday morning. Check with facebook.com/piltown.camogie or any committee member for details. Thrown in is at 2.30pm

Path to the final:
Intermediate County Final Piltown 4-18 St Brigids 0-5
Leinster Quarter final Piltown  1-11  Birr (Offaly) 0-4
Leinster Semi final Piltown 1-12  Myshall (Carlow) 1-9
Leinster Final Piltown 3-10 Camross (Laois) 4-5