Piltown hold on to secure place in Leinster senior camogie decider

Piltown overcame a massive test of skill and of character as they beat the Wexford senior champions on their home patch by the minimum to set up a Leinster final meeting with St Vincent’s.

You don’t get anything easy when you travel away, and Glynn Barntown certainly went down fighting as the game was still up for grabs deep into the seven minutes of injury-time in the second half.

Piltown got off to the best possible start straight from the throw in, Kellyann Doyle got possession and passed it to Katie Power and as usual she was accurate with her handpass, straight to the hand of Patsy Kenny. She headed for goal and gave Lara O’Shea in the Barntown goal no chance to raise a green flag in the first minute.

The perfect start for the away side and it continued for the Piltown as Katie Power scored two points from out on the left side in the fifth and 12th minutes to increase the lead to five points.

It took the home side 13 minutes to open their account, when centre forward Chloe Cashe stood over a free and put it over the bar into a slight breeze blowing towards her.

Barntown were getting to grips with the game now, and were running at the Kilkenny champions, it was becoming a tough test for the Piltown rearguard with the home side leaving one forward inside the 45, getting the ball in long to her and then swarming forward.

It all paid off in the 17th minute when Jessie Morrissey got the sliotar in hand, beat the defence and put it across Aoife Norris into the right hand corner to bring the Piltown lead back to one point.

It was a boost to the home side after Piltown had control of the first quarter. But Glynn were now back in the game.

Sophie Holden rose a white flag in the next attack with Chloe Cashe replying with another pointed free. 

Kellyann Doyle answered with her first free in the 20th  minute as the game was starting to brew nicely.

There was no holding back as the home side were cynical at the back and clinical up the front.

Chloe Cashe wasn’t missing the numerous frees she was taking, scoring from near and one from way out on the right sideline, to keep the scoreboard moving for the Wexford champions, while on the Piltown side, while not getting as many frees, Kellyann Doyle made no mistake from the three she got and one from play.

Glynn weren’t all about Cashe though, as full forward Ciara Butler who was proving a handful for full back Emily McCarthy and their battle throughout was one to watch, scored a point in the 28th minute just after wing forward Layla Stafford pointed to make it a strong finish to the half for the home side.      

Referee Donegan got the game back underway and Piltown were playing into the slight breeze coming from the scoreboard end.

The battle was truly on, it took ten minutes for the first score to be registered when Patsy Kenny, who scored the first score in the first half also, put the ball over the bar.

Piltown had a purple patch then after Kenny’s point, Sophie Holden scored her second point of the game after being set up by the superb Kellyann Doyle in the 45th minute.

Then a crucial moment for the away side after serious work to get the ball back, it arrived to Kenny, amid a gaggle of players and she got a shot away, it was saved by Lara O’Shea before it rolled free to the right of the goal. It needed someone to  think quick, react and be brave - and there’s no-one better than Sophie Holden to do all three.

She pounced and pulled on the sliotar into the net.

From the very big crowd there was a roar as the scores were now 2-9 to 1-6 after 48 minutes.

Kellyann Doyle made no mistake with another free a minute later as she arrowed the ball over the bar after Katie Power was fouled again, this was their last score of the half.

The home side’s Chloe Cashe got her first chance of the second half from a 45, despite it being given as wide by the umpire, he was overruled by the ref and it was changed to a 45 and Cashe made no mistake.

Straight away Cashe got another chance after yet another foul in the 51st  minute. 

And then Glynn Barntown’s Ciara Butler, who was a handful all game, got on a loose ball inside the parallelogram and pulled on it on the ground and it went past Aoife Norris into the net, to cut the lead back to two points with six minutes left.

After striking one free wide previously, Chloe Cashe stood over another one, three minutes into the seven minutes of injury-time. This time she made no mistake and cut Piltown’s lead to one point.

And then seven minutes deep into injury time, Glynn Barntown’s Layla Stafford got free, she broke through the middle and shot high but it sailed to the right and wide.

The final whistle then blew and it was a one point victory for the Kilkenny champions and they go on to play St Vincent of Dublin in the 2024 Leinster final.

Piltown – Aoife Norris, Lorraine Long, Emily McCarthy, Alice Talbot, Jenni O’Dea, Karen Duggan, Alanna Gallagher, Aoife Landers, Lorna O’Shea, Ellen O’Keeffe,Kellyann Doyle, Niamh Culleton, Sophie Holden, Patsy Kenny, Katie Power.

Glynn Barntown – Lara O’Shea, Emma O’Leary, Emma Walsh, Alibeth Moran Curran, Becca Fanning, Laura Dempsey, Roisin Cooney, Clodagh Jackman, Aisling Halligan, Layla Stafford, Chloe Cashe, Jessie Morrissey, Emma Dempsey, Ciara Bolger, Grace Roche.