Photo Credit : Caroline O'Keeffe
Reports : Brid MacNamara ( Munster PRO)
Munster Senior Championship Semi Final
Cork 2-20 Clare 1-10
Two second half goals put Cork on the front foot in the Munster Championship semi final on Sunday afternoon and left it difficult for Clare to put any further authority on the game. An innocuous ball from Gemma O’Connor dipped under the bar just three minutes into the half and a Hannah Looney shot mid way through the half ensure victory for the Rebelettes. From there on it was one way traffic with Cork notching up a further eight points in the last quarter run out winners at the final whistle Cork 2-20 Clare 1-10.
Played in the Cork Camogie Grounds, Orla Cotter registered the first score inside the opening minute before adding a tight angled 20 metre free on the fourth minute. Niamh O’Dea responded for Clare when she pointed from close range. Katrina Mackey picked off a point before Chloe Morey, on free taking duty for Clare, pointed a 30 metre free to bring Clare to within a point of Cork after eight minutes. Cotter pointed from play before Morey cancelled it out with a pointed 25 metre free. On 12 minutes O’Connor was brought down 35 metres out from goal after making a surging run from midfield and Cotter pointed the resultant free. Mid way through the half Hannah Looney rounded the Clare defence and bore down on goal only for her handpass to shade the crossbar. She was on target again six minutes later when she tapped over from close range before Mackey added to the scoreboard when she split the posts with a fine effort. Aoife Murray between the Cork posts pulled off a point blank save from O’Dea and with it set up an attack that saw Orla Cronin point to put Cork seven clear with two minutes to the half way mark. A long range effort from Clares Andrea O’Keeffe pulled one back for the Banner, before Murray was penalised for a fast puck out and the resultant 45 metre free was converted by the unerring Morey. Vera Loughnane took a well worked point in injury time to see Clare trail by four at the break Clare 0-6 Cork 0-10.
O’Connors goal at the restart gave Cork the ideal springboard to continue wher they had left off in the first half. O’Dea pulled a point back for Clare only for Cotter and and Mackey to raise white flags at the other end. Looneys goal coming mid way through the second half, was a rebound effort, Lauran Solon having stopped Maeve McCarthys initial strike. Morey converted a free, just ahead of three Cork points, O’Connor, Aisling Thompson and a Cotter free. The same sequence of scoring followed again Morey on target from placed ball, with Cork responding with points from Amy O’Connor (2) and a Cotter free. Substitute Amy Keating and Cotter traded points in the closing minutes. A foul saw Morey step up to take a 20 metre free with time almost up and the ‘Bridge woman drilled her shot to the back of the Cork net for the final score of the game, leaving Cork victors 2-20 to 1-10 and facing Limerick in the Munster Senior Final in 2 weeks’ time.
Cork: Aoife Murray Cloughduv; Leanne O’Sullivan Glen Rovers, Rena Buckley Iniscarra (capt.), Laura Treacy Killeagh; Eimear O’Sullivan Ballinhasig, Aisling Thompson Milford, Chloe Sigerson Killeagh; Gemma O’Connor St Finbarrs, Jennifer Barry Bride Rovers; Orla Cotter St Catherines, Orla Cronin Enniskeane, Amy O’Connor St Vincents; Katrina Mackey Douglas, Hannah Looney Killeagh, Niamh McCarthy Iniscarra
Subs: Roisin Kileen Ballyhea for R. Buckley (22, inj), Meave McCarthy Sarsfields for J. Barry (HT), Lauren Homan St Vinsents for N. McCarthy (45), Fiona Neville St Catherines for C. Sigerson (52), Rachel O’Shea Carrigaline for A. O’Connor (54).
Clare: Lauran Solon Whitegate; Ciara Grogan Clooney Quin, Carol O’Leary Newmarket on Fergus, Emma O’Connell Ballyea; Laura McMahon Newmarket on Fergus, Roisin McMahon Newmarket on Fergus, Ciara Doyle Scariff Ogonelloe; Maire McGrath Sixmilebridge,
Andrea O’Keeffe Inagh Kilnamona; Vera Loughnane Feakle, Aoife Keane Inagh Kilnamona, Aoibheann Malone Corofin; Orla Devitt Eire Og, Niamh O’Dea Kilmaley, Chloe Morey Sixmilebridge
Subs: Zoe McInerney Newmarket on Fergusfor A. Malone, Clare Hehir Inagh Kilnamona for E. O’Connell, Amy Keating Imnagh Kilnamona for V. Loughnane, Aine O’Loughlin Truagh Clonlara for A. O’Keeffe.
Scorers:
Cork: H. Looney 1-02, G. O’Connor 1-01, O. Cotter 0-09 (0-07f), K. Mackey 0-04, A. O’Connor 0-02,
O. Cronin & A. Thompson 0-01 each.
Clare: C. Morey 1-05 (1-04f, 0-0145), N. O’Dea 0-2, V. Loughnane, A. O’Keeffe, A. Keating 0-01 each.
Referee: Kevin O’Brien, Limerick
Munster Junior Championship Semi Final
Cork 0-22 Clare 0-07
Cork proved much too strong for Clare in this Munster Camogie Junior Championship semi-final decider played on a fast carpet like surface at sun soaked Castle Road on Sunday May 7th.
Clare opened the scoring with a Keelin Lyons 20 metre free on four minutes, however, it was to take them another 20 minutes before they registered on the scoreboard again with another Lyons placed ball this time from 50 metres. In the intervening period Cork notched up 11 points showing their dominance across the pitch. Erin Looney operating at centre forward split the posts followed by two well taken points by the lively Aisling Wallace playing top of the right. Rachel Harty picked off a close range point on nine minutes before Wallace added to the tally with a fine effort on the run to see Cork five points to one to the good after only nine minutes on the clock. With the Cork forwards keeping the Clare defence on the back foot, Sinead Mills collected a short clearance to split the posts for Corks sixth point. Cork, however, for all their possession were guilty of squandering some goal chances which left Clare off the hook mid-way through the opening half. Two Christine O’Neill frees either side of a close range Looney point from play pushed Cork eight clear. Michaela Hyde pointed before captain Cliona O’Callaghan confidently slotted over after a strong run to see all six of the Cork forwards on the scoreboard 10 minutes from the short whistle. Lyons slotted over a 50 metre free to bring Clares tally to three for the half. Cork registered two more with O’Callaghan pointing before Wallace popped over from close range to see Cork 0-13 to Clare 0-03 at the short whistle.
On the resumption it was Clare who opened the scoring when Sinead Power slotted over to put four on the board for the Banner. Four unanswered points from Cork through Wallace who accounted for two, substitute Orla Coughlan, and Harty pushed Cork well clear with 20 minutes left. Clare pulled one back through a Loughnane 40 metre free on 38 minutes to leave the score Cork 0-17 to Clares 0-05. Two further unanswered points through Coughlan and Wallace pushed Corks tally to 19 before Clare were awarded a penalty with 13 minutes remaining. Loughnane stepped up and drilled her shot low only for it to be deflected off Mary Hurley’s stick in the Cork goal and ricochet over the bar. Twohill added two for Cork either side of a Wallace point that increased her haul to eight on 59 minutes as Cork closed out the game with 14 players having used all their subs when Harty had to leave the field due to injury.
Cork: Mary Hurley Clonakilty; Courtney O’Keeffe St. Vincents, Danielle Carroll Enniskeane, Emma Flanagan Aghabullogue; Nicole Crean St. Vincents, Gillian O’Leary Sliabh Rua, Ciara Daly Killeagh; Christine O’Neill Courcey Rovers, Lydia Cunningham Glen Rovers; Michela Hyde Glen Rovers, Erin Looney Inniscarra, Cliona O’Callaghan (capt.), Newtownshandrum; Sinead Mills Brian Dillons, Rachael Harty Ballyhea, Aisling Wallace Glen Rovers.
Subs: Orla Coughlan Enniskeane for C. O’Neill, Aoife Twohill Newtownshandrum for M. Hyde (HT), Nicola O’Doherty Aghabullogue for L. Cunningham (41, inj), Denise Cagney Newtownshandrum for C. O’Callaghan (45, inj), Aibhinn O’Sullivan Castlelyons for S. Mills (46)
Clare: Edel McNamara Kilkishen; Aoife Nihill Wolfe Tones, Megan O’Brien St Josephs, Deana Considine Sixmilebridge; Aisling McMahon (capt) St Josephs, Ruth Kaiser Newmarket on Fergus, Eva Whyte Eire Og; Sarah Redmond Eire Og, Louise Egan Truagh Clonlara; Sinead Power Inagh Kilnamona, Keelin Lyons Sixmilebridge, Evelynn Duggan Tulla; Siobhain Lane Corofin, Lizzy Danaher Wolfe Tones, Laura McGrath Feakle.
Subs: Sarah Loughnane for A. Nihill (12, inj), Corina McMahon for L. Dahaner (HT), L. Danaher for S. Lane (47).
Scorers:
Cork: A. Wallace 0-08, O. Coughlan 0-03 (0-0145), N. O’Leary, C. O’Callaghan, R. Harty 0-02 each, C.
O’Neill 0-02 (0-02f), S. Mills, M. Hyde & A. Twohill 0-01 each.
Clare: K. Lyons 0-03 (0-03f), S. Loughnane 0-02, S. Power & E. Duggan 0-01 each
Referee: Philip Dee, Limerick
